The Right Team Won (It All)

The SEC title game was the real championship. The BCS championship was a 3+hour coronation. But the same formula won both games.

In an era with spread offenses and dual-threat quarterbacks, Nick Saban's team doesn't do wrinkles or tricks. They set you up with a power running game, which puts a smart QB in position to find NFL-caliber receivers downfield. And the offensive line does their job brilliantly as well.

Let's examine Alabama's four 1st Half drives to go up 28-0 at intermission:

1. 5 plays, 82 yards (Lacy 3 runs for 31 yards, 20 yard TD)

2. 10 plays, 61 yards (alternated 5 runs and 5 passes)

3. 8 plays, 80 yards (5 Yeldon runs, McCarron: 3-3, 63 yards)

4. 9 plays, 71 yards (5 runs, Lacy catch-and-run-and-spin for TD)

The game was effectively over at that point. AJ McCarron's numbers were gaudy at the end of the night: 20-28, 264 yards, 4 TD. And you have to give him his due. He's got two championships now, and is much more than a game manager. He's a weapon.

But there's no question the MVP of the game was Eddie Lacy. As he ran over, through, and around Notre Dame's vaunted defense, he sucked their will as well as all of their attention, which opened up everything else.

And here's a tip when Lacy goes pro and skips his senior season: take him on your fantasy team. He is obviously a guy who can carry the load and catch it out of the backfield. But also, he doesn't have the wear-and-tear that an every down back (think Marcus Lattimore) has endured. He hasn't needed to.

Lacy's career high for carries came in both the SEC and BCS championship games: 20.

Again it bears repeating, in an era when coaches a re-inventing the wheel each year in college football, Nick Saban sticks to the system. Repeating indeed.

The Right Team Won

I know a number of Jawja fans that are replaying yesterday's epic SEC Championship game in their minds, rationalizing between the Dawgs' great effort and the misplayed last few seconds.

Georgia played an awesome game and almost stole it, but it was Alabama's title. They won the battle of wills, they won the battle of minds, and ultimately they hung on to win the game.

The game-winning score was definitive, when AJ McCarron went up top to Amari Cooper for 45 yards with 3:15 left to take the lead for good. But the game-winning pass was set up by Alabama's bruising running game that shredded Georgia's star-studded defense for the entire 2nd Half.

Alabama rolled for 350 rushing yards, and Eddie Lacy and T.J Yeldon ran over, through, and around the Dawgs. Check out the 2nd half entries from the game's play-by-play:

Eddie Lacy rush for 17 yards 

T.J. Yeldon rush 31 yards

T.J. Yeldon rush 10 yards for TD

T.J. Yeldon rush up middle for 2 points

Eddie Lacy rush for 32 yards

Eddie Lacy rush for 15 yards

Eddie Lacy rush for 14 yards

T.J. Yeldon rush for 10 yards

T.J. Yeldon rush for 10 yards

T.J. Yeldon rush for 11 yards

That's 10 big running plays in the 2nd half, many of which were with Alabama trailing and in comeback mode. It's not surprising that the play that immediately set up Cooper's TD catch was a 5-yard run by Yeldon on 3rd & 5. And in the overall tapestry that set up a game-wininng long pass, Alabama had run on 20 of their previous 22 plays.

Eddie Lacy gets the MVP award, and I would save his game jersey with Georgia defenders' DNA all over it.

Now Alabama gets Notre Dame, trying for their 3rd BCS title in 4 years. And while I'm an expert, I'm not a professional. I put the line at Alabama -13. Although Brian Kelly was in attendance in Atlanta yesterday, and he got to see his opponent up close before he gets to see the film. You'd think that would be an advantage, but it's really just scary.