BCS Championship Betting Preview: LSU Small Favorites Over Alabama

The LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide will meet for the second time this season tonight, but unlike the previous match-up, tonight's game will be a winner take all. The Tigers won round one, and the Crimson Tide is looking for revenge in Louisiana this evening.

The first game between the two teams could easily have been won by Alabama. The Crimson Tide appeared to have outplayed the Tigers, losing only after missing several field goal attempts that would have ended the game in regulation. LSU took advantage in overtime, winning the game in which neither team scored an offensive touchdown.

The Tigers and Crimson Tide ran the table after their first meeting, leading to some controversy over whether Alabama deserved another chance at the Tigers. The BCS formula, which many feel is flawed, gave Alabama fans their wish, and the rematch will come almost a full month after each team played their final regular season game.

LSU is the betting favorite, installed as one point favorites by Las Vegas sports books. The point spread represents the betting public, and shows that even the gamblers are having a hard time drawing distinctions between the two best teams in the SEC this year. The Tigers and Crimson Tide are no strangers to playing for national championships, as Nick Saban, Alabama's head coach, has coached each team to a title. Les Miles has come in and also won a championship with LSU.

The prognostication for tonight's game is similar to the first time the teams met. Defense is expected to dominate the night, with the betting total sitting at only 41. Normally, that would be a low total for a title game, but the two defenses have shown their ability to shut teams down throughout the year.

While LSU and Alabama are in final preparations for the championship game, BCS officials announced Monday that they will be discussing possible tweaks to the system in the future. One of the most common beliefs is that college football needs a playoff system to determine a champion, and the prevailing thought is that the BCS officials may be open to a plus one game, in which the top four teams play in a bowl game, with the winners meeting in a title game a week later.

Governor Christie Expected To Sign New Jersey Sports Gambling Bill
NFL Playoff Betting Odds: Steelers And Saints Big Favorites
NFL Power Rankings Week Seventeen: Packers Go Wire To Wire On Top
NFL Playoff Betting Odds Hinging On Final Week Of Games
NFL Power Rankings Week Fifteen: Packers Going Wire To Wire