By BRADY ACKERMAN
Florida Gators Football Sideline Reporter
It has not been a banner year for the SEC in bowl games. The conference sits at 4-5 with one game left and that is for the BCS National Championship on Monday night. Auburn can help the SEC finish .500 and deliver the league's fifth straight BCS title. The East was clearly down this bowl season. Florida was the only team to win its bowl game. The Outback Bowl victory by the Gators over Penn State was the highest rated college football game this season on ABC. Florida should be able to build off that season ending victory under new coach Will Muschamp.
Florida continues its efforts on the recruiting trail looking to finish strong under Muschamp. The Gators continued the trend of early enrollees with several beginning classes this semester. The two that may benefit the most from being in school early for spring practice are quarterback Jeff Driskel and running back Mike Blakely. These are two need areas for Florida entering the 15 days of practice which begin sometime in March.
The Gators currently have 16 commitments but have some serious need areas in the final three weeks. First, they need depth at linebacker, especially guys who can play inside. The roster is loaded with young players, but you cannot go a year in recruiting without signing a couple linebackers. They also need a few more linemen on both sides of the ball. One offensive lineman to go with a defensive tackle and another top flight defensive end would be exactly what the doctor ordered. Finally, they could use a big running back and a safety. They have quite a few athletes that project as corners, but if there is a big time safety on the board they need to try to grab him. I would expect the Gator class to be around 22 when all is said and done.
BCS Title Game
I have been in Arizona this past week for the BCS Championship and it has been a distraction free week for both teams. The Oregon Ducks look much better after watching the performance of Stanford in the Orange Bowl. Oregon has made it a point to let everyone know they do not fear Auburn or the SEC. The Ducks up-tempo attack will look to wear down Nick Fairley and the Tiger defense. Oregon had 24 touchdown drives of 56 seconds or less this season.
Auburn has not had to deal with "Cam Madness" the last month, as the media storm around Newton has subsided. They are all business and look much bigger than the Ducks. Oregon is built for speed, while Auburn is more power with their quarterback leading the way. The Tigers are battle tested having won the SEC and beaten five ranked opponents this season. Cam Newton, the Heisman winner, did his best work on the ground inside conference play this season. He rushed for 15 touchdowns in eight conference games during the regular season.
This and That..
-Arkansas lost the Sugar Bowl and dropped the SEC record to 7-2 in BCS games since 2006.
-Oregon led the Pac 10 in scoring, total offense and rushing offense.
-The Ducks are 4-4 all-time against the SEC.
-Auburn has one National Title and it was in 1957 when they won the AP Poll.
-LaMichael James needs 40 yards to become the single season record holder at Oregon.
-Auburn is 20-13-2 all-time in bowl games.
-This is the first meeting between Oregon and Auburn.
