America’s Line: BCS Championship Pick

The game plan is simple for the Oregon Ducks when they take on the Auburn Tigers in the BCS Championship Game: Stop Cam Newton.

While the premise is basic, executing the plan is far more complicated. Newton has taken the college football world by storm, quickly becoming a legend among Auburn football fans while also prompting a lot of negative feedback for his shady past and the under-the-table dealings of his father.

Unfortunately for Ducks backers, it’s the legend part of Newton’s legacy that Oregon must deal with. Sure, the Tigers have other weapons, like running backs Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb, but the only way to knock off Auburn is to stop – or at least slow down - the most impactful player to hit the college football scene in decades.

Newton is the reason why the Tigers are 3-point favorites for Monday's title game. He’s carried Auburn to a 13-0 record while helping boosters cash in at 9-4 against the spread. Newton led the SEC in rushing, has a dynamite arm and the ability and guts to make the big plays needed to win on the national stage.

Oregon was tops in the Pac-10 versus the run and can use its lightning-quick defenders to bottle up the dual-threat pivot. The Ducks took on a lot of traditional QBs this season and have yet to tangle with one as unpredictable as Newton.

They did, however, top the conference in tackles for a loss and allowed only two plays over 40 yards all season. Keeping Newton from hitting the “home run” is vital to the Ducks’ chances Monday, and gives their powerful offense a shot at keeping pace with the Tigers.

Oregon may be the top-ranked scoring program in the land, but it has yet to test a defense like the SEC-hardened Tigers. Auburn was a stone wall on the ground, ranked seventh nationally after allowing an average of only 104 rushing yards per game.

The Tigers did budge in the conference title game, giving up 156 yards on 30 carries – 5.2 yards per carry – to the South Carolina Gamecocks. If Oregon can keep Newton from lighting up the scoreboard, the Ducks running game, led by LaMichael James, might be able to seep through the cracks.

While Monday’s total is a hefty 74 points, the BCS Championship may come down to which defense buckles first. Oregon can’t afford to let Newton shine like his past performance and must give his roller-coaster season an abrupt stop, just short of the BCS title.

Pick: Oregon +3 (Line at Bodog Sportsbook)