BCS Game Picks – Auburn’s Slow Starts Could Kill Them Against Oregon

The Auburn Tigers are generating more action in BCS game betting picks than Oregon, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that tonight’s mega tilt is a forgone conclusion.

Part of what is making this tilt so exciting is that both teams boast exhilarating offensive units. Between Cameron Newton, LaMichael James, Darvin Adams and Darron Thomas, there are plenty of guys who can put up points in this matchup.

The real question is “when”.

Auburn has been a comeback team all season. They’ve erased at least four double-digit deficits against Clemson, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama this season and that should show you how tough this team is mentally. The problem is that it can also lull you in a false sense of security.

What the Tigers do exceptionally well is wear down on opponent. Just when you think you’ve got them beat, Cam Newton starts staging big drives. Nick Fairley generates massive sacks or big time turnovers. Darvin Adams will make a breathtaking, and momentum stealing, catch. Auburn is rightfully garnering plenty of BCS game picks tonight from the NCAA football betting community because of their tenacious ability while digging themselves out of a hole.

Wearing down defenses is a big reason why Auburn has been able to come from behind. Eventually, defensive players become exhausted from trying to tackle Cam Newton because he’s so damn big. He can practically fall over for a three-yard gain. But the fact is that Auburn has relied on deflating teams morally by staging enormous second halves during the season.

If points are going to abound in this game like many expect, the real question is if Oregon can get out front on the scoreboard and stay there. We’ve all accepted the cold, hard truth that you can never count Auburn out of a game. But against Oregon’s top-ranked offense, that task is even more daunting. The Ducks blasted the Pac-10 and the rest of the country with an impressive 49.3 points per game.

Oregon isn’t a great defensive team and the crux of their undefeated season has hinged on their ability to blow teams out of the water offensively. They score early, often and then they just keep getting in to the endzone. One of the underscoring reasons why people are taking the Ducks in BCS game picks is that they’re a big play offense – and Auburn is very prone to giving up big plays because of their all-or-nothing commitment to the front seven.

There is perhaps no team built to defeat Auburn like Oregon. They can get out front early, and won’t waver in the second half like so many other teams before them. Trading touchdowns seems like the modus operandi of this game, but that won’t matter if Oregon is trading scores with a reasonably comfortable lead.

The writing has been on the wall with Auburn all season. They’re a fantastic adjustments team, but you can only make those at half time. Most famously, their second half adjustments proved pivotal against Alabama and have actually been imperative in all of their comeback victories. The thing about banking on another comeback victory in BCS game picks hinges on Oregon taking their foot off the pedal.

A slow start in this game would kill Auburn, especially given the fact that Oregon knows it will have to keep scoring to keep Cameron Newton from staging another, historic victory. If the Ducks can capitalize on Auburn’s slow start and keep the momentum in their favor, then they can win this game and topple the Tigers. That is the only scenario in which I can take Oregon in BCS game picks, and even that seems like a tall order considering how much of a powerhouse the Tigers have been on both sides of the ball.

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