Allstate BCS Championship Game – No. 2 Crimson Tide vs No.1 Tigers
It will be Round 2 between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers, but this time the two teams will clash on Monday, January 9 at the Superdome in New Orleans to determine this season’s BCS Champion.
Date/Time: Monday, January 9th 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Superdome, New Orleans, LA.
Broadcast: ESPN
Crimson Tide at Tigers lines by BetOnline.com
Point spread: Tigers -1
Over/Under: 39
The kick-off for this year’s national title game is slated for 8:30 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Alabama rolled through the regular season with an 11-1 record straight-up and an 8-4 record against the spread. The only setback was a hard-fought 9-6 overtime loss to the Tigers on Nov. 5 as a 5.5-point home favorite. The total stayed ‘under’ the 41.5-point line and went an even 6-6 on the year.
The Crimson Tide come into this rematch with a rushing attack that is averaging 219.8 yards a game. Heisman Trophy Finalist Trent Richardson led the team with 1,583 rushing yards and Eddie Lacy added 631 yards on just 84 carries. They also boast the No.1-ranked defense in the nation in points allowed; giving-up an average of just 8.8 points a game.
LSU completed its perfect 13-0 SU season (10-3 ATS) with a convincing 42-10 romp over Georgia in last Saturday’s SEC title game as an 11.5-point favorite. The total went ‘over’ the 46.5-point line and went 7-5-1 in its 13 games this season.
Much like Alabama, the Tigers’ success this year was built around a smash-mouth running game and shutdown defense. They averaged 215.2 rushing yards a game, which was ranked 17th in the country. Four different players rushed for at least 300 yards led by Spencer Ware’s 700 yards and Michael Ford’s 755 yards. The defense was second only to the Tide in points allowed; giving-up an average of 10.5 points a game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Alabama is 1-3 ATS in its last four games, but 6-3 ATS in its last nine. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of its last seven games.
LSU is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games overall with a 42-9 victory over Western Kentucky as a 41.5-point home favorite the only game it failed to cover during this stretch. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of its last six games.
Head-to-head, the Tigers are 4-2 SU in the last six meetings but the series is tied 3-3 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of the last six games. While there may be a few more points scored this time around, you can expect pretty much the same kind of game between these two defensive titans. Stick with LSU to complete the sweep and cover the one-point spread in a game that stays ‘under’ the total.
The Pick: LSU 20 vs. Alabama 16
