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BCS National Championship: Florida vs. Oklahoma Football Picks

This Thursday the 2008 College football will come to a close, as the No.1 Florida Gators take on the No.2 Oklahoma Sooners in the FedEX BCS National Championship in Dolphins Stadium. This is the first meeting between these two college football powerhouses, and it should be one heck of a game. The Gators had a minor slip up early in the season against Ole Miss, but finished strong and went on to win the SEC Championship game over Alabama, and wound up finishing the season 12-1. The Sooners also finished the season 12-1 and were just as good down the stretch after losing to Texas in the middle of the season, as they scored 60 or more points in their final 5 games, including a 62-21 win over Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game. For those of you looking to do some NCAA football betting on the big game this Thursday, the oddsmakers have the Florida Gators 4 point favorites over the Oklahoma Sooners at BetUS.com.

The Gators are going for there 2nd National Championship in the last 3 years, and while Tim Tebow was a part of the first title, he will likely be the reason they win or lose in the big game this week. Tebow, who won the Heisman Trophy last season, didn’t have the same kind of numbers, but was the heart and soul of this team. Tebow finished with 2,515 yards passing with 28 touchdowns against just 2 interceptions, and was also a force on the ground running for over 500 yards and 12 more touchdowns. Another big part of the Gators offense this season was Percy Harvin who was not only used as the teams running back, but also spent time playing receiver, as he finished the season with 1,133 total yard and 16 touchdowns. Other players to look out for are the freshman running back duo of Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps who each ran for over 500 yards and combined for 11 touchdowns, and wideout Louis Murphy who led the team with 611 receiving yard with 6 touchdowns.

Florida also comes in with a pretty solid defense, something you have to have if you want to win in the SEC, as they allowed opponents just under 13 points a game and knew how to make the big plays, as they forced 33 turnovers, including the 2nd most interceptions in the country with 24. They were both solid against the run as they were the pass, as they allowed just 279 total yards a game. There are a number of players that had big season for this unit, including Ahmad Black who had 6 interceptions, Carlos Dunlap who had a team best 9 sacks, and Brandon Spikes who led the way with 87 tackles. Bet Florida Gators -4 at BetUS.com.

As good as the Gators might be on the offensive side of things, the Sooners come in looking even better, as they have simply ripped apart opposing Big 12 defenses this season. The Sooners come in averaging 206 yards on the ground, 356 through the air, and lead the nation in scoring averaging 54 points a game. The reason for the Sooners success was largely due to the play of quarterback Sam Bradford, who was the Heisman Trophy winner this season, as he completed 70% of his passes for 4,464 yards with 48 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions, Bradford has a number of talented guys to throw the football to, and the two the had the best season were receiver Juaquin Iglesias and tight end Jermaine Gresham, as Iglesias led the way with 69 catches for 1,092 yards and 10 scores, and Gresham was a beast grabbing 58 passes for 888 yards and a team best 12 touchdowns. As for the running game the Sooners had two 1,000 yard rushers in Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray, but with Murray out with injury it will be up to Brown to carry the majority of the load in this one, and for a guy who ran for 1,110 yards and 20 touchdowns we don’t see it being much of a problem.

The Sooners normally have one of the best defenses in the country, but this year the unit wasn’t outstanding. Don’t get me wrong this is still a very good defense, just not what we are use to seeing from Bob Stoops and company. The Sooners allow nearly 360 yards of total offense, but just like the Gators, they are outstanding at forcing the big play, as they have forced 32 turnovers of their own this season. The Sooners can also get after the quarterback, as they racked up 42 sacks this season. The players to watch for the Sooners are redshirt freshman Travis Lewis, who amassed 135 tackles this season, Lendy Holmes who racked up 5 interceptions, and All-American defensive end Auston English, who had a team best 8.5 sacks. Bet Oklahoma Sooners +4 at BetUS.com.

Lowry’s Lean on the Game: Oklahoma +4
Though I have not been impressed at all with the way the Big 12 has played this bowl season, I am putting my money on the Sooners to not only cover but to win this game, as they have everything you need to beat the Gators. Look for this one to be close all the way, but I got the Sooners taking control late.

Predicted Score: Oklahoma 38 Florida 35

Check out the best NCAA football picks and maker sure you have the latest NCAA football odds for the game at Betfirms.

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