BCS Championship Game: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Texas

The "momentum" argument doesn't really hold water when you have more than a month off to prepare and tailor your gameplan specifically for that opponent. For evidence, see Oklahoma scoring 60+ points in four consecutive games with a Heisman winner and an offensive labeled by many as among the all-time greats scoring only 14 points and looking completely out of sync in last year's national championship game.

Moreover, Alabama came much closer to losing to Auburn than UT did against A&M. And UT's struggles against A&M at least came against a noteworthy offense (No. 5 in the nation). Alabama struggled offensively against a truly awful Auburn defense. Also, go back a couple more weeks, and you'll see that when Texas was routing Missouri and Oklahoma State (eight and nine-win teams) on the road in late Oct/early Nov, Alabama was scraping by against mediocre Tennessee (needed every bit the miracle UT got against NU and then some) and LSU teams at home. Until the Florida game, McElroy had been mediocre at best over the second half of the season.

If you don't see UT/Alabama as a virtual 50/50 tossup, just as with UT/USC, I'm afraid you've fallen victim to the same media hype you condemned when it applied to the Trojans.

 

I'm afraid you are the one that has "fallen victim" to false presumption and the notion you can read minds. Just because I think Alabama is playing better doesn't mean I've "fallen victim to the same media hype". I don't watch Sports Center. I don't listen to talking heads. My opinion comes from watching the games.

I never said the "momentum argument" was always conclusive. I said the season-long performance view (used by another poster) was NOT conclusive. Do you even understand the difference? And for your information, I picked Florida to beat Oklahoma last year. Get it?

You need to come down off the high horse. You have no business telling anybody why they believe something. You also have no business decreeing that the only reasonable conclusion anyone can reach is seeing this game as a 50/50 tossup. A suggestion: Try not being an arrogant and condescending, especially when you .

 

Fixed

 

Do you not see the incredible similarities between that game and this one? High powered Big 12 spread offense comes up against a dominating SEC defense and is destroyed. I understand that this isn't Ok vs UF but you have to admit it's not a good sign for you guys.

First of all, A&M's offense averaged a whopping 33 more yds and 1 point a game than Auburn so either you have no idea what you're talking about or the difference in a noteworthy offense and an offense that is not noteworthy is 33 yds and 1 point.

Secondly, in the A&M/UT game you both had short weeks but in the UA/AU game Auburn came off a bye week. I'd say that would be a pretty big advantage wouldn't you?

UT's record is 7-5 and LSU's is 9-3, veeeeeery mediocre compared to those 8 and 9 win powerhouses you mentioned.

Miss St 13-18 192yds 2/0 td/int
LSU 19-34 276yds 2/1 td/int
Chatt 6-11 80 yds 1/0 td/int(left in 2nd qtr)
Aub 21-31 218 yds 2/0 td/int
UF 12-18 239 yds 1/0 td/int

So 71-112 (63%) 1005 yds 8/1 td/int, a 160.55 QB rating, over his last five games is mediocre at best?

Know what Colts QB rating is over that stretch? 151.57!

The fact is, it's not a 50/50 toss up. The only people who think it is are UT fans. Can UT win? Absolutely they can. Are they favored? No! is is a "pick em"? No! The vast majority of experts pick Alabama. The oddsmakers of Vegas like Bama. Every poll thinks Alabamas better. So don't talk to someone about "falling victim to media hype" when you would do well to listen to the media as it is obvious you know little to nothing about what has happened during the college football year.

 

Like I said, I know this isn't Ok vs UF. Also like I said, UT can absolutley win this game but to call it 50/50 is just dumb. It's just not.

 

If a person wants to call the game 50/50, that is their right and privilege and is not necessarily dumb. Regardless of what opinion one has on the game, it is crazy to say that anyone who disagrees with you is "dumb" or a "victim of media hype". Personally, I agree with you that Alabama is better. But the teams are close enough that reasonable people can have different opinions.

This game isn't like the Bears and Patriots in 1986, where only the most hopeless Pats homer gave them a dime's worth of a chance. Most people expect Alabama to win, but anyone who would be shocked if UT wins should reconsider. IMO, McElroy is the key variable to the game more than any other player. Sort of like "bad" Rex and "good" Rex Grossman with the Bears.

I'll say this: If McElroy plays very good AND UT still wins, then I'll sincerely be shocked. But that is also my dream outcome. I want UT to win and I want this game to be memorable for great plays on both sides and a wild finish at the end.

 

Just had to deal with a bunch of Alabama idiots and let me tell you...I'm not a fan of Texas at all, but I hope to god, by some miracle, Texas crushes Alabama.

I hope these people never get to experience enjoyment for the rest of their lives. What a bunch of pathetic, miserable morons.

 

Colt McCoy cannot throw deep. You figure out how to defend.

 

This is one of the most commonly used knocks against McCoy, and it is just not true. Just because the majority of his passes are relatively short does not mean he can't get it downfield.

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And I'm sure somebody will say, "but those are only two examples, show me more proof!" I was just trying to show that McCoy IS able to get the ball accurately downfield if needed.

The only problem with this, however, is a team needs a competent offensive line to give the WR time to get open deep, and I'm not sure Texas's will be up to the task against Alabama. If Alabama keeps the long passes at bay, it will be due to the O-line, not McCoy's arm strength.

 

Sorry, but Texas does not call this type of play often enough -- it's a common and ongoing complaint. I think it has less to do with Colt's arm strength and more with Greg Davis' play calling.

 

Oklahoma wasn't destroyed in last year's game. The game was tied in the 4th quarter. OU *was* destroyed in the 2004 USC-OU game, and we saw what happened the next year when Texas faced USC. The simple fact is that OU isn't TX, and Florida isn't Alabama. Totally different styles of teams and play.

The OU offense, which had been flying through the regular season, was stymied in last year's game. But the flipside is that OU's defense, which had been routinely gouged last year, held Florida to 24 points, with 10 of those coming late. So if you did want to use last year as a comparison, that wouldn't bode well for Alabama's less-potent offense vs Texas's substantially better defense.

Alabama's favored simply because they play in the SEC, and they've faced a tougher schedule thus far. If you look at the season-long stats and results, both teams have strengths and both teams have holes; both teams have had some terrible games where they got lucky, and both teams have had dominant games. There's not really a good reason to make one team a notable favorite over the other.

 

Texas wins this game by 10 or more points....only one team can play offense......

It is not going to be as close as some make it out to be....

The UT defense will dominate...

DD

 

of course the game is 50/50. either you win or lose. :grin: