BCS National Championship – Auburn Tigers Favored over Oregon Ducks
Auburn’s win on the road over Alabama is more impressive than anything Oregon have done this season.
Final papers for college football for the 2010/11 season are due on Monday January 10th, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. That’s where the Auburn Tigers and Oregon Ducks will meet in the BCS National Championship game from the University of Phoenix Stadium, also known as the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals.
Both teams are undefeated heading into the game as Oregon, out of the PAC 10, are 12-0 and Auburn, out of the SEC, are 13-0.
At this point most are expecting the Auburn Tigers to prevail and when you look at the two teams, you can see why.
Auburn faced tremendous adversity down the stretch of their season and for a time they did not even look like they would make the BCS final. The Tigers were losing by multiple possessions in the Iron Bowl versus Alabama, at Alabama, before Auburn made a historic comeback that kept their dream season alive.
The Oregon Ducks are not really as battle tested as Auburn heading into the championship game and that should give the Tigers more confidence.
The Ducks beat Stanford this year and so far Oregon are the only team to have accomplished that however that was a home game for the Ducks. Auburn making an incredible comeback and ultimately beating the defending national champions on their home turf was a far more impressive feat than the Ducks beating Stanford from Eugene.
Also Auburn persevered this season through mental distractions as their star QB, Cameron Newton, has been central to allegations surrounding NCAA violations. How that plays out in the long run is still unknown, as these NCAA investigations are not always over even when they appear to be, but the allegations surfaced at a terrible time for the Tigers and they still kept their heads in the right place.
Both Oregon and Auburn are tough teams but Auburn looks a little tougher and their status as favorite heading into the championship game appears legitimate.
