Wildcard Round:
Houston over Cincinnati
Pittsburgh over Denver
New Orleans over Detroit
NY Giants over Atlanta

Divisional Round
New England over Pittsburgh
Baltimore over Houston
New Orleans over San Francisco
Green Bay over NY Giants

Championship Round
Baltimore over New England
Green Bay over New Orleans

Super Bowl
Green Bay over Baltimore

Wild Card Weeked (and the hardest weekend to pick):
NY Jets over Indianapolis – Close game, I think the Jets are overrated but that Indy team isn’t that great either.
Baltimore over Kansas City – Tough game to pick, I just like the Ravens playoff experience and coaches better.
New Orleans over Seattle – Not even close.
Green Bay over Philadelphia – I’ll take Aaron Rodgers over Mike Vick, even on the road. He’s been there before and the Packers played better down the stretch, which I look heavily at.

Divisional Weekend:
Pittsburgh over the Jets – Better team, better coaches, more playoff experience, home field.
New England over Baltimore – See above, all the same reasons plus revenge for last season’s playoff massacre.
New Orleans over Atlanta – Think the loss a couple weeks ago to NO took a lot out of Falcons, better coaches on NO sideline.
Green Bay over Chicago – Yes, I know the Bears beat them in the regular season, this is the playoffs. These teams are familiar with each other and GNB is healthy now.

Conference Champsionships:
New England over Pittsburgh – Matchup favors NE and Pitt hasn’t been playing as well lately as they did earlier in season.
New Orleans over Green Bay – Even without Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas, their running game is still better than Green Bay’s and I think the lack of ability to run and dependency on Rodgers finally catches up to the Pack.

Super Bowl:
New England over New Orleans – Hard to believe a couple weeks ago that I’d be picking NE here as I still don’t entirely like their front 7 on defense at all, but it’s manageable and I think in a shootout they can pull through.

1. Oklahoma – Great defense, loaded on both sides of the ball.
Landry Jones got considerable experience with Bradford’s injury woes.
2. Ohio St - Terrelle Pryor gained valuable experience last year
and is primed for a big season, defense has reloaded as well.
3. Alabama – Great team, but second half schedule is too much
for any team to handle.
4. TCU – Whether or not they are undefeated will come down to
the matter of a couple plays, they have the talent and schedule to do so.
5. Boise St – No reason they shouldn’t end the regular season
undefeated.
6. Nebraska – Defense will be top notch and an improved offense
make them a national title contender.
7. Florida – Tons of talent on both sides of the ball
8. Virginia Tech – One of the best backfields in the country
should guide Hokies to another ACC title in a tough ACC division this year.
9. USC – Too much talent for Kiffin to screw it up too bad, but
could be the last year in the top 10 for a while.
10. Miami, FL – There’s a lot to like on both sides of the ball
here, especially if Harris can gain consistency.
11. Houston – Struggled with consistency and defense last year,
if either are improved, they should cruise though their easy schedule.
12. Texas - Very talented team, but the loss of Colt is too much
for the Longhorns to overcome this year.
13. Oregon – Would be ranked inside my top 5 if Masoli weren’t
such a troublemaker.
14. Iowa – Schedule sets up nice for Hawkeyes, but Stanzi’s
health is key. Without him, they are a 8-4 team.
15. Auburn – Huge improvement in just 2 years for Chizik, manageable
schedule and loads of talent.
16. Georgia Tech – Should be an amazing offense now in year 3
of scheme and defense should be improved with Groh, need a receiver to step up
though.
17. Arkansas – On the strength of Ryan Mallett and his set of
receivers in Petrino’s offense.
18. Penn St – Great team, but schedule is just too tough to
rank them much higher than here.
19. Georgia – Taking a little bit of a risk picking them this
high, but I think they have the defense to do it and Green and Green should put
up enough O.
20. Florida St – As long as Ponder stays healthy, they should
win their division in ACC. I have serious reservations about their defense though.
21. Notre Dame – Schedule sets up nicely and Brian Kelly has
overachieved everywhere he’s been.
22. West Virginia – My pick to win the Big East, loads of talent
on both sides of the ball.
23. South Carolina - Should be Steve Spurriers best team, great
defense, now if they can just get consistency on offense.
24. Wisconsin – Ranked here on strength of their defense
and schedule.
25. Arizona – Mike Stoops best team, he’ll need to finish this
high too to keep his job as Wildcat fans are getting impatient.
26. North Carolina - Amazing talent on def, 3-4 first round
draft picks. But both sides of the ball were way too inconsistent last year and
predict much of the same.
27. Oregon State – The Rodgers brothers and 7 returning starters
on defense.
28. LSU – Just 5 starters on offense and 4 on defense returning.

29. Connecticut - 8 starters on each side of the ball and get
all tough Big East games at home.
30. Boston College – Montel Harris in the backfield and a formible
defense. Manageable schedule as well, should get to 8-9 wins.
31. Pittsburgh – Dion Lewis is a great back, but I’m not believing
the hype that they will win the Big East.
32. Utah – Return 8 starters on a good offense, but only 5 on
defense and a tough schedule as well.
33. Clemson – No depth and lost a considerable amount of offense,
but play in a weak ACC division so should get to 7-8 wins.
34. Stanford – Love the job Harbaugh is doing here and offense
is great, but big question marks on defense.
35. Missouri - 17 returning starters from a team that went 8-4
in a weak division. But I have depth and consistency concerns.

DE Robert Quinn, UNC
DT Marvin Austin, UNC
DT Jurrell Casey, USC
DE Cameron Heyward, Ohio St
LB Greg Jones, Michigan St
LB Alex Wujciak, Maryland
LB Bruce Carter, UNC
CB Patrick Peterson, LSU
CB Prince Amukamara, Nebraska
CB Brandon Harris, Miami
S DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson
S Mark Barron, Alabama
PR Jeremy Kerley, TCU
P Ryan Donahue, Iowa

2nd Team
QB Terrelle Pryor, Ohio St
RB Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh
RB Mark Ingram, Alabama
WR Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
WR DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss
TE DJ Williams, Arkansas
G Rodney Hudson, Florida State
G Thomas Claiborne, Boston College
T Clint Boling, Georgia
T Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
C Zane Taylor, Utah
KR Torrey Smith, Maryland
K Kai Forbath, UCLA

DE Adrian Clayborn, Iowa
DT Jared Crick, Nebraska
DT Jerrell Powe, Mississippi
DE Marcell Dareus, Alabama
LB Akeem Ayer, UCLA
LB Von Miller, Texas A&M
CB Kendrik Burney, UNC
CB Curtis Brown, Texas
S Rahim Moore, UCLA
S Deunta Williams, UNC
PR Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
P Drew Butler, Georgia

Offense and Quarterbacks:
We have an amazing matchup of quarterbacks this year.  Both quarterbacks have the ability to read defenses and make adjustments well enough that we should have plenty of offense to watch. 
As far as key players on offense go, I have to give the Saints the edge.  Not that the Colts don’t have manageable receivers (Peyton Manning can make anyone look good), but I give the Saints an edge on their explosiveness.  They have the ability to go all the way on any reception and open field tackling by the Colts defense will be key in keeping them in check.  I also feel like the Saints running backs fit better into their offensive game plan than the Colts do as Addai is more of a power back stuck in a spread offense and they lack that Pierre Thomas/Reggie Bush receiving threat out of the backfield. 
From a pure quarterback standpoint though, I give the edge to Peyton over Drew because of his experience.  The quarterback position is so important in the Super Bowl and should be weighted accordingly.  I give the Colts the overall offensive edge.

Defense and Turnovers:
Both defenses face a huge challenge this week, especially the Colts who will be without Dwight Freeney.  Dwight is a big loss and he could pressure Drew and hopefully force him to make a mistake or two.  But it could be worse, they could have had losses in their secondary.  Net-net, the defenses are about a wash.  I have been able to find a few stats though that indicate an edge for the Saints.  First of all, the Colts are ranked 30th in the league stopping opponents on 3rd or 4th down and 31st in forcing 3 and outs.  This will give the Saints offense more opportunities and possibilities for big plays.  Also, that could raise the time of possession for the Saints and lead to a more tired Colts defense that might make mistakes late in the game.  The other things is turnovers.  A turnover at the right time will change the course of the game.  Just ask the Cardinals last year.  The Saints are 2nd overall in forcing turnovers and the Colts are 18th.  Based on those two stats, I’ll give the edge to the Saints. 

Coaches:
Jim Caldwell and Sean Payton.  Payton has more NFL experience and comes from the Bill Parcells/Ray Rhodes coaching tree.  Caldwell was a mediocre college coach until he came under the Dungy tree in the NFL.  Caldwell is also in his first season as a head coach.  I prefer Payton here as a pure coach, but Caldwell has a coach on the field in Manning.  Still I give the edge to the Saints here. 

Game Conditions:
Both teams play their home games in a dome, so if weather is a factor, then it will be for both teams.  They are also both passing offenses and can be affected by the possible rainy forecast in the same manner, although I’d rather have Donald Brown and Joseph Addai in the rain than Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. 
The Super Bowl is different too because the game is slower (longer commercial breaks and more game stoppages) and without the experience of managing a slower game, offenses can get out of sync from all the delays.  Since Indianapolis has been here recently, they may handle it better. 

Other Factors:
Another factor that could come into play is the “happy to be here” symptom.  The Saints have never been to a Super Bowl.  That could play out in one of two ways.  It could be a motivating factor to finish the job and increase their level of play.  Or, they could be contempt that they’ve reached their goal and not play up the challenge.  We’ve all seen it play out either way.  I don’t see the Saints being contempt but they could get caught up in the whole playing for the entire city of New Orleans pressure and trying to hard to win that it hampers their play.  The whole Hurricane Katrina, we need to win for this city, card could be too much for them to carry.  The Colts want to win a Super Bowl, but the entire city of Indianapolis isn’t at stake, their minds are not going to be as heavy and most of the players have been there before so they will play more relaxed and handle the pressure of the game better.  Advantage Colts. 

Overall Prediction: 
Halftime Score – 14-17 Saints

Final score – 35-31 Colts

Mark:  : …”I believe I was given this gift. The only reason I took steroids was for my health purposes. I did not take steroids to get any gain for any strength purposes.”

Ok, but you did gain strength from them.  It might not have been much, but it might have been the difference between hitting a line drive 395 feet vs hitting it 415 feet.  That could be the difference between a ball getting caught on the warning track for an out and sailing into the first row of bleachers.

Mark:  “…There is not a pill or an injection that is going to give me the hand-eye – or give any athlete – the hand-eye coordination to hit a baseball. A pill or an injection will not hit a baseball.”

No one is disputing that.   What we are saying is that steroids allow you to hit the ball further, turns outs into home runs.  It allows you to play more and longer than you normally would have.   They are called performance enhancing drugs, not performance creating drugs. 

Mark: “It was the era that we played in. I wish I never played in that era. I wish we had drug testing. If we had testing when I was playing, you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation today. I guarantee you that.”

You mean you wish that you that the intestinal fortitude to say no to drugs.  If we’d had testing, that conversation wouldn’t have happened because you wouldn’t have hit nearly 600 HRs and broken Maris’ record and no one would know who you were.  People would remember you as the guy in Oakland who cheated if we had testing.  Locks only keep the honest people honest.  Testing only keeps honest players honest.  You telling me that you would have been honest had we been testing for steroids?  What have you done to prove that to me?  Lied with asked about it during the single season HR race and lied about it under oath.

This statement is what bothers me the most, “I wish I’d never played in the steroid era.”  That is not “I’m sorry I did it,”  that’s “I’m sorry I played when I did.”  Big difference.   He’s trying to defer the blame to the time when he played, and indicate that it’s not his fault.  But it is his fault, he still could have played during this era and not taken steroids. 

Mark: “I took very very low dosages because I wanted my body to feel normal. The wear and tear of 162 ballgames and the status of where I was at and the pressures that I had to perform and what I had to go through to get through all these injuries is a very very regrettable thing. I wish it never came into my life. But we’re sitting here talking about it. I wish I didn’t have to.”

That’s still cheating and wear and tear of the game is part of the game.  You are still taking something to try and be above the game. 

Whats absurd is that Mark thinks that he could have broken the single season record and hit nearly 600 HRs without steroids.  Well, Mark might have had a lot of HRs, but he couldn’t have broken those records being injured every season.  But even if the drug only gives you 10-15 ft on the end of every line drive distance wise, it kept him healthy.  How many extra games, or even seasons, did he get to play that he might not have had he not taken steroids.  Injury is part of the game.  Think about Ken Griffey.  If Griffey takes drugs and stays healthy, he sets the career home run record easily.  And he’s a far better defender and steals tons of bases.  We might be talking about him as one of the best players ever if there was a drug that could have kept him healthy and he took it.  

From baseball-reference.com, his pre-steroids batting average was .249, slugging percentage is .510 and he had 238 HRs at age 30 in 8 years as a pro.  After steroids, he was hitting .278, slugging percentage of .677, and 345 HRs in 7 years.  So in less years, he hit 107 more HRs and he was older.  And he still thinks steroids had nothing to do with that. 

I hope he never gets in the Hall of Fame, but Pete Rose does.  Pete Rose may have bet on baseball, but he didn’t prolong his career or boost his numbers by taking performance enhancing drugs.

Wild Card Round
NY Jets at Cincinnati Bengals  – Bengals
Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots – Patriots
GB Packers at Arizona Cardinals – Packers
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys – Cowboys

Divisional Round
Cincinnati Bengals at Indy Colts – Colts
NE Patriots at SD Chargers – Chargers
Cowboys at Vikings - Vikings
Packers at Saints – Packers

Conference Championship
Packers at Vikings – Packers
Chargers at Colts – Colts

Super Bowl
Colts vs Packers – Colts

The Thursday prior to the Super Bowl, I’ll post my lengthy, detailed Super Bowl preview.

Picking bowl games is extremely hard to do.  The reason is because you never really know for sure who wants it more.  Sure, I attempt to make a good, eductated guess, but who really wants it, who prepared their hearts out and who used the bowl as a vacation, that’s hard to tell.  You’d need to scour local papers of where the bowls are played at and local papers for each team to really know.  Four to five weeks is a long time to prepare for a game, but the teams don’t always spend all that time preparing.  This point really hit home with me in 2002 at the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando.  I was there for the Clemson vs Texas Tech game.  The game had been hyped up as featuring two great offenses and everyone expected over 100 combined points scored, but Clemson was touted as having the better defense and may get the one or two stops needed defensively to win the game.  Shortly after landing, I was browsing through the Orlando paper and I knew that prediction would be wrong.  There was an article on how the Clemson players were lounging around the pool and taking life easy in the Florida sun.  Tommy Bowden was happy to have been in the game, didn’t care about winning bowl games and had given the players time off from practice to enjoy Orlando.  Even took the team to DisneyWorld instead of practice one day.  Texas Tech on the other had shut themselves into the hotel watching game tape and spent their time in the Florida sun on the football field.  Final score:  Texas Tech 55, Clemson 15. 

There’s still time for you to get your picks in against me and see how well you know the teams at www.redshirtfootball.com/pickem.  Enter the Bowl Challenge pool. 

And now, the rest of the bowl picks. 

Insight.com Bowl
Minnesota vs Iowa State

Why to watch:  Interesting regional matchup (these schools are only 200 miles apart and thus should play more frequently), but lacks a national appeal.  Keep your eye on Eric Decker for Minnesota.  And after this clip, you can’t help but cheer for Iowa State.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcKiMy0Gp4
 
Why not to watch:  Neither team is great.  Iowa State is ranked 102nd in scoring and Minnesota is ranked 113th in total offense.  Ouch.  Can you say 10-7. 

Who wants it more:  Iowa State, who didn’t expect to even be in a bowl this year

Prediction:  Iowa State by 3

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Chick-fil-a (Peach) Bowl
Virginia Tech vs Tennessee

Why to watch:  Because this game historically is a lively game (though not always close) and a great way to kill some time before the ball drops and we kiss 2009 good-bye. 

Why not to watch:  If you like to see teams pass the ball, this one isn’t for you.  And you have to watch Lane Kiffin and hear the announcers talk more about their cheating, I mean, recruiting. 

Who wants it more:  Tennessee – happy to return to a bowl

Prediction:  Virginia Tech by 10, if they come motivated to play

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Outback Bowl
Northwestern vs Auburn

Why to watch:  Both teams, when their offense is working, can put up points and have several big plays.  Northwestern QB Mike Kafka is quietly one of the better QBs in the Big 10. 

Why not to watch:  Northwestern hasn’t won a bowl game since 1948.

Who wants it more:  Northwestern

Prediction:  Auburn by 7

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Capital One Bowl
Penn State vs LSU

Why to watch:  A few bounces of the ball in a different direction or a few plays here and there and both of these teams would be a BCS game.  Penn State’s defense is finally fully healthy and Evan Royster and Daryll Clark keep the offense humming. 

Why not to watch:  Both teams expected more from their seasons and either could mail it in and not play to win. 

Who wants it more:  The Big 10.  Losing this game would be a huge hit status wide as they can ill afford another bad loss to the SEC.

Prediction:  Penn State by 10

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Konica Minolta Gator Bowl
Florida State vs West Virginia

Why to watch:  It’s Bobby Bowden’s last game.  FSU has not played well this year, but given the retirement of the legend they all signed up to play for, the team could play out of their minds. 

Why not to watch:  WVU is sneaky good and FSU doesn’t have a defense.  If this were a regular season game and not a bowl game and Bowden’s last game, WVU wins by 30.  Could be an embarassing ending to a great career for Bobby.

Who wants it more:  3-4 ACC teams who deserved to be here more than FSU.  But seriously, Florida State who wants to send Bobby out a winner

Prediction:  West Virginia by 14, but only because they call off the dogs after halftime and have mercy on the legend.

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Rose Bowl presented by Citi
Ohio State vs Oregon

Why to watch:  I love to watch the Oregon offense when it’s working.  Jeremiah Masoli and LaMichael James have had amazing seasons and if you haven’t had a chance to see them play, don’t miss this game.  Ohio State would love to get a win over a good Pac-10 team and have Terrelle Pryor have a breakout game to launch the 2010 Pryor for Heisman campaign.

Why not to watch:  Sorry Dr Rob, but this is a bad matchup for Ohio State.  I’m not sure they have the offense to keep up with the Ducks and Masoli is a master at reading whatever the defense gives him and making adjustments during the play. 

Who wants it more:  Ohio State, and they need it more too

Prediction:  Oregon by 17, Masoli is too good and the Inside Zone Read of 3 Technique DT they run will be too much for OSU.  See the following link for what I mean by that play.  http://www.trojanfootballanalysis.com/wp/wordpress/?p=1572

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Allstate Sugar Bowl
Florida vs Cincinnati

Why to watch:  Tim Tebow.  One of the greatest college football players ever even though he doesn’t have a shot at another national championship.  A win by Cincinnati would be HUGE statement for the Big East, even more so than Utah’s win over Alabama last year. 

Why not to watch:  UC gives up a ton of yards on defense and may not be able to score in bunches on Florida’s defense.  Cincy players seem miffed at Brian Kelly ditching them for Notre Dame and may not give the game their full effort. 

Who wants it more:  Tim Tebow

Prediction:  Florida by 7

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AutoZone Liberty Bowl
East Carolina vs Arkansas

Why to watch:  Ryan Mallett should light up the ECU defense much like Case Keenum did in the Conference USA championship game and East Carolina keeps finding ways to stay in ballgames and pull out a win.  ECU may have just enough offense to give Conference USA its first win over the SEC in the Liberty Bowl.

Why not to watch:  East Carolina is 110th in pass defense.  Take the over on passing yards for Mallett.  It’s the Conference USA vs the SEC.

Who wants it more:  Arkansas who wants to make a statement for the 2010 season

Prediction:  Arkansas by 21

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International Bowl
South Florida vs Northern Illinois

Why to watch:  NIU coach Jerry Kill does not get nearly enough credit for the job he as done with the Huskies program.  Both teams like to run the ball and combine to average 371 yards per game.  Could be the best International Bowl yet. 

Why not to watch:  If USF plays at it’s peak level, their defense is too fast and talented for NIU and they can pull away.  But USF have lost 5 of it’s last 7 games (their normal end of the season swoon) and may not be up for this game.

Who wants it more:  Northern Illinois (You don’t really think South Florida players are looking forward to playing in Toronto in January do you?)

Prediction:  Northern Illinois by 3

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AT&T Cotton Bowl
Oklahoma State vs Ole Miss

Why to watch:  This matchup was a very popular preseason prediction for a BCS game and each team had several let downs throughout the season.  If both teams play up to their expectations, this would be a great game.

Why not to watch:  Because of the first sentence on why to watch, both teams wanted and expected more out of this season and it will likely show in their play, leading to a sloppy, badly played game.  If one team mails it in and the other doesn’t, it’ll be a blowout. 

Who wants it more:  Neither, really.  And I’m not close enough to either program to tell. 

Prediction:  Ole Miss by 3

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Papajohns.com Bowl
Connecticut vs South Carolina

Why to watch:  No team played with more heart this year than Connecticut after the death of Jasper Howard.  They lost 5 games by less than 4 points, but rallied to beat Notre Dame win their last 3 games instead of falling apart. 

Why not to watch:  South Carolina lost 4 of their last 5 games before their win over Clemson, the only game all season in which they played with heart.  Their defense is pretty good, but their offense can go through long stretches of boring and uneventful.  In the last 3 seasons, the Gamecocks at 4-13 after October 15th. 

Who wants it more:  Connecticut

Prediction:  Connecticut by 4

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Valero Alamo Bowl
Michigan State vs Texas Tech

Why to watch:  Lately, the Alamo bowl has produced some good matchups and the games are decided by a touchdown or less.  Offensively, both of these teams lead their conferences in passing yards per game. 

Why not to watch:  Texas Tech is coming in hot including a drumming of Oklahoma and always comes prepared for a bowl game.  Michigan State is limping in to the game with their only wins in their final 5 games coming over Western Michigan and Purdue and haven’t won a bowl game since 2001

Who wants it more:  Texas Tech

Prediction:  Texas Tech by 21

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Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
TCU vs Boise State

Why to watch:  Boise State returns to the site of their amazing win over Oklahoma a couple years ago, both teams are undefeated and have some amazing players on their teams.  Boise State has the nation’s #1 offense and TCU has the nation’s #1 defense.  This will be an entertaining game to watch.

Why not to watch:  Because part of the fun of the BCS is seeing teams non-BCS teams play against BCS teams, ala Utah-Alabama, Boise State-Oklahoma, Hawaii-Georgia.  I’d much rather see one of these teams play Florida and the other play Cincinnati. 

Who wants it more:  Both teams really want this win

Prediction:  TCU by 3  (Defense wins championships, remember)

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FedEx Orange Bowl
Georgia Tech vs Iowa

Why to watch:  Don’t miss this game if you want to see the option run to perfection and miss the 1995 Nebraska team.  Paul Johnson and the Jackets run it 50-60 times a game.  Iowa plays assignment defense and has a great front 7 that will have over a month to prepare to stop them.

Why not to watch:  Both teams have played poorly at times throughout the season, and have won some close games in the end.  Either GT has the offensive power to put Iowa away early or Iowa has the defensive power to shut down the option and therefore shut down the Jackets and this game turns into a blowout

Who wants it more:  Georgia Tech, but just barely.  I say that because Iowa has lost it’s last 4 major bowls. 

Prediction:  Georgia Tech by 17

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GMAC Bowl
Central Michigan vs Troy

Why to watch:  Levi Brown (QB, Troy) vs Dan LeFevour (QB, CMU).  This game will feature great QB play and two good offenses squaring off in an exciting game that should feature plenty of scoring.  LeFevour will get a chance at playing on Sundays. 

Why not to watch:  The last couple years, the GMAC bowl has been a blowout when one team just completely didn’t come to play.  The good news is that both of these teams have a recent history of showing up for bowl games. 

Who wants it more:  Possibly Central Michigan, who will be glad to be playing in a bowl other than the Motor City bowl for a change, although Troy is the team who is closer to home and will have a fan friendly advantage. 

Prediction:  Central Michigan by 4

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BCS National Championship Game
Texas vs Alabama

Why to watch:  Because this is why they play the games all season, and what a better way to decide the National Championship that between two undefeated, historical powerhouses.  This has the potential to be the best National Championship game since the 2006 USC-Texas game. 

Why not to watch:  Because if Alabama plays the way it did against Florida and Texas plays the way it did against Nebraska, the game will be a blowout in the Tide’s favor.  But the Alabama that played against Florida didn’t play that way most of the season, and Texas didn’t struggle that much offensively all season. 

Who wants it more:  Texas, who feels that they should have been in the game last year.  Alabama was playing for the Florida game all year and that’s alredy in the books. 

Prediction:  Alabama by 7