Thus far in this series we have looked at thirteen of the biggest college football games this year. When you look at the recent history of the National Title Game there is no doubt that if you are predicting a Championship Game that there should be a member of the SEC in that prediction. So far out of the thirteen games we’ve featured six have members of the SEC involved. This game is the seventh and it’s between a team that has won the National Championship twice in the last ten years and one that holds only one split championship in it’s history. Nick Saban took the LSU Tigers to the Championship in 2003 and then Les Miles did the deed with the 2007 team. Their opponent in this match-up’s only National Championship was a controversial one. Despite being the only undefeated team in 1964, the Arkansas Razorbacks were only awarded the National Championship by the FWAA and HAF. Will this be the year that one of these two teams can step up and hoist the Crystal Trophy?
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS AT LSU TIGERS
When: November 26th
Where: Tiger Stadium in Baton Rogue, Louisiana
The feature match-up in this game pits one of the best offenses in the SEC (Arkansas) against one of the best defenses in the SEC (LSU). Arkansas has been in the top five in scoring in the SEC every year out of the last five except for Bobby Petrino’s inaugural campaign in 2008. Over the last two years the Hogs have averaged 36 and 36.5 points per game. On the other foot the LSU defense has been in the top three in points allowed in the SEC over the last two years with John Chavis at the helm. It will be Petrino vs Chavis in an interesting chess match. An underlying story in that battle is first year starter Tyler Wilson taking on an LSU defense that will be replacing it’s best three players off of last years unit, but by the time this takes place both should be playing at post-season form.
The last six times these teams have taken the field the total point differential is only 21 total points. It’s been since 2004 since one of these teams has taken the other to the woodshed (LSU won at Arkansas 43-14 that year). This is one of the closest and most competitive match-ups of recent in the SEC and I don’t expect that to change this year. Last year it was Arkansas winning 31-23 at War Memorial Stadium after a gutsy fourth down call in the final quarter. In 2009, it was the Tigers that emerged victorious at home in OT after the Razorbacks missed a FG to tie the game. The last three times this game has been played it has been won by the home team.
This one might also come down to who gets the best game out of it’s running backs. Arkansas recently lost star RB Knile Davis for the year due to an ankle injury so that leaves them without all of their weapons at their disposal. That being said, one of the back-ups for the Razorbacks is Dennis Johnson. LSU fans will remember him very well because in 2008, as a freshman, he ran the ball 18 times for 127 yards including a 17 yard TD run that got Arkansas on the scoreboard first. In 2009 it was Johnson and the other back-up Ronnie Wingo combining to rush for over 100 yards on 18 carries. LSU is very familiar with the two Hogs that will be running the ball this year in Davis’s absence. For LSU, Stevan Ridley is gone but the Tigers have a host of talented young guys in the backfield waiting for their shot. Whoever establishes the run in this game might just squeek out the winner due to the close nature of this series. Look for one of these two teams to step up and take a serious run at Alabama and the SEC West Championship. The winner of this game has a good shot at getting to Atlanta and the SEC Championship and we know that for the past few years the NCAA Championship runs through the SEC West.
15 Games That Will Decide The National Champion:
Boise State vs. Georgia- Sept 3
Oklahoma State at Texas A&M- Sept 24
Wisconsin at Ohio State- Oct 29
Oregon at Stanford- Nov 12
Arkansas at LSU- Nov 26
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