It's funny how little a year changes.
This is how I started last year's live blog of the National Championship Game, verbatim: "As these words are being typed, three teams in the Division I Bowl Subdivision stand undefeated. By the time the clock strikes midnight, there will only be two, and one will be crowned national champion."
On the surface, nothing has changed in the 368 days since I typed those words. Three Division I teams are undefeated. One is from the SEC, one is from a non-AQ conference and has every right to make a claim to the national title.
Last year, the SEC team was Alabama. This year, it's Auburn. Last year, the undefeated non-AQ school was Boise State, fresh off a Fiesta Bowl victory over TCU. This year, TCU fills the role of undefeated non-AQ team, fresh off a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin.
Just like last year, TCU, and the rest of the college football community, is left asking, "What if?"
In what has become a yearly tradition, I am coming to you live from the Pez Cave. We're fresh off a victory of our own, earned at Old Chicago earlier in the evening. Now, we're ready for some football.
7:27 p.m. - Prediction time. I'm two-for-two in pregame live blog predictions. Let's see if I can make it three in a row: Oregon 37, Auburn 31.
7:30 - Pez is still going back and forth with his annual running joke. For now, it's calling Oregon running back LaMichael James, The Michael James, a la the French usage of the prefix "la." He says he may switch it before too long.
7:34 - Bo Jackson in the house! Bo knows coin tosses!
7:35 - Pez and I have surmised that Auburn, in fact, cannot win the national championship because Auburn isn't a state and Oregon is.
7:37 - Erin Andrews is wearing those tight black pants that are so hot. I might die. She may be too hot.
7:38 - Pez says Oregon is taking the opening kickoff to the house. Let's see if he's right.
7:39 - Dude from Oregon can't keep his feet, tackled before he got to the 20. Pez is 0-for-1 on predictions.
While I typed that, Pez is rhetorically asking if Sanders, the kicker or something, is related to Barry Sanders. I tend to think Pez is headed for an all-time night tonight.
7:44 - Um, what the hell just happened? For some reason, Oregon makes a pair of idiotic decisions and it's three and out. Little did we know, Oregon actually has a punter ... and he subsequently shanks it.
7:46 - Cam Newton just got blasted from the blind side. Needless to say, Pez and I got really excited. Auburn recovers, and nearly converts a big pass play on 3rd and 17.
Another punt? What is going on here?
7:52 - In the biggest upset of the night thus far, I dropped the first "The Michael James" reference of the game. Pez wasn't far behind, though.
7:53 - Interception off the mishandled Darron Thomas pass. Oregon appears to be doing everything possible to give Auburn the early lead. Can media darling Cam Newton lead the Tigers to the game's first score?
7:57 - Cam Newton throws the ball directly to Cliff Harris. Unfortunately for Auburn, Harris plays for Oregon. The Ducks run it up the middle to enter Tigers territory for the first time tonight.
7:59 - It appears some Oregon fans are wearing ponchos while blowing beak-looking noisemakers. Someone may have forgotten to tell the Ducks fans that they're indoors.
8:01 p.m. - Oregon is finally getting a rhythm going on offense. Another first down by James leads to another middle screen and another Ducks first down. Auburn had better learn to defend the screen, or they'll be in for a long night.
8:02 - Another Darron Thomas interception. This game has been the definition of ugly thus far.
8:04 - Pez just admitted he owns a Jeff Blake jersey. He may be the only person alive who has one.
8:06 - Defense, defense, defense. Another punt. If you took the over on this game's total points (74.5, for those of you wondering what the over/under is) you're in trouble.
8:10 - Oregon is starting to get something going on offense. Now only if they could stop turning the ball over.
Meanwhile, Pez and I are thinking about moving to Oregon to meet the Ducks cheerleaderes.
8:13 - Oregon gets to the three yard line as the first quarter comes to an end. Somehow, nobody has scored yet. That may change momentarily.
End of first quarter: Oregon 0, Auburn 0
8:16 - "Darron is stopped for a loss." Brent Musberger must be tight with Darron Thomas. Nonetheless, Oregon is shut down on third and short, leading to a field goal and the game's first score.
Oregon 3, Auburn 0
8:20 - It took until the second quarter, but Pez and I have finally made our first inappropriate joke of the night. I'd be stunned if it were the last.
8:24 - Cliff Harris is called out of bounds on a second interception. Pez and I firmly believe Harris was, in fact, in bounds and has his second pick of Cam Newton in this game. We'll see if the refs concur with Pez and I.
8:27 - Pez and I just trumped the inappropriate joke from before times 10. Wildly inappropriate.
In the game, Harris' non-pick is upheld, and Kodi Burns scores on a 35-yard pass from Cam Newton.
Auburn 7, Oregon 3
8:30 - Oregon continues to make questionable calls. A pitch on the kickoff sends Oregon to their own five yard line before Darron Thomas hits Jeff Maehl for a for an 81-yard gain.
8:38 - LaMichael James is making an early case for Player of the Game honors, as he's on the receiving end of Oregon's first touchdown. The Ducks go for two, and convert, to go up by four.
Oregon 11, Auburn 7
8:42 - Pez and I are experiencing our annual lapse in attention, thinking about the cheesecake we each got at Old Chicago earlier tonight. It's happening at the end of the drive ... which won't seem to end. Dammit.
8:43 - Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreit are starting on the Cam Newton slurpfest. It's getting ridiculous.
8:46 - The cheesecake won't wait until the end of the drive. It's happening now. I'm thoroughly excited.
8:47 - Cam Newton was just called "unstoppable" and compared to Tim Tebow. Even if Tebow is in the NFL, Herbstreit just can't help himself.
8:49 - Oregon stops the unstoppable Cam Newton on third down. Auburn lines it up on fourth down and the unstoppable Cam Newton underthrows his wide open receiver. Fail.
8:54 - LaMichael James is responsible for more points. This time, however, it's for Auburn. James goes down in the end zone for a safety, making it a two-point game.
Oregon 11, Auburn 9
8:58 - Kirk Herbstreit has his sports confused. He first relates the game to a boxing match, then says Auburn will go for the home run. After Herbstreit's ridiculous comparison, Cam Newton hits Emory Blake for a 30-yard touchdown pass.
Auburn 16, Oregon 11
9:02 p.m. - Oregon runs the same play back-to-back, and it works both times. Oregon doing work, driving into Auburn territory.
9:04 - Never mind. Oregon promptly loses yardage, bringing up a fourth down. Naturally, the Ducks are going for it.
9:06 - Just kidding. Oregon sends on the punting unit, likely in a last-second bout of sanity by Chip Kelly. Looks like the Tigers are gonna run the half out, heading into halftime with a five-point lead.
9:11 - Someone forgot to tell Oregon the half wasn't over. Auburn has driven into Oregon territory with 11 seconds left.
9:12 - And the first half comes to a close. The no. 1 team in the nation is 30 minutes away from a national championship.
Halftime: Auburn 16, Oregon 11
9:36 - Halftime is gone, much like the aforementioned cheesecake. Good stuff. We're 30 football minutes away from crowning a national champion ... who should have to play TCU for the undisputed national championship. But I digress.
9:40 - Pez and I are lamenting poor tackling. Nobody wraps on tackles anymore.
Cam Newton hits the uber-German fullback for a huge gain. Somehow, he got past the coverage before a linebacker picked him up ... kind of.
9:48 - Cam Newton can't bring the Tigers into the end zone for a commanding lead. Instead, Auburn settles for a field goal
Auburn 19, Oregon 11
9:49 - Pez calls out LaMichael James, who promptly runs for 11 yards and a first down. I encourage Pez to continue to talk smack about the Oregon offense.
9:50 - Nick Fairley is absolutely killing the Oregon offensive line. Dude is sending his already high draft stock even higher.
9:53 - Oregon's offense is doing a fantastic job of playing like crap. Another stalled drive, another punt.
9:57 - Cam Newton just got eaten alive, then overthrew his wide open receiver. Three and out, and the Ducks will get a chance to draw even.
10:01 p.m. - We hate Budweiser products. As ESPN shows the Budweiser experience, Pez and I decide we want to see Bud products in zero-dimension programming.
10:03 - LaMichael James is on the sidelines, and Darron Thomas runs into two Auburn defenders on third down.
10:04 - Pez and I are losing it as Oregon somehow converts a busted fake punt for a first down. Great stuff.
10:04 - A great catch brings the Ducks down inside the five. Pez and I are still going crazy.
10:06 - Fourth and one. Pez and I immediately say Oregon should go for it ... and they do.
10:07 - No dice. Auburn stands tall.
10:08 - Pez openly hit on Clay Matthews, I made a comment about sex offenders, and the Allstate guy made his triumhant return. What a commercial break.
10:11 - Oregon still isn't playing sound defense. Auburn's offense is gouging the Ducks D nearly every play. Sooner or later, they'll need to make a stand.
10:13 - Only 15 minutes remain in the 2010 college football season. The Tigers are one quarter away from making it five straight national championships for the SEC.
End of third quarter: Auburn 19, Oregon 11
10:19 - Bo Jackson makes his triumphant return to the Pez Cave. Bo, apparently, knows footing, false starts, and Batman movies.
10:22 - It doesn't seem that Oregon can actually stop Auburn's offense. Auburn is doing a better job beating themselves than Oregon is stopping them. Meanwhile, Kirk Herbstreit is saying Auburn would have had a "huge gain" if the pass would have been completed. He must be watching a different game.
10:26 - Apparently, my confidence in Oregon was unfounded. Oregon is playing terribly, making stupid mistakes left and right.
10:28 - Pez and I spend a solid three minutes ripping into Oregon's offense, then they convery third and long with a huge pass play. Apparently, we can't figure out offense to save our respective lives.
10:30 - Oregon with another third-down failure. Has the Oregon punter kicked the ball this much all season?
10:36 - Auburn goes a full second past the expiration of the play clock, delay of game somehow isn't called, and Cam Newton gets the first down on 3rd and 12. I'm speechless.
10:38 - Auburn gets away with a hold right in front of the referee. Are they not calling penalties anymore?
10:41 - So, Oregon gets the ball back with less than seven minutes left in the game. In 54 football minutes, the Ducks have scored 11 points. They need eight more to force overtime.
10:44 - Darron Thomas wastes little time making a terrible throw. For throwing for almost 300 yards up to this point, Thomas has been wildly underwhelming.
10:47 - I'm fairly certian Oregon has run three or four plays the entire night. What a joke. Now, they get to run a play they've run plenty of times tonight: The punt.
10:50 - Casey Matthews makes a potentially game-changing play just like his older brother, Clay. It may have pulled Oregon back into this game.
10:53 - Darron Thomas has been a liability most of this game. Can he convert when it matters most?
10:53 - An absolutely huge play gives the Ducks possession inside the 15, while Kirk Herbstreit all but blames the referee for allowing the big play.
10:55 - Running in between the tackles just hasn't worked for Oregon. Why are they still trying?
10:57 - Hot damn! Oregon scores. The all-important two-point conversion attempt follows.
10:58 - We've got ourselves a ball game! A throwback pass ties the national title game with under three minutes remaining in regulation.
Auburn 19, Oregon 19
11:02 p.m. - Michael Dyer rattles off a huge play, which is under review after it was unclear if Dyer's leg came in contact with the ground. Pez and I say no. This is huge for Auburn.
11:10 - Instead of kicking the field goal, Auburn goes for the touchdown with 10 seconds left. Stupid. Oregon knew it was coming and stopped it cold. Two seconds remain, and the field goal unit for Auburn is on its way to the line of scrimmage.
11:12 - As time runs out, the chip-shot field goal is good and Auburn has won the BCS National Championship Game. Make it five straight for the SEC.
Final: Auburn 22, Oregon 19
11:14 - Gene Chizik says, "We are the best team in the United States of America." Really, Coach Chizik? Prove it.
Play TCU next Monday night.
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