Auburn Wins BCS National Championship

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Better late than never.

Football fans didn't get the 60 minutes of excitement they were promised, but they still saw a thrilling final five minutes as Auburn won the BCS National Championship game over Oregon, 22-19, in Glendale, Ariz., Monday night. Auburn's Wes Byrum made a 19-yard field goal as time expired to provide the winning margin.

Auburn appeared to have scored the game-winning touchdown on a scamper up the middle by freshman running back Michael Dyer in the late seconds. But officials reviewed the play and ruled him down inside the 1-yard line. The Tigers then ran one play to kill some clock before trotting out Byrum for his heroic kick that sent Toomer's Corner into toilet-paper mode back home in ice-covered Alabama.

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Auburn-Oregon Preview: Finally, The Prediction

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

The OGS editorial team was hoping to crank out 17 BCS National Championship Game preview breakdowns before tonight's kickoff. Please forgive us for only providing you with 15 pieces over the last two weeks.

Below are the links to all of them, as well as to some other recent stories related to Oregon and Auburn. And below that section will be one final preview ending in One Great Season's official prediction for tonight's title tilt. Lastly, don't forget to visit OGS after the game and througout the day Tuesday with post-game coverage and reaction.

Auburn-Oregon Previews:

+ The Quarterbacks
+ The Running Backs
+ The Receivers
+ The Offensive Lines
+ The Defensive Lines
+ The Linebackers
+ The Defensive Backs
+ Special Teams
+ The Coaches
+ Auburn Rush Offense vs. Oregon Rush Defense
+ Auburn Pass Offense vs. Oregon Pass Defense
+ Oregon Rush Offense vs. Auburn Rush Defense
+ Oregon Pass Offense vs. Auburn Pass Defense
+ Stats, Trends & Other Notes

+ NCG COACHES: No Sophomore Jinx For Kelly, Chizik

+ AMERICA'S TEAM: Is It Oregon?

+ SOPHOMORE JINX? Not At Oregon

+ COLLEGE STARS: Did Cam Newton Steal Terrelle Pryor's Season?

+ HEISMAN BROADCAST: Fowler, ESPN Navigate Newton's Bumpy Road

+ COMPARISON: Auburn Comeback Impressive, But Oregon Win More Telling

+ TIMELINE: The Cam Newton Saga

PREVIEW, PREDICTION:
Some think the long layoff will hurt the Ducks more because their offense is reliant on sharpness, angles, technique and precision. I am not one of them. I'm more inclined to think Auburn's defensive anchor, tackle Nick Fairley, may have enjoyed himself at a postseason banquet or two or downed a few slices of holiday pie. He's Auburn's best chance to disrupt the Oregon offensive flow, and while he'll be the best defensive player on the field for either side, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Ducks come right out at an even more frenetic pace than usual to see what kind of conditioning they're up against. One of two things will happen: the Lombardi Award winner will tire early and the Ducks will be successful, or Fairley and his linemates will be game and Oregon will have to adjust.

So from a cardiovascular perspective, Oregon is more likely to wear the opponent down. But from a physical point-of-view, I give the edge to Auburn. The war of attrition is even.

If everyone stays healthy and the teams play their respective games, I think Oregon has the slightly better chance of winning. In addition to Fairley being the best defensive player in the game, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton will be the best offensive player of the game. Those kinds of superlatives are nice during awards season, but if your goal is a championship, you need the superior team, and that's where Oregon has the advantage. And back to individual players, Oregon will have the second-best defensive player in the game in Casey Matthews and the second-best offensive player, Heisman third-place finisher LaMichael James.

Newton will make big plays and James will make big plays. So if their achievements cancel each other out, what will be the difference? A Cliff Harris touchdown return, either via punt or interception. Oregon wins, 34-30, in a slightly lower-scoring game than everyone's expecting.

NCG Preview: Auburn's Rush Offense vs. Oregon's Rush Defense

Welcome to the 10th of 17 — yep, 17 — BCS National Championship Game preview pieces here on OGS. Each day until Jan. 10, we'll take a comparative look at Auburn and Oregon. Today's 10th topic examines the Auburn rush offense vs. the Oregon rush defense.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Just about every matchup is expected to be an intriguing one, but the Auburn rushing attack against the Oregon run-stop will be a neat one to watch.

Oregon's defense, much like its offense, relies less on brut strength and more on speed, conditioning and athleticism. That's not to say the Ducks lack power on that side of the ball, but the oft-used expression "they really fly around" certainly applies to them.

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Auburn-Oregon Preview: The Quarterbacks

Welcome to the first of 17 — yep, 17 — BCS National Championship Game preview pieces here on OGS. Each day until Jan. 10, we'll take a comparative look at Auburn and Oregon. Today's first topic is the quarterback position.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Auburn has the undisputed best player in the country. Cam Newton was a true dual-threat superstar throughout the season and there's no reason to think he won't dazzle once more in the BCS National Championship Game.

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Fowler, ESPN Navigate Newton's Bumpy Road

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Everything seemed to go about as well as expected during Heisman weekend here in New York City.

ESPN's face of college football, Chris Fowler, hosted a solid show Saturday night during which Auburn quarterback Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy as expected.

Before the live broadcast began, perhaps no one knew whether to expect any awkward moments, but both the live and viewing audiences got exactly that when Fowler referenced the Reggie Bush scandal early in the show, and again when he touched on Newton's father, who, to the surprise of no one, was absent from the intimate ceremony.

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Did Cam Newton Steal Terrelle Pryor's Season?

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Remember that big, breakout Rose Bowl Terrelle Pryor enjoyed, leading his Ohio State Buckeyes to a convincing win over high-flying Oregon last January?

What followed was an off-season bursting with confidence, a spring session during which Pryor cultivated better passing instincts and a preseason that had him among the top two Heisman Trophy contenders on everybody's watch lists. Carried by Pryor, the Buckeyes would easily find themselves playing for the 2010 national championship, most likely against defending champ Alabama.

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OGS Notebook: Dr. Gee, Cam Newton & LeBron

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

It's been more than 48 hours since I last posted here. You can thank the open Captain Morgan bar at Slainte Tuesday night, celebrating FreeDarko's book release.

Anyway, let's get caught up:

+ Good for Dr. Gordon Gee to issue an apology for his arrogant and straight-up inaccurate comments last week. The Ohio State president said Boise State and TCU and teams from their conferences don't play the heavyweight type of schedules that his Buckeyes and other teams from BCS leagues play. Turns out Boise's strength of schedule is ranked ahead of Ohio State's and Wisconsin's, and TCU's isn't too far behind. "What I should do is go over to the surgical suites and get my foot extricated from my mouth," Gee told ESPN.com.

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Auburn Comeback Impressive, But Oregon Win More Telling

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Fans at Auburn and Oregon have one thing to be thankful for this holiday weekend:

The second half.

Both teams were impressive after halftime on Friday, claiming critical victories to keep alive their dreams of playing for the national championship. Auburn did it more dramatically in the second half, while Oregon did it more thoroughly, which, in my opinion, made the Ducks' win slightly more convincing than the Tigers'.

Auburn spotted defending national champion and hated rival Alabama a 24-point lead just 22 minutes in. Bryant-Denney Stadium was louder than SEC analyst Gary Danielson had ever heard it, he said on the CBS telecast.

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Cam Newton Timeline

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

The Cam Newton story is an interesting one that doesn't appear to be anywhere near its final chapter. I'll try to update this timeline as soon as significant developments warrant. In the meantime, feel free to bookmark or share:

2007: Cam Newton is a true freshman quarterback at Florida, backing up Tim Tebow, who would win the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season.

2008: Newton backs up Tebow again, sees action in Florida's season-opener, but hurts his ankle and takes a medical redshirt. Also during this season, Newton is found to be in possession of a stolen laptop computer.

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LaMichael James: The Forgotten Candidate?

Cam Newton Deserves
Heisman Hype, But
So Does Oregon Star

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

I know most Heisman voters are leaning toward Cam Newton, but it's surprising the way many are treating the race for sports' most coveted individual honor like it's a foregone conclusion.

Do we not remember a guy named LaMichael James?

The Oregon sophomore leads the nation in rushing yards per game (166) and rushing touchdowns (17). And despite missing the season opener, his 1,331 yards on the ground comprise the second-highest total in the country. If he maintains his averages, he'll conclude the regular season with 1,830 yards and 23 rushing touchdowns, for a No. 1 Oregon team that could very well finish 12-0 and headed for the national championship.

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James has scored two or more touchdowns in six of the eight games he's played in this year, and has rushed for 227 yards or more three times. And unofficially, he leads the country in big-play touchdowns replayed on "SportsCenter." I mean, have you seen anyone score on long runs more frequently than James?

Sure Newton has also posted gaudy numbers for a great Auburn team, but James should be getting more consideration. And he just might get it because Oregon's final three games are being played at reasonable hours for east-coast viewers, two of which will be nationally televised.

If you haven't seen James and his Ducks, I suggest you take a look:

+ Sat., Nov. 13: Oregon at California (7:30 p.m. ET, Versus)

+ Fri., Nov. 26: Arizona at Oregon (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

+ Sat., Dec. 4: Oregon at Oregon State (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

More Than A Football Field Should Determine Heisman Winner

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Are you like me? Are you tired of hearing that "the Heisman Trophy is won on the playing field?"

The line was popular a couple months ago when Reggie Bush and his gravy-training family were the talk of the sports world.

The expression has reared its ugly head again the last week or so as Cam Newton and possibly his own gravy-training family now find themselves the talk of this same fickle sports world.

Sure the Heisman Trophy is won on the football field. But there's also a mention of the word "integrity" in the voter guidelines, and while I'm not yet convicting Newton of taking money to play at Auburn, it sure is starting to stink down there.

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Cameron Newton: More Than His Uniform is Dirty

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Cameron Newton is in the news once more, and it again has nothing to do with the No. 2 Auburn quarterback's place atop the short list of 2010 Heisman Trophy candidates.

Newton is alleged to have been caught cheating while he was a student-athlete at the University of Florida, according to a report published on FOXSports.com late Monday night.

You know, I used to cause a fair amount of trouble myself in high school, and that's around the time I first heard the term "behavioral pattern."

Get a verbal reprimand from a teacher? It happens. A few more? Red flags no doubt. Suspended a time or two? There's your behavioral pattern.

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Cam Newton Takes Over The Heisman Race

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Remember in the preseason when a big, athletic junior quarterback who rocks a No. 2 jersey for a national powerhouse got all kinds of Heisman hype?

Me too.

And now, after seven games, Cam Newton is atop the list of midseason Heisman candidates.

Like Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor, another 21-year-old dual-threat, Newton is just as dangerous on the run as he is with his arm. Auburn's leader has carried the Tigers to a 7-0 start and No. 6 ranking in the latest OGS poll.

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