SEC College Football Championship
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No. 19 South Carolina Gamecocks vs. No. 1 Auburn Tigers
Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 4:00 pm on CBS
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The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Auburn Tigers will meet this Saturday afternoon at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta to decide which team will be crowned the 2010 Southeast Conference Champion. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on CBS.
South Carolina will be looking to add one more feather to its cap this season by knocking off its second No. 1 team in the nation to win its first SEC title in school history. Head coach Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks dethroned Alabama when the Crimson Tide were the number one team in the country with a 35-21 victory as a 6 ½ point home underdog .
They also came away with their first win ever in Gainesville with a 36-14 win over Florida, won the SEC-East with a conference record of 5-3, and finished the regular season 9-3 straight-up and 7-5 against the spread overall.
South Carolina had a shot at beating the Tigers earlier in the season and almost pulled off the upset as a three-point road underdog in a 35-27 loss. The total in that game went ‘over’ the 49 point line. The Gamecocks were clinging to a seven point lead after three quarters, but four turnovers in the fourth quarter led to 14 unanswered Tiger points and a seven point loss.
This time around, South Carolina will have to rely on its 25th ranked scoring defense to contain Auburn QB Cameron Newton. It will also hope that Gamecock QB Steven Garcia takes care of the ball and avoids anymore back breaking turnovers. Garcia finished the regular season completing 65.9 percent of his passes for 2,626 yards and 18 touchdowns, but also threw nine interceptions and was sacked 20 times.
Auburn comes into this game fresh off surviving its biggest scare of the season in a crucial 28-27 win over Alabama last Friday afternoon as a 4 ½ point road underdog. The Tigers fell behind 24-0 early, but mounted a monumental second half comeback to put them one more win away from punching their ticket to the BCS title game. They finished the regular season a perfect 12-0 SU but were 8-4 ATS and went 8-0 SU in conference play.
Auburn’s defense has had its share of issues this season and is actually ranked 57th in the nation in points allowed; giving up an average of 25.1 points per game. Fortunately, the Tigers’ offense has been able to pick up the slack; averaging 41.6 points per game which is seventh best in the country. Newton has got it done all season long with both his arm and his legs. He has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 2,254 yards and has thrown 24 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He has also gained 1,336 rushing yards on 228 carries and leads the team with 18 touchdowns.
Home field will not be an advantage in the second matchup between these two teams which greatly favors South Carolina. You can count on the Gamecocks bringing a large contingent of its fan base to Atlanta for this one. Head-to-head including the game earlier this season, Auburn has won the previous five meetings SU and has a slight 3-2 edge ATS.
The odds makers have the Auburn Tigers as a -4.5 point favorite with an over/under of 61.
The Gamecocks matchup well enough to keep this game interesting for most of the way, but take Auburn to put things away for good in the fourth quarter to get the win and cover the 4 ½ points.
Team records:
- Auburn: 12-0 SU, 8-3 ATS
- South Carolina: 9-3 SU, 7-4 ATS
Auburn Tigers most recently:
- When playing in December are 4-4
- When playing on turf are 6-4
- After being outgained are 4-6
- When playing within the conference are 8-2
South Carolina Gamecocks most recently:
- When playing in December are 1-1
- When playing on turf are 3-4
- After outgaining opponent are 6-4
- When playing within the conference are 5-5
A few betting trends to consider:
- Auburn is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- Auburn is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing South Carolina
- South Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
- South Carolina is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Auburn
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