No. 3 Texas (-14.5) vs. No. 22 Nebraska
Saturday, Dec. 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET
With a win, Texas should slide into the BCS title game, passing the loser of Florida-Alabama. Of course, Nebraska would like nothing more than to blow up the BCS picture by knocking off the Longhorns. Texas hasn’t won a Big 12 Championship since 2005, when it destroyed Colorado 70-3 behind the arms and leg of Vince Young.
Online sports betting fans that backed Colt McCoy and the Longhorns have been rewarded. McCoy is a Heisman candidate after racking up 27 touchdown passes while completing over 70 percent of his passes. With 19 career rushing touchdowns, McCoy is a threat on the ground, too. He’s on fire right now, with 18 of his touchdown passes coming in this last five starts.
The Cornhuskers won’t be intimidated, though. They’re allowing just 11.1 yards per outing and have a deep unit. Nebraska has won five straight and hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in a game all season. It also boasts a solid offense led by running back Roy Helu, who has 1111 yards and 10 scores this seaon.
Nebraska’s offense doesn’t have the same explosiveness as Texas, however, which will sorely hurt it against the Longhorns’ top-ranked defense. Texas has allowed fewer yards per game than any team in the Big 12. At the end of the day, it’s going to be the Colt McCoy Show. Bet on Texas to win at the sportsbook and advance to the BCS Championship.
No. 1 Florida (-4.5) vs. No. 2 Alabama
Saturday, Dec. 5 at 4:00 p.m. ET
Florida Alabama lines are the talk of college football right now, and with good reason; many are dubbing this the defacto national championship game. Offensively, you have to give the edge to Florida. Tim Tebow remains one of the best players in all of college football, and he exploded for five scores against Florida State last week. The Gators don’t produce as many big plays as last year, but they can still rack up a ton of points.
Alabama, on the other hand, has cause for concern. Star running back Mark Ingram struggled for 30 yards on 16 carries against Auburn last week, his worst performance of the year. The Heisman candidate is nursing a sore hip, though he hasn’t appeared limited at all in practice this week.
Defensively, Alabama closes the gap. Florida’s “D” ranks first in the country, but the Crimson Tide follow closely behind at No. 3. Alabama ranks fifth in the country in turnover margin, largely because the defense regularly delivers big plays. That will be crucial to keeping up with the Gators offense. Florida, of course, has an incredibly veteran defense that never allowed more than 20 points this year.
Last week Auburn proved Ingram can be shutdown, or at least contained. The same can’t be said for Tebow, who tossed three touchdowns against Bama last season. The Crimson Tide’s fine run comes to an end here—take Florida on NCAA football odds.
