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6* - Texas Tech Red Raiders (-3.5)
We have all heard about Alabama?s great defense. They come to the Cotton Bowl having held opponents to 10.7 points per game, which is the best in the nation. The Crimson Tide allowed the second fewest total yards (248.3) in the country and the second fewest passing yards (154.8.
There is just one problem with those numbers; Alabama played only one offense ranked in the Top 60 this season and played only one team averaging more than 367 total yards per game this season. That team was Auburn and the Tigers beat the Tide by a score of 28-18 in the last game of the regular season.
Texas Tech has continued the tradition under Leach of piling up the yards in route to very high scoring games. They have averaged 511 yards per game, which is second only to No. 1 USC, while scoring 42.1 points per game which is fourth best in the country. The Red Raiders led the nation for the fifth consecutive year with 403.6 passing yards per game and Bama ain?t seen nothing like what they will see this morning.
Alabama will be without the services of CB Simeon Castille, who is academically ineligible to play in the game and would have seen extensive playing time as the Tide's starting nickel back. Believe me, this is not a game where you want to be breaking in a backup.
Playing in the Cotton Bowl is bigger for the Raiders than a lot of people would think. Dating back to the Southwest Conference days, this was the game that the conference champs played in and having a chance to go up a team like Alabama for the first time in this setting is a big deal for a school like Tech. Their 9-2 record is the best they have put up in a very long time and the crowd is sure to be predominantly on their side. Tech wins this one by 13 points.
6* - Texas Tech Red Raiders (-3.5)
We have all heard about Alabama?s great defense. They come to the Cotton Bowl having held opponents to 10.7 points per game, which is the best in the nation. The Crimson Tide allowed the second fewest total yards (248.3) in the country and the second fewest passing yards (154.8.
There is just one problem with those numbers; Alabama played only one offense ranked in the Top 60 this season and played only one team averaging more than 367 total yards per game this season. That team was Auburn and the Tigers beat the Tide by a score of 28-18 in the last game of the regular season.
Texas Tech has continued the tradition under Leach of piling up the yards in route to very high scoring games. They have averaged 511 yards per game, which is second only to No. 1 USC, while scoring 42.1 points per game which is fourth best in the country. The Red Raiders led the nation for the fifth consecutive year with 403.6 passing yards per game and Bama ain?t seen nothing like what they will see this morning.
Alabama will be without the services of CB Simeon Castille, who is academically ineligible to play in the game and would have seen extensive playing time as the Tide's starting nickel back. Believe me, this is not a game where you want to be breaking in a backup.
Playing in the Cotton Bowl is bigger for the Raiders than a lot of people would think. Dating back to the Southwest Conference days, this was the game that the conference champs played in and having a chance to go up a team like Alabama for the first time in this setting is a big deal for a school like Tech. Their 9-2 record is the best they have put up in a very long time and the crowd is sure to be predominantly on their side. Tech wins this one by 13 points.
