Sadly, it’s almost time to say goodbye to college football for the year. The good news, though, is that we get to do so in style with all the BCS bowls. The final game, the BCS Championship, isn’t exactly what most sports betting fans wanted. Some people don’t think Texas belongs in the big one but that doesn’t really matter at this point. It’s one game and anything can happen, so we can’t underestimate the Longhorns versus the Alabama Crimson Tide.

2010 BCS Championship

(1)Alabama vs (2) Texas Thursday, January 7, 8:00 p.m. ET

College football odds favorite: Alabama -3.5

Ask most football handicappers and they’ll tell you this is No. 1 Alabama’s game to lose. It’s hard to argue that after watching the Crimson Tide dismantle Florida in the SEC title game, which many people dubbed the “real national championship game.” Alabama bottled up Tim Tebow and makes a name for itself via defense first and offense second. The Crimson Tide have the country’s second-ranked “D” and rely heavily on outstanding linebacker Rolando McClain.

Offensively, it’s all about the running game for Alabama. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram is a beast; he ran for 1,542 yards and 15 touchdowns this year. More importantly, he established himself as a clutch performer when he gashed the Gators for 118 yards and three touchdowns. He’ll give Texas all it can handle. ’Bama quarterback Greg McElroy is more of a caretaker than anything else; he took care of the ball well all year, throwing just four interceptions compared to 17 touchdown passes this season.

Alabama may need McElroy to step up his game on Thursday, however. Texas has the country’s top run defense, allowing just 62.3 yards per game. That’s 16 fewer yards than the next best team. If McElroy and wideout Julio Jones can’t stretch the field and keep the Longhorns honest, Ingram will have to battle many eight-man fronts.

Texas’ hopes rest on stud quarterback Colt McCoy, who threw 27 touchdown passes and completed over 70 per cent of his passes this season. He and primary target Jordan Shipley give the Longhorns a consistent downfield attack that Alabama can’t match.

Both teams have plenty of talent and play downright outstanding defense, so we don’t have an easy betting decision. Ultimately, I still like Alabama. While the Crimson Tide can’t match Texas’ passing game, they’re the superior running team and have the more balanced attack. Also, they earned their way into this game by trouncing the powerhouse Florida Gators whereas Texas barely scraped past Nebraska. Expect Alabama to outclass Texas and remember that a 3.5-point spread is quite small for the nation’s No. 1 team to cover.

Free pick: Alabama -3.5