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BCS Championship Preview

The Florida Gators are the hottest team in the nation right now. After suffering a loss to Ole Miss, Florida turned it on, winning 9 games in a row. The heart, soul, and energy is provided by Junior QB Tim Tebow. What can you say about him, he's willing to do anything to win the game, whether it's throwing to his receivers or running over a corner. On the season, he has throw for 28 TD's with 2,515 yards. Tebow's main man, Percy Harvin, has caught 7 TD passes this season. In the backfield, Chris Rainey, Jeffery Demps, and Emanuel Moody will look to find holes in the Sooner defense. Lineback Brandon Spikes is an All American who will clog up the holes, applying pressure on Sam Bradford. Florida can make it 2 championships in 3 years with a win over Oklahoma.

The Sooners are led by QB Sam Bradford. On the year, he has a 48 to 6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Missing in the backfield for the Sooners is DeMarco Murray, who will not suit up tonight. Wideout Juaquin Iglesias has been on the receiving end of 10 of Bradford's TD passes. Oklahoma's defense is fine against the run, but it lacks in pass defense. The defense will need to be able to match up with Florida's speed and quickness if they want to win this game. On special teams, they have struggled against stopping the return game. Tonight, they are facing the nation's best return game.

Chris's Pick: Florida, 41-28 Player 2 Watch: LB Brandon Spikes

Flip's Pick: Florida, 48-31 Player 2 Watch: WR Percy Harvin

Another Buckeye Tragedy

Losing two consecutive National Championships is a real heartbreaker. But the loss last night may be the killer of them all. When Todd Boeckman found Terrelle Pryor in the endzone to get Ohio State within 2 points of Texas, the Buckeyes appeared to have every bit of the momentum. Then, a huge 3 and out for Texas resulted in Ohio State having a chance to pull ahead late. Well Daniel Herron capitalized, scoring a 15 yard TD run, giving the Buckeyes the 21-17 lead with 2:05 left.

Heisman nominee, Colt McCoy had the opportunity to show why Texas deserved a spot in the BCS Championship. On the drive, McCoy stayed calm and composed, a true talent of any NFL QB. Play after play, Texas kept gaining yards. Then came the biggest 4th down attempt in Longhorn history. McCoy threw a bullet to the right, with his receiver landing just on the 1st down mark. The call was made, and Texas had converted the down. At that moment, Ohio State saw flashes of past failures rising. Then, with 16 seconds left, Colt McCoy fired a dagger on a 5 yard slant by Quan Cosby. When catching the ball, Cosby turned upfield, shedding off an Ohio State defender, and bolting towards the endzone, finally diving in for the touchdown. The 26 yard pass was the 14th catch for Cosby on the night, but the one catch that Ohio State will never forget. The TD made all Buckeye fans cringe, failing once again in a bowl game.

Fiesta Bowl Preview

"The" Ohio State State Univesity is looking to end a its miserable bowl history. The Buckeyes have lost consecutive National Championship Games to SEC teams: LSU and Florida. Today, they will give the ball to Freshman Terrelle Pryor. He is a difficult QB to tackle, showing his phenominal mobility. With 152 passing attempts, Pryor has only thrown 4 INT's. Chris "Beanie" Wells has battled injuries this season, still rushing for over 1,00 yards with 8 TD's. Terrelle Pryor is also a running threat, scoring 6 TD's with his legs. Wideout Brian Robiski is a big part of the offense, with Pryor looking for him in key situations. On the season, Robiski has 419 yards with 8 TD's. On the defensive side, Senior LB James Laurinaitis is their heart and soul. Laurinaitis wants to erase his memories of two BCS blowouts. In the secondary, Malcom Jenkins is a quick corner who will look to contain Texas' passing attack. Look for Jenkins on special teams, as he has had big returns for the Buckeyes.

Texas can say that they deserve to be where Oklahoma is at. But since they are not in the Championship, the Longhorns must face reality and realize that they must show what they got against Ohio State. Heisman nominee Colt McCoy is everything for the Longhorns. He is their leading passer, leading rusher, and the big man on campus. On the season, McCoy has thrown for 3,445 yards with 32 TD's. He also leads the team on the ground, rushing for 576 yards and 10 TD's. Jordan Shipley just fell short of having a 1,000 yard season, but still recorded 11 TD's. Nagurski Trophy winner Brian Orakpo is back from knee injury. Look for him to be applying pressure all night on Terrelle Pryor. On special teams for the Longhorns, Shipley has the ability to break a big return against the Buckeyes. This game could come down to just one play, so be ready for the moment when Shipley or Jenkins breaks through daylight.

Flip's Pick: Texas, 49-30
Flip's Player 2 Watch: WR Jordan Shipley

Chris's Pick: Ohio State, 31-30
Chris's PLayer 2 Watch: LB James Laurinatis

We Have A New #1

In a shocking turn of events, Boston College pulled the upset that shocked the college world. With their dominant play, North Carolina seemed to have a chance of going undefeated. Well North Carolina get a reality check, losing to Boston College 85-78.

The coaches poll came out today, giving Pittsburgh the #1 spot. The Panthers are currently undefeated and proving to be a tough test for their Big East conference foes. North Carolina dropped to #3, falling behind ACC rival Duke, who slid into the #2 spot. Wake Forest and UCONN round out the top 5. The ACC has 5 teams in the Top 25, while the Big East has 9 schools. Teams who dropped from the Top 25 were previously ranked #16 Gonzaga, #23 Michigan and #24 Ohio State. Both teams suffered heartbreaking losses this week.

The new #1, Pittsburgh, is led by Sam Young. So far, Young has averaged 19.5 points per game. DeJuan Blair has contributed nicely, bringing 12,5 boards a game along with 14.2 points a game. Pittsburgh has a matchup with Saint John's on the 11th, then with South Florida on the 14th, and traveling to Louisville on the 17th.

Baltimore Ravens vs Miami Dolphins Preview

The Ravens are riding the backs of their unstoppable defense. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata has proved to be one of the best tackles in the game, while veteren linebacker Ray Lewis continues to be the ultimate intimidator. Safety Ed Reed has really come on lately, forcing tunrovers in almost all of the Ravens games down the stretch. On the other side of the ball, rookie phenom Joe Flacco has made a great turnaround from the beginning of the season, helping to lead his Ravens to the postseason. On the year, Flacco has thrown for 2,971 yards with 14 TD's, completing 60% of his passes. The run game for the Ravens has proven to be tough to stop, just ask the Cowboys. RB Le'Ron McClain has scored 10 TD's with 902 yards, along with Willis McGahee's 671 yards and 7 TD's. Derrick Mason has surpassed 1,000 yards on the season and scored 5 TD's, while Mark Clayton is averaging 17 yards a catch.

Miami went 1-15 last season, making an amazing turnaround, finishing 11-5 this season. The Dolphins can thank the Packers for where they are now. If the Packers didn't trade Brett Favre to the Jets, QB Chad Pennington never would have been a Dolphin. During his great season, Pennington has thrown for 3,653 yards and 19 TD's. He was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year, his 2nd time receiving this award. The Dolphins have introduced the Wildcat formation, with RB Ronnie Brown running for 916 yards and 10 TD's. Despite last season's defense being one of the worst, the defense this season has made a much needed improvement. Linebacker Joey Porter may be Defensive Player of the Year, making the linebacking crew better with his arrival from Pittsburgh.


Flip's Pick: Ravens, 31-17
Flip's X Factor: SS Ed Reed


Chris's Pick: Ravens, 21-17
Chris's X Factor: QB Joe Flacco

Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals Preview

The Falcons are led by Offensive Rooke of the Year, Matt Ryan. During his rookie campaign, Ryan threw for 3,440 yards with 16 TD's. Matt Ryan has made the fans forget about Mike Vick. Their star free agent, Michael Turner, has ran for 1,699 yards and scored a career high 17 TD's. Matt Ryan has been thrilled to have Pro Bowl Wide Receiver Roddy White catching his passes. White has 88 receptions and 1,382 receiving yards with 7 TD's. Both White and Michael Jenkins are averaging more then 15 yards a reception. On the defensive side, defensive end John Abraham will look to apply pressure on Kurt Warner. Safety Lawyer Milloy has playoff experiance, and he will look to shutdown Arizona's star wideouts.

Arizona has one of the best aerial attacks in the NFL. Veteran QB Kurt Warner has throw for 4,583 yards and 30 TD's. The reason for his success lies in the hands of his star receivers. Pro Bowler Larry Fitzgerald has 1,431 yards with 12 TD's, and Pro Bowler Anquan Boldin has 1,038 yards with 11 TD's. Despite limited action, Boldin has great statistics in just 12 games played. Running the ball for the Cardinals is rookie Tim Hightower. On the season, he has rushed for 399 yards with 10 TD's. The Cardinals have allowed 221 passing yards a game, while allowing 110 yards rushing per game. Kicker Neil Rackers may be a key factor for the Cardinals, as this game may come down to the wire.

Flip's Pick: Falcons, 27-20

Flip's X Factor: RB Jerious Norwood

Chris's Pick: Falcons, 21-7

Chris's x Factor: Atlanta's Offensive Line