2011 BCS National Championship Game
| MVP | TBA |
|---|---|
The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game will be the finale of the 2010-2011 Bowl Championship Series, and will be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the host facility of the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona on January 10, 2011 (8:30 p.m. ET). The game will be the first BCS National Championship Game to be televised on ESPN.[3] This is the fifth time the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl earned its recognition among the nation’s four major bowl games, dating back to July 10, 1991 when it was invited to the Bowl Coalition. The Fiesta Bowl was selected to the Bowl Alliance in August 1994 and the BCS on three separate occasions – July 1997, April, 2005 and March, 2009. [4]This will mark the second time that the National Champion under the BCS system's stand-alone game will be played in Arizona. [5]
Teams
Finishing No. 1 and No. 2 in the final BCS ranking respectively, the Auburn Tigers from the Southeastern Conference will go against the Oregon Ducks of the Pacific 10 Conference for the National Championship. Both teams finish the regular season undefeated. The coaches' poll has Oregon as the No. 1 team in the country, with Auburn as No. 2.
Auburn Tigers
The Tigers finish the season on top of the conference in scoring offense (42.7 points per game), rushing offense (287.2 yards per game) and total offense (497.7 yards per game). Auburn also leads the conference in pass efficiency (174 of 261 passes, 6 interceptions, 66.7%, 29 touchdowns), third-down conversions (77 of 145, 53.1%) and first downs (316 or 24.3 per game). Quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Cameron Newton led the conference in rushing, pass efficiency, total offense, and scoring.
Oregon Ducks
The Ducks lead the conference in scoring offense (592 points, 49.3 average), rushing offense (42 touchdowns, 303.8 yards per game), rushing defense (11 touchdowns, 117.6 yards per game), and total offense (71 touchdowns, 537.5 yards per game). The team is led by tailback LaMichael James, who tops the conference with 1,682 yards on 281 carries, 21 touchdowns and averaging 152.9 yards per game. His longest carry was for 76 yards.
Summary
Scoring
Rankings
- For the second time in BCS history, three different No. 1 teams (Oklahoma, Auburn, and Oregon) were ranked in the first three standings of the year. In 1998, the first season of the BCS, UCLA debuted at No. 1, followed by Ohio State and Tennessee.
- Three teams from non-Automatic Qualify conference schools (TCU, Boise State, Utah) were ranked in the top-five at the same time after three weeks of BCS rankings.
References
- ^ The Tuscaloosa News, December 18, 2010
- ^ http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/11/12/herbstreit-musburger-to-call-title-game/
- ^ Dufresne, Chris (June 13, 2009), "Rose Bowl game moving to ESPN in 2011", Los Angeles Times
- ^ Glendale's got game, 2009
- ^ Hedding, Judy (2010), 2011 BCS Championship Game Will Be In Arizona