On paper, the BCS title game should be one for the ages, with the undefeated and top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide set to square off against the No. 2 and likewise unblemished Texas Longhorns on Jan. 7. But if you look at both sides' recent results, it isn't hard to see why the Tide is the favorite to come away with its first national championship since 1992.
Alabama looked every bit the part of national champions in its 32-13 demolition of previously undefeated and then-No. 1 Florida, the current holder of the BCS trophy. In winning its record 22nd SEC title, the Crimson Tide dominated every facet of the game, finishing with almost 500 total yards and holding quarterback Tim Tebow and the Gators' offense to a season-low 13 points.
Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy led his team to 32 points, 12 more points than any other team scored against Florida's defense this season, and Heisman Trophy finalist Mark Ingram ran for 113 yards and three touchdowns, rebounding from his worst performance of the year versus Auburn the week before.
Thus far this season, Ingram has totaled an absurd 1542 ground yards, including a blistering 6.2 yards per carry to go along with 15 touchdowns. But just as impressive has been McElroy's efficiency this season. The junior and first-year starter, who was 28-0 as a starter in high school and college, has a 142.0 quarterback rating and a 61.1 percent completion percentage. He will be turned to early and often in the BCS National Championship Game should Ingram be stifled.
Given Texas' miserable performance against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship last weekend, Alabama should have no trouble rolling to its 13th national title.
Senior quarterback Colt McCoy, in his worst game of the year, finished with three interceptions and just 184 yards in the Longhorns' 13-12, last-second win. Despite McCoy's 5.1 yards-per-completion average, senior kicker Hunter Lawrence was able to deliver the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Overall, Texas had just 202 yards of total offense, 153 fewer than its punters accumulated. But thanks to a stiff defense, which held the Cornhuskers' offense to 106 yards and three turnovers, the Longhorns were able to move to 13-0.
Equally as puzzling as its offensive struggles was Texas' mismanagement in the waning moments of the game. With under 10 seconds left, McCoy inexplicably rolled out and calmly hurled the ball out of bounds as the clock ran out. Though the Longhorns ultimately got the ball back with one second left, setting up Lawrence's heroics, McCoy's calmness indicates not poise, but simply a lack of awareness not characteristic of one of the country's best quarterbacks.
Against Alabama, Texas will face the nation's second-best total defense, a unit that has given up just 16 total touchdowns and held opposing offenses to under 10 points six times. But luckily for Texas, its rushing defense, which has limited opposing backs to a shade under two yards per carry, is the best in the country and should give Ingram fits all evening.
Both coaches boast impressive résumés that should intangibly help their respective teams. Alabama coach Nick Saban has done a great job motivating the Crimson Tide after his squad dropped its final two games of the 2008 season to finish No. 6 in the country. Mack Brown, on the other hand, has won at least 10 games each year between 2001 and 2009, the longest such active streak in college football.
Assuming Colt McCoy turns in a performance indicative of his decorated career -- in which he recently became the most winning quarterback in college football history -- and not the egg he laid against Nebraska, the BCS National Championship Game promises to be a thrilling contest.
Ultimately, the game truly is a national championship, as it features the top two rushing defenses in the country and two of the nation's best offenses. Despite the fact that Cincinnati, Texas Christian University and Boise State finished the season undefeated, the Longhorns and Alabama certainly deserve to be competing on college football's biggest stage.
And despite the fact that Texas, with McCoy leading the way, has all the talent to be worthy of the national title, recent results indicate that the Tide should roll in January.
