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2010 BCS Championship Odds: Texas v. Alabama Football Picks & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd on January 6, 2010

On Thursday, January 7th, the 13-0 Texas Longhorns take on the 13-0 Alabama Crimson Tide in the highly anticipated 2010 BCS Championship Game at the Rose Bowl. College football odds makers have listed Alabama as a 4-point favorite with the total set at 46.

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Enough with the hype. Thank God these teams are about to finally throw down for the national title. Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide, led by Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, and Mack Brown’s Texas Longhorns are led by star quarterback Colt McCoy, are ready to get it on.

Texas will be going after its second BCS championship in the last five years, and isn’t it fitting that it will have the opportunity to do so in the same place it won the last one? But for Texas to bring home another title, it will likely have to play better than it has all season against an Alabama team that dominated defending national champion Florida in the SEC title game.

Alabama will be looking to ride the strong legs of running back Mark Ingram to victory. Ingram ran his way into the Alabama record books, rushing for a school-record 1,542 yards and 15 touchdowns. His 113-yard, three-touchdown performance against Florida in the SEC title game helped him seal the deal on the Heisman Trophy – the first ever awarded to an Alabama player. But Ingram would gladly trade the award for a national title, which is something the Tide haven’t won since 1992. Ingram leads a ground attack ranking 12th nationally with a 215.8 yards per game average.

Perhaps more important than how the offense performs will be how Bama’s defense plays against Texas’ McCoy. McCoy brought home the Maxwell Award, which goes to the nation’s best all-around football player, after completing 70.5 percent of his passes for 3,512 yards and 27 touchdowns. McCoy is the engineer of an aerial assault ranking 14th in the nation (279.7 yards per game). McCoy also rushed for 348 yards this season.

In order to stop McCoy, the Tide are going to have to stop his go-to wide receiver Jordan Shipley, who finished the season with 1,363 yards and 11 touchdowns on 106 grabs. It is worth noting that the Longhorns are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games as an underdog. If you like the Horns to pull off the small upset, bet Texas at +4 at Bodog.

While Texas’ offense has been impressive this season, the last we saw of it against Nebraska does allow doubt to creep in. The Longhorns will face an even tougher challenge when they face Butkus Award winner Rolando McClain and company. The Tide are the nation’s stingiest defensive unit, allowing only 11.0 points per game. And they rank No. 2 in total defense, allowing only 241.8 yards per game. McClain, who led the team with 101 stops (12.5 for a loss) is a big reason why.

While Alabama’s defense steals most of the headlines, Texas’ defensive unit has made some noise as well. And it could bode well for the Longhorns that their defensive strength is stopping the run. Texas led the nation by only giving up 62.9 rushing yards per game, and it ranked third in total defense by allowing just 251.8 yards per contest.

With Texas being so stingy against the run, Alabama signal caller Greg McElroy may be asked to be the hero. The junior quarterback passed for 2,450 yards and 17 touchdowns against only four interceptions this season.

While Alabama is the No. 1 ranked favored team, history could be on the side of the Longhorns as they are 7-0-1 all-time against the Tide. But Alabama is the more decorated program with an NCAA-record 57 bowl appearances. And it is tied with USC for the most bowl wins all-time with 31. It is worth noting that the Crimson Tide are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games versus the Big 12. If you like the Tide to win and cover, bet Alabama at -4 at Bodog.

Jimmy Boyd has dominated the bowl season each of the last two years, finishing the 2007-08 bowl season on a 14-5 run and the 2008-09 season on a 10-4 home stretch run. And he is finishing strong again, currently on a 7-3 bowl hot streak. Crush your book again this year through the BCS Championship Game with Jimmy’s expert football picks!

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