And it all comes down to this… The BCS National Championship Game odds will finally be contested by the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers at the Louisiana Superdome. The “Game of the Century” from earlier this year will be replayed, and we offer up the five Alabama vs. LSU keys to the game for the biggest game of the year.

BCS National Championship Game: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. LSU Tigers
BCS National Championship Game Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
BCS National Championship Game Date/Time: Monday, January 9th, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
BCS National Championship Game Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2011-12 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: Trent Richardson has to be a star
In fairness to Richardson, he did a heck of a lot in the first meeting between these two teams. He had 80 yards receiving and another 89 on the ground, and at the end of the day, that really made him the top offensive player on the field in a game in which there wasn’t a single touchdown scored. With 1,583 rushing yards, 327 receiving yards, and a total of 23 TDs, Richardson was good enough to win the Heisman Trophy this year. Those were numbers that were just as good as those of RB Mark Ingram when he won the Heisman Trophy two years ago. There haven’t been many players that have found some holes in that stout LSU defense, and for as great as those corners are on the outside, the best way to get the ball going anywhere against it is probably right up the middle of the field. Whether it is going to be by throwing the ball to him or letting him run it up there, the Tide have to find some way to really get Richardson going.

Key #2: Jordan Jefferson can’t turn the ball over like Jarrett Lee did
LSU fans that are screaming at the tops of their lungs that the Bayou Bengals should be favored in this game, especially with the slight home field advantage probably going their team’s way can definitely rest on the fact that Jefferson should be taking all of the snaps in this game, barring injury. Lee tossed two INTs to the tremendous Alabama defense, and with as sneakily good as that Tide offense can be, you just can’t give the ball up. Jefferson has done a nice job this year after that suspension for the off the field issues at the outset of the season. He has rebounded and gotten back in the good graces of the fans in Baton Rouge and with his coaching staff. His numbers aren’t particularly special at this point, as 684 passing yards and 248 rushing yards in basically six full games worth of playing time or so isn’t that special, but what Jefferson does that Lee doesn’t is manage a game and not turn the ball over. Jefferson only has one pick this year, and he historically does a nice job protecting the rock.

BCS National Championship Game Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Alabama Crimson Tide -1
LSU Tigers +1
Over/Under 41
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Key #3: Alabama’s special teams cannot be its downfall again
Anyone who watched the first “Game of the Century” can’t make the argument that the Bayou Bengals were clearly the better team. Alabama could have been argued as definitively the better side, but in truth, we would probably be splitting hairs to pick one team over the other. The real difference in that first meeting were the poor Crimson Tide special teams. It felt like it didn’t matter which kicker was coming out to give the ball the big boot, the ball wasn’t going through the uprights. It’s a miracle that the Tide picked up two field goals in that game with as badly as the ball was being kicked. This wasn’t just a problem in this game, though. Alabama only converted on 62.1 percent of its field goal tries this season, and that won’t cut it.

Key #4: LSU simply has to make Alabama punt the ball more
You would figure in a game that was tied 6-6 at the end of regulation would feature a ton of punts on both sides, right? Not quite in this case. The Crimson Tide only punted the ball twice to LSU, which really limited the amount of touches that DB Tyrann Mathieu had on the football. Mathieu ended up being a Heisman Trophy finalist this year because of the way that he broke open the games against the Arkansas Razorbacks and Georgia Bulldogs in successive weeks on national television. The “Honey Badger” as they call him, averaged well over 16 yards per punt return, and getting the ball into his hands is key. The Tide had more drives end on missed field goals than anything else on the day, and if you’re the Bayou Bengals, you can’t put yourself in that position once again.

Key #5: Brad Wing has to have another huge game
You’ll notice that we’re not talking a heck of a lot about offense or defense in this game. These two teams are absolutely mirror images of one another, save for the fact that the rushing game for Alabama is basically Richardson’s game, save for when he needs a spell, whereas LSU is going to use four or five different backs for a total of 40 carries per game. Wing can be a real game changer, though. He averaged over 44 yards per punt this year, and he was a dynamo when he really needed to be. Wing can punt the ball with either foot, and he has that rugby style kick that sometimes can turn into a fake punt if the coast is clear. It is just something for the Crimson Tide to think about, and it probably won’t let the likes of Richardson or WR Marquis Maze get free. Wing has allowed a grand total of six yards on punt returns this year, and he would really love for that to keep up in the BCS National Championship Game.

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A day off in the bowl betting bonanza on January 5th won’t stop us from enjoying another fantastic game on the college football bowl schedule on the 6th. The Kansas State Wildcats and Arkansas Razorbacks were both good enough to be BCS quality teams this year, and they are going to face off in the 2012 Cotton Bowl.

Cotton Bowl: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Cotton Bowl Location: Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Cotton Bowl Date/Time: Friday, January 6th, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Cotton Bowl Television Coverage: FOX

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Key #1: Collin Klein has to have the biggest heart on the field
Say what you want about Klein. We know that he isn’t a great passer. We know that he stands very little chance of completing even 60 percent of his passes in any game that he plays. We know that he looks to run first and then throw the ball. We know that, for a mobile quarterback, he has a miserable yards per carry average right around 4.0. However, with all that being said, you can’t measure a kid’s heart, and that’s exactly what Klein has. This is a man that carries the ball over 24 times per game out of the quarterback spot, and he isn’t doing a heck of a lot of sliding or running out of bounds. There’s a reason that he led the team in scoring with 26 TDs on the campaign and why he came up with 1,099 rushing yards. Klein has the ability to do some real damage, and though his offense’s numbers aren’t all that impressive in totality this year, he just finds ways to keep putting points on the board, a trait that has to show to beat the Hogs.

Cotton Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Arkansas Razorbacks -7.5
Kansas State Wildcats +7.5
Over/Under 62.5
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Key #2: The Razorbacks cannot let their special teams beat them
The Hogs were only beaten twice this year, once by the Alabama Crimson Tide and once by the LSU Tigers. Both games were on the road, and they were against the two best teams in the country. There was no shame in either defeat, but both games shared a common bond: Bad punt coverage. Against Alabama, WR Marquis Maze had 125 punt return yards, including an 83 yarder that came all the way back for a touchdown. That took a 17-7 game and made it 24-7. The Hogs were beaten 38-14. Against the Bayou Bengals, DB Tyrann Mathieu had two massive punt returns and totaled 115 yards on two runbacks. One went for 92 yards and a TD. From that point on, LSU outscored Arkansas 34-3.

Key #3: Tyler Wilson has to shred a very suspect secondary
In fairness to the Wildcats, they had to play a schedule this year that included taking on Robert Griffin III, Seth Doege, Landry Jones, Brandon Weeden, and Ryan Tannehill. If we had to play those five guys, who will combine for over 20,000 passing yards when the bowl season is said and done with, we would have a secondary with some suspect numbers as well. However, Wilson is another one of these quarterbacks that could inch near 4,000 yards when the season is said and done with. He has 3,422 yards and is averaging a rock solid 8.4 yards per pass attempt this year, and he has a great set of receivers that can really spread the field all over the place. Wilson also did a nice job taking care of the pigskin on the campaign, throwing just six picks against 22 TDs. KSU’s secondary can be had; just look at the 505 yards and five TDs that Jones came up with when the Oklahoma Sooners came to Manhattan. Wilson just has to take advantage of it if the Razorbacks are going to have a shot at beating the Cotton Bowl odds.

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Both the Stanford Cardinal and Oklahoma State Cowboys finished up their season with 11 wins, but both fell short of their ultimate goal by a single game. They’ll try to beat the Fiesta Bowl odds in the second BCS bowl game of the year on January 2nd.

Fiesta Bowl: Stanford Cardinal vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Fiesta Bowl Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Fiesta Bowl Date/Time: Monday, January 2nd, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Fiesta Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

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Key #1: These teams have to prove that they want to be here
This is the second straight season that both the Cowboys and the Cardinal have really fallen short of their ultimate goal. Neither team failed so late in the season though to cost them the ultimate prize, and the end result saw Stanford kill the Virginia Tech Hokies in the BCS and had Oklahoma State destroying the Arizona Wildcats in the Alamo Bowl. Now, both teams are in the BCS once again, but again, neither one was able to be a National Championship contender due to their one flaw. We have to wonder if there is going to be a bit of a hangover for either side. Stanford still doesn’t quite look like it is totally over the loss to the Oregon Ducks, as it hasn’t been as dominating down the stretch as it was in the beginning of the season, while the Cowboys looked tremendous in Bedlam against the Oklahoma Sooners in their first action after their lone loss to the Iowa State Cyclones.

Fiesta Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Stanford Cardinal +3.5
Oklahoma State Cowboys -3.5
Over/Under 74
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Key #2: Andrew Luck needs to find a receiver to do damage
Luck didn’t win the Heisman Trophy this year even though he was considered the runaway favorite for the mass majority of the season, and part of the problem is that he really didn’t have a bona fide wide receiver to get the ball to. Sure, his tight ends were dominating all season long, and TE Coby Fleener was as awesome as a tight end could be at the collegiate level. WR Griff Whalen caught 49 passes for 664 yards and four scores, but perhaps Luck’s best target, WR Chris Owusu has been dealing with a concussion for the majority of the season. We aren’t counting on him for the Fiesta Bowl, but we know that someone else is going to have to step up on the outside to do some damage. If not, the Pokes are going to be able to load the box up and try to take away the rushing game with RB Stepfan Taylor, and if that’s the case, Stanford is going to be back basically in the same situation that it was in against Oregon when it was blown out of the water by three TDs on its home turf.

Key #3: Justin Blackmon has to be stopped
When you look at the numbers that the Cowboys put up this year, they are absolutely devastating. RB Joseph Randle had nearly 1,200 rushing yards and a whopping 25 trips to the end zone this year, and backup RB Jeremy Smith also had 645 yards on just 90 carries, nine of which went for TDs. QB Brandon Weeden completed 72.6 percent of his passes and accounted for 4,328 yards and 34 TDs versus just a dozen picks. However, the man that really has made this offense go for the past two years has been Blackmon. He only averaged 11.8 yards per reception this year, a far cry from his 16.1 a season ago, but he once again hauled in just a slew of passes (113 to be exact) and had 1,336 yards with 15 TDs. Blackmon is as talented of a receiver as there is in the nation, and assuming that he comes out of school this year and heads to the pros, he is likely going to step onto an NFL roster and become a true No. 1 wide out for a team that is willing to take him in the first dozen picks or so in the NFL Draft. The whole offense opens up when Blackmon is going, and the Cowboys have to have him in a big time way to keep up in what could be a major league shootout against the Cardinal.

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The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl is a Christmas Eve classic every single year, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are set for our Hawaii Bowl keys to the game, which will help you with all of your Nevada Wolf Pack vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles predictions and picks!

Hawaii Bowl: Nevada Wolf Pack vs. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Hawaii Bowl Location: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
Hawaii Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 24th, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Hawaii Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

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Key #1: The Wolf Pack must find running room with the Pistol
The days of QB Colin Kaepernick, RB Vai Taua, and RB Luke Lippincott are long since over with for the Wolf Pack, and now, they have to take a team that really is completely new offensively into the Hawaii Bowl against a team that ranks No. 20 in the land against the rush. Though QB Cody Fajardo has played well under center since he has come in place of QB Tyler Lantrip, he is still just a freshman and badly needs to be kept out of as much danger as possible. That leaves RB Lampford Mark to get the job done on the ground, and though he is averaging 5.6 yards per carry, he doesn’t have the same type of explosiveness that backs before him at Nevada have had. If the ground game is stuffed, there is no hope for the Wolf Pack to pull off this upset.

Hawaii Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Nevada Wolf Pack +7
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles -7
Over/Under 62
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Key #2: Southern Miss has to respond well to Fedora’s last game
Often times, teams that are about to lose their head coach go through some severe reactions. In this case, Fedora is going to be on the sidelines before he heads off to Chapel Hill to take the job with the North Carolina Tar Heels, and you can bet that the Eagles are going to want to send him out as a winner. The fact that he was able to take this program to arguably a bad loss against UAB away from being in the BCS is remarkable, as Conference USA teams don’t historically challenge for BCS bowl bids, and emotions have to be kept in check.

Key #3: Chris Ault needs to change things up just a bit
Bowl history for the Wolf Pack hasn’t been all that special. Since 2005, the team has played in a bowl game every year, including twice here in the 50th state. That being said, in spite of the fact that Nevada almost always has an offense that ranks in the Top 25 in America, the results aren’t always great. It barely walked away with a victory over a very suspect Boston College club in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl last year, and that was the fourth time in the last five bowl games in which this team has failed to exceed 20 points in its bowl game. Ault has been fantastic for years and years in Reno, but the truth of the matter is that teams that have a hard time trying to figure out how Pistol attack with just a week of preparation in the regular season have historically figured it all out by the time the team’s bowl game has come around. Fedora is a smart cookie defensively, and if he was really able to figure out how to frustrate the passing attack of QB Kevin Kolb and the Houston Cougars, we’re afraid that without some new wrinkles for this game, the Pistol doesn’t stand a chance.

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The TCU Horned Frogs didn’t quite make it to the BCS this year, and they are going to be stuck with a pre-Christmas Day bowl game. They’ll try to win yet another bowl game and make for great Poinsettia Bowl picks when they go against the WAC champs, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

Poinsettia Bowl: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. TCU Horned Frogs
Poinsettia Bowl Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
Poinsettia Bowl Date/Time: Wednesday, December 21st, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Poinsettia Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2011-12 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: The Horned Frogs have to want to be here
And that might not be such an easy thing. Over the course of the last several years, the Horned Frogs have played in some pretty illustrious bowl games. They played in the Rose Bowl last year, the Fiesta Bowl the year before, and even in 2008 when they played right here in the Poinsettia Bowl, they were going against the Boise State Broncos. There were times this year when TCU looked a bit disinterested, just like it did when it lost to the SMU Mustangs in a non-conference tilt on the road. This is a significantly different team this year, and QB Casey Pachall is nowhere near the same type of leader that QB Andy Dalton was. This is a short turnaround as well from the team’s last game, which could be a very dangerous situation to say the least.

Poinsettia Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs +10.5
TCU Horned Frogs -10.5
Over/Under 55.5
Click Here to Bet The Poinsettia Bowl Picks!

Key #2: Colby Cameron needs to step into the spotlight as a star
Many don’t realize that Louisiana Tech has won seven games in a row coming into this bowl game, as it had to think that it was a team in a lot of trouble in the first month of the year. The Bulldogs were 1-4 in their first five games, and their only win was an OT triumph over Central Arkansas. Three weeks after a 44-26 loss to the Hawaii Warriors, the worst defeat of the season for the team, La Tech turned for Cameron under center. He has done tremendously since that point, completing 56 percent of his passes for 1,403 yards and 11 TDs against just two picks. It’s a far cry from the man that only threw one TD against five picks in limited action as a backup before this season. The problem that Cameron is going to have in this one is going against this TCU defense, clearly the best that he has seen this year. Yes, he won the final five games of the year, but San Jose State, Fresno State, Ole Miss, Nevada, and New Mexico State aren’t quite at the level of the Horned Frogs.

Key #3: The ground game for TCU has to stay balanced
And that’s really because we just don’t know if we totally trust Pachall to put the ball in the air 35 times to win this game. There aren’t many rushing attacks that operate as smoothly as that of the Horned Frogs. There are three fantastic backs in this backfield in RBs Waymon James, Matthew Tucker, and Ed Wesley, and they are all incredibly experienced. All three are going to finish this season with at least 5.8 yards per carry, and all of them might be beyond 6.0 yards when it is said and done. The Bulldogs only allow 3.4 rushing yards per attempt, a number which is even better than that of the Horned Frogs though, so TCU’s stable of backs could find some troubles in the ground game.

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The Big 12 doesn’t have a championship game this year because it only has 10 teams, but on Saturday, it has its de facto title game when the Oklahoma Cowboys take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium in arguably one of the most important editions of the Bedlam series in recent memory.

Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Picks & Info
Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Date: Saturday, December 2nd, 2011
Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Location: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK
Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Spread: Oklahoma State Cowboys -3.5
Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Total: 70.5

The Sooners have played in their fair share of big time games this year, even games that have come on the road. They’ve passed a slew of tests, including romping in the Red River Rivalry in Dallas, knocking off the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee, and absolutely destroying the then undefeated Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan. However, two close losses later, and OU’s title dreams went out the window. It can still get back into the BCS with a win, and it would likely end up in the Fiesta Bowl against the Stanford Cardinal with a victory. QB Landry Jones has an outside shot at the Heisman Trophy, as he has thrown for 4,052 yards and 28 TDs in just 11 games this year, but it is going to take a Herculean effort and an upset for that to happen.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys Past Results (Since 2001)
2010: Oklahoma 47 – Oklahoma State 41
2009 Oklahoma State 0 – Oklahoma 27
2008: Oklahoma 61 – Oklahoma State 41
2007: Oklahoma State 17 – Oklahoma 49
2006: Oklahoma 27 – Oklahoma State 21
2005: Oklahoma State 14 – Oklahoma 42
2004: Oklahoma 38 – Oklahoma State 35
2003: Oklahoma State 9 – Oklahoma 52
2002: Oklahoma 28 – Oklahoma State 38
2001: Oklahoma State 16 – Oklahoma 13

Everyone knew that the Cowboys were going to be a dangerous team this year, but no one really believed that they would have controlled their own destiny for a spot in the National Championship Game as recently as two weeks ago. The argument could be made that a win in this one, and the Pokes may be on their way to the title game anyway, as there is a real sentiment that the humans could make it a point to do what they can to make sure that it isn’t an LSU/Alabama rematch for all the marbles. This offense can do it all, as it is averaging 161.0 yards per game on the ground and 401.6 yards per game through the air. QB Brandon Weeden can also make a case to win the Heisman Trophy with a good showing in this one, as he already has 34 TDs and 4,111 yards passing.

Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Game Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 12/2/11):
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Oklahoma Sooners (+3.5) @ Oklahoma State Cowboys (70.5)

The Big 10 Championship Game keys to the game for the duel between the Michigan State Spartans and the Wisconsin Badgers are here and ready to go on the eve of the game. These two played an epic battle in East Lansing earlier this year, and we can only hope that we will see the same sort of intensity when these two Big Ten rivals square off with a spot in the Rose Bowl on the line.

Big 10 Championship Game: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Michigan State Spartans
Big 10 Championship Game Location: Lucas Oil Field, Indianapolis, IN
Big 10 Championship Game Date/Time: Saturday, December 3rd, 8:17 p.m. (ET)
Big 10 Championship Game Television Schedule: FOX

Key #1: Russell Wilson has to keep the Badgers two-dimensional
We already know that RBs Montee Ball and James White are going to get their touches and their yards no matter what team the Badgers are playing against, but the passing attack needs to remain a part of the game as well. Wilson had arguably the best year that a Wisconsin quarterback has ever put together. He has thrown for 2,692 yards and 28 TDs against just three INTs, and he has completed 72.7 percent of his passes. In East Lansing earlier this year though, Wilson only threw the ball 21 time against 41 rushes, and the ratio of pass to run cannot be around 1 to 2 for the Badgers to be successful. WR Nick Toon only had two catches on the day, and that just isn’t going to cut it against this MSU defense either. On the other side of the ball, the Spartans are going to try to do everything in their power to keep the Badgers’ passing game off its game once again.

Big 10 Championship Game Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Wisconsin Badgers -9.5
Michigan State Spartans +9.5
Over/Under 55
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Key #2: MSU has to avoid shooting itself in the foot
Even though the Spartans won the first go around of these foes, it seems relatively clear that Wisconsin has the more talented team. That being said, there are some key stats to look at from the box score from two months ago that show you how Sparty stuck around and had the chance to win in on the Hail Mary miracle. The team didn’t throw an interception, and it only fumbled the ball twice in the game, losing one. It went a very respectable 8-of-16 on third downs, and it converted its only fourth down attempt. More importantly though, there wasn’t a single accepted penalty on the Spartans the entire game. Though asking for no flags is going to be a bit difficult once again, it’s the dumb penalties like offsides and false starts that MSU really need to avoid to stick around with the Badgers.

Key #3: Michigan State has to find some other ways to score
Sure, it seems conventional and easy to say that the offense has to really do your scoring for you to win on most given Saturdays, but perhaps Head Coach Mike Dantonio should be thinking a bit differently. His Spartans logged a safety, recovered a blocked punt in the end zone, and got that infamous Hail Mary to WR Keith Nichols on the final play of regulation to win. The Spartans have had a history of coming up with some tricks on special teams that have earned some points, and the team has had a great set of punt returners all year. The one punt return in the first game went for 36 yards and set up a score. The Wisconsin defense is just too good to drive 70-80 yards on more often than not, so the Spartans definitely need to get creative to put points on the board.

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