Auburn vs. South Carolina: What Bettors Need to Know
By Marc Lawrence
The 19th renewal of the SEC Football Championship game kicks off when No. 1 ranked Auburn takes on No. 18 South Carolina at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta Saturday afternoon.
Free at last
He's the best player in the game today. And he'll be a deserving Heisman winner, too.
Best of all, he will be taking snaps under center Saturday.
After a month of intensive investigation by the NCAA, Auburn QB Cam Newton was cleared to play in Saturday’s SEC title game, but not without sour grapes from other top college football dignitaries around the country.
"I was always told the parent is the child," USC AD Pat Haden said. "That's what we've been telling our kids. If the parent does something inappropriate, the child suffers the consequences."
Home away from home
Auburn is only 100 miles up Interstate 85 from Atlanta.
The Atlanta area is a drawing card for students, alumni and potential football players. And its position as the capital of the football-crazy South means Auburn coaches make frequent trips to Atlanta and its suburbs to hunt and recruit players.
"Atlanta is so close," Auburn coach Gene Chizik told reporters. "Being able to get to Atlanta is every team's goal in this league every year. It's a huge recruiting base. It's a huge inspiration for our guys who are from that area to be able to go back."
Among the dozen scholarship players from greater Atlanta, several have starring roles on this year's team.
Newton comes from College Park, running back Mario Fannin is from Hampton and receiver Darvin Adams finished high school in Kennesaw.
On the line, Byron Isom is from Jonesboro and tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen, who caught the winning pass in the Iron Bowl, comes from Marietta. Starting defensive back Neiko Thorpe is from Tucker.
Second to one
While South Carolina's offense has become more and more dangerous this year with freshman running back Marcus Lattimore and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, JR QB Stephen Garcia has provided the arm and legs to put defenses on their heels.
Garcia has come a long way since being pulled in the fourth quarter in Jordan-Hare Stadium when the Gamecocks folded like cheap tent in a 35-27 loss to the Tigers earlier this season.
After leading the Tigers 20-7 in the first half, and 27-21 to start the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks' fourth quarter went: Fumble, fumble, interception, interception. Game over.
In Garcia's next game, against then-No. 1 Alabama, he played the game of his life as South Carolina upset the Crimson Tide.
It marked the first time in 108 years SC defeated a No. 1 ranked opponent.
Garcia is expected to play despite a tender shoulder.
Do it to me one more time
Auburn's 334 rushing yards against South Carolina on September 25 accounted for nearly 30 percent of the rushing yards given up by the Gamecocks during the regular season.
South Carolina held nine of its other 11 opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards.
Auburn leads the SEC in rushing offense at 291.2 yards per game. South Carolina leads the SEC in rushing defense at 93.2 yards per game.
SEC rematches
“It’s hard to beat the same teams twice in the same season”, remains a popular axiom.
There's not much historical precedent for same-season rematches.
Four of the five SEC title game rematches have led to sweeps: Alabama over Florida in 1999, Florida over Auburn in 2000, LSU over Georgia in 2003 and Auburn over Tennessee in 2004. The only split was between Tennessee and LSU in 2001.
Tigers coach Chizik understands the rematch scenario from the perspective of the 2004 season, when he was defensive coordinator and Auburn needed to beat Tennessee for a second time to preserve its unbeaten season.
Though Auburn won by 24 points in Knoxville, it had a hard-fought, 10-point win in Atlanta.
South Carolina boss Steve Spurrier has had more a little experience with rematches.
"I've had some games where, well, back in 2000 we were actually able to beat Auburn a couple of times. In '99, Alabama beat us a couple of times," Spurrier recalled. "And then we were lucky to get a rematch with FSU in the national championship there in '96 and were able to beat them the second time after losing the first. I think it can go either way. You can win both of them or split."
Spurrier went on to extol the virtues of Auburn’s undefeated season saying, "They've been - I wouldn't say the surprise team - but they've been one of the best teams in the country, if not the best team, through the course of the first 12 games.”
Chew on this
• South Carolina's only victory over Auburn was a 16-14 win in Birmingham on Dec. 2, 1933.
• Auburn is the only SEC opponent that South Carolina has not beaten since joining the conference in 1992.
• Auburn has won six SEC championships -- 1957, 1983, 1987, 1988 (shared with LSU), 1989 (shared with Alabama and Tennessee) and 2004. In each of those seasons, Auburn defeated Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi State.
• South Carolina is the third team to reach the SEC Championship Game with three league losses, joining LSU in 2001 and Arkansas in 2002.
• The higher-ranked team in the AP poll has won 12 of the 18 SEC championship games.
• The winner of the SEC title game has gone on to win six of the 12 BCS national championship games, including the past four.
• Undefeated tams in SEC title games are 5-3 straight up and 3-5 against the spread.
Nebraska vs. Oklahoma: What Bettors Need to Know
No. 13 Nebraska and No. 9 Oklahoma square off Saturday in a Big 12 Championship Game packed with story lines.
This will be last meeting between the longtime conference rivals, who have tangled in some of college football’s most storied games. Nebraska heads to the Big Ten next season and would love nothing more than to scoop up the Big 12’s lucrative BCS bowl bid before jumping ship.
Odds
The line opened at -3.5 in favor of OU and was bet up to as high as -6.5 before bettors took a discounted Huskers squad, bring the spread down to its current stand.
The total opened at 54 points and has dropped a points to 53 as of Friday afternoon.
Falling stars
The winner of Saturday’s game at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas also moves onto the short list of possible preseason No. 1 candidates for 2011.
Unfortunately for Cornhusker and Sooner fans, they're forced to worry about injuries to their star players.
Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez is a game-time decision due to turf toe on his left foot and a right ankle injury. The redshirt freshman practiced Wednesday, but was seen leaving the field with a boot on his right foot.
Martinez got off to an electric start this season, but slowed down the stretch. He missed two games due to injuries, including last week’s win over Colorado. Backups Cody Green and Zac Lee have seen time in Martinez’s absence and helped the Huskers (10-2, 6-2 Big 12) finish with their best regular-season mark in nine seasons. Green has emerged lately and is expected to start if Martinez can’t go.
Oklahoma could be without leading rusher DeMarco Murray, who injured his knee in last week’s win over Oklahoma State. Coach Bob Stoops told the media this week that Murray is improving, but his status is still questionable against Nebraska. Freshman Roy Finch and senior Mossis Madu will be asked to produce on the ground if Murray can’t go.
Even if Martinez and Murray are held out, there will still be plenty of talent on the field. The Cornhuskers have a pair of game-breakers at running back. Roy Helu (1,122 yards, 10 TDs) and Rex Burkhead (822 yards, 7 TDs) lead the nation’s eighth-ranked rushing attack.
Nebraska also boasts the nation’s fifth-best defense, led by cornerback Prince Amukara, one of the top NFL draft prospects at defensive back.
Flyin’ Ryan
Amukara will likely be matched up against Oklahoma’s prolific receiver Ryan Broyles, also an NFL prospect. The nation’s leader in receptions per game, Broyles is quarterback Landry Jones’ favorite target and averages 115 receiving yards. Jones passed for 466 yards and four touchdowns against Oklahoma State and spearheads the nation’s fourth-best passing attack.
Defensive end Jeremy Beal, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, leads the Sooner defense, which has been inconsistent this season. Oklahoma is giving up 152 yards rushing per game. Starting cornerback Jonathan Nelson (concussion) was a full participant in practice for the Sooners and is expected to play.
The Sooners enter the game as touchdown favorites and are shooting for their fourth Big 12 title in the last five seasons. They’ll have to perform better than they did in last season’s ugly loss to the Cornhuskers.
Jones threw five interceptions in the 10-3 loss in Lincoln, Neb.
Trends
• Home team is 6-2 ATS in their last eight meetings.
• Under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings.
• Favorite is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
Virginia Tech vs. Florida State: What Bettors Need to Know
Since a surprising stumble in Week 2, few teams have been as impressive as Virginia Tech, which has reeled off 10 wins a row. An old nemesis, Florida State, aims to halt a Hokies streak – again.
Virginia Tech (10-2, 8-0 ACC) and the Seminoles (9-3, 6-2) meet on Saturday in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte with an Orange Bowl berth at stake.
Odds
The line opened as high as -4.5 in favor of the Hokies, but has been bet down to its current stand. The total has climbed slightly, sitting as high as 52 at some books.
Rematch or outmatched?
The teams faced each other in the first ACC title game in 2005 and also met in the national title game in 2000, both won by Florida State. But in recent years, Virginia Tech has become more of a national power while Florida State, after a few mediocre years and a coaching change, is now the upstart. Still, the Seminoles beat Virginia Tech in their last meeting 30-20 two seasons ago.
The No. 11 Hokies are making their fourth trip to the conference championship game. After losing in 2005, they beat Boston College in 2007 and 2008. No. 20 Florida State is making its first return trip to the title game.
Virginia Tech, which lost to Boise State in the season opener and then dropped a stunner to James Madison, has been unbeatable since. The athletic Tyrod Taylor has refined his game to become a complete quarterback, evidenced by him becoming the all-time leading passer for the Hokies. Taylor directs an offense that is averaging nearly 35 points a game.
His counterpart, Christian Ponder, also is a mobile quarterback capable of making big plays. Both have thrown 20 touchdowns on the season and for more than 2,000 yards.
Florida State averages just shy of 32 points a game. Statistically, the teams are extremely close in a number of categories, including scoring, rushing and passing, and the game could down to turnovers, where the edge has to go to the Hokies.
Under coach Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech is known for big plays via special teams and turnovers. They rank second in the nation with 20 interceptions. Taylor has been picked off only four times while Florida State has turned the ball over 20 times, with Ponder throwing eight interceptions.
Devil you Nole
Though the Seminoles and rookie head coach Jimbo Fisher are underdogs, they have to be feeling good entering the game. Not only has Florida State won its last three games, including convincing wins over Miami and Maryland, the ’Noles have beaten up on Beamer, who is 1-8 all-time against them.
Virginia Tech’s biggest advantage may be in the running game, where it has a wealth of weapons. Darren Evans leads the team with 748 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns and Taylor isn’t far behind with 613 yards. Sophomore David Wilson is a dangerous threat out of the backfield and on returns.
But against ACC opponents, Florida State allowed just 3.5 yards per carry and the defense has given up an average of 12 points in the last three games. Offensively, Chris Thompson leads the Seminoles’ rushing attack with 687 yards and a gaudy 6.9 average.
Virginia Tech’s 10-game winning streak is its longest since 2000 when it won 12 straight. That streak was broken by Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. The Seminoles are 4-0 against the Hokies at neutral sites.
Trends
• Seminoles are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings.
• Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
• Home team is 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings.