(1) Alabama (-7) against (10) Arkansas- This is the marquee game not only in the SEC but in all of college football today. Alabama faces their biggest challenge (to date) with the Razorbacks today and will need to be perfect to maintain their 1st place status. The real matchup today will be on defense for the Tide as they face the best passer in college football, in Ryan Mallett. Mallett is already over the 1,000 yard mark and has the quick strike capability that will keep Arkansas in the game until the very end. It will be a tough battle for Mallett and the Razorbacks as Alabama has one of the toughest defenses in the nation. Also working against the Razorbacks is the two-headed monster in the backfield of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson (Eddie Lacy isn’t too shabby either), if Alabama can jump out to an early lead, their best defensive strategy is to keep the ball out of Mallett’s hands. In the end I think Alabama will retain their number 1 status with an impressive 35-24 victory.

(24) Oregon State (+18.5) against (3) Boise State- The Broncos are coming home to their blue field for the first time this season and I see them putting on a show for their fans. Oregon State is a good team, with two very dangerous weapons in the Rodgers brothers, but I don’t think they have a prayer against Boise State and Kellen Moore. The Broncos are a very talented team that should be able to overcome OSU’s solid defense. I also think Boise will be able to contain the Rodgers brothers and keep their game breaking ability in check. I think the Broncos easy win this one against a tough team to further their march as a National Title Contender. Boise State wins 45-21.

(22) West Virginia (+10) against (15) LSU- The Mountaineers are 3-0, but face their toughest test this week by traveling down to LSU. The Tigers are facing their toughest test as well, against a fully stocked ranked opponent, but do have the advantage of being at home. The LSU defense has been impressive so far this season, but they haven’t had to deal with the speed and talent that WVU brings to the table. Young quarterback Geno Smith has shown a lot of poise so far this season, and could give the Tigers problems. And no matter how good you are defensively you must keep track of of RB Noel Devine. On offense thus far LSU has been a pretty one dimensional team as quarterback Jordan Jefferson has been pretty ineffective throwing the ball. Look for WVU to force Jefferson to beat them by keeping players in the box to stop the run. While I like WVU’s chances to win the game, playing at LSU is really tough and could affect WVU’s offense. I think the Tigers squeak by here 23-20.

So…its about that time…make your picks people!  Who wins & goes to the NCAA Championship and why?  Post below and discuss…

My picks are Michigan State and West Virginia…you heard it here first.

If Kansas was considered the number 1 team in this tournament, the Kentucky Wildcats were 1A. They were stocked with NBA talent, including their talented freshman foursome who will all be likely lottery picks, either this year or next. And two of them, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins could very well be the first and second picks of this year’s draft. When Kansas got knocked out they became everyone’s favorite to win it all, but West Virginia stood in their way to the Final Four. Last night showed why it’s dangerous to rely on a primarily all freshman team.

It did not seem like luck was on the Mountaineers side as they were without their starting point guard Darryl Bryant. Victory seemed even less likely, when they couldn’t make a single 2 point basket in the first half. Combine the fact that Kentucky out-rebounded WVU by 11, and the Mountaineers didn’t have a chance, right? Wrong, WVU took the lead with four minutes to go in the first half and never looked back. Despite shooting only 38.5% from the field (they did finally make some 2-pointers), they shot 43.5% from behind the arc (including 8 3′s in the first half). While their stingy defense harassed Kentucky all night. The Wildcats 34.3% from the field, including an awful 4-32 from the three point line. It wasn’t the prettiest of games from the start, and the unlikeliness of dominating wins, but the Mountaineers played a great job. And showed that a little experience can go a long way come tournament time.

The Butler Bulldogs aren’t your typical mid-major underdog. In fact this season, they have constantly reminded us that they are one of the top teams in the country. I have a feeling that they will start to get the respect they so rightly deserve. Just two nights after knocking of Syracuse, Butler took down the two seed as well, by beating Kansas State 63-56. While Kansas State did have a one point lead late in the 2nd half, the Bulldogs controlled this game from start to finish.

Butler shot 45.7% from the field and bettered that from behind the arc, shooting 46.7%. Gordon Hayward paced the team with 22 points and nine rebounds. The Bulldogs as a team out rebounded K-State 36-27. But the real key to Butler’s win was their defense. They held the Wildcats just 38.6% shooting, including just 5 of 15 behind the three point line.

Now I know Kansas State faithful will point to them just winning a double overtime thriller two nights ago against Xavier. But you can’t blame this game on being tired. Kansas State was the deepest team in the tournament, that will rely on any number of guys to score. They were beat and worn out last night because of Butler’s relentless defense, and just lost the magic from Thursday night’s game.

Now Butler heads home to Indianapolis, and although they’ve never played a game of this magnitude before, somehow I don’t think they will be intimidated.

(11) Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee: I like the Hokies in this one, both teams are similar with a good running game and a great defense. In the end though I think Tech has more overall talent and will win a close game 24-21.

Oklahoma vs. (21) Stanford: This is going to be a fun game to watch Stanford’s Toby Gerhart against the tough run defense of the Sooners, led by All-American Gerald McCoy (DT). While Stanford’s the ranked team, they will be without their starting quarterback and have to be underdogs against Oklahoma. As long as Gerhart’s on the field I would never want to discount the Cardinal’s chances, but I think they come up short against a Sooner team that wants to avenge their disastrous season. Oklahoma wins 31-20.

(3) Cincinnati vs. (5) Florida: Instead of the Sugar Bowl they should call this the “Coaching Uncertainty Bowl” with the controversy we’ve seen at both schools over the last month. As much as I love the Bearcats and Tony Pike, I don’t think they have the ground game or defense needed to stop Florida. I think the Gators will be able to move the ball effectively, and their defense should be able to slow down Pike and Gilyard (note to Florida, kick the ball out of bounds instead of kicking it to Gilyard. If you don’t believe me, ask the Pitt Panthers) enough for Florida to win this game pretty easily, 38-24.

(8) Ohio State vs. (7) Oregon: The Rose Bowl this year should be a fun (and high scoring game to watch). Both the Buckeyes and Ducks have electric offenses that can score from anywhere on the field. The Ohio State offense is a little less refined but is more balanced overall. The Ducks on the other hand are very good and running back, quarterback and tight end, but lack top notch talent across the board. The Ducks defense isn’t as talented as Ohio State’s, but shouldn’t be taken lightly otherwise you will find yourself on the other end of a blowout (just ask Cal and USC). In the end I think the Ducks better execution will win the day in Pasadena 42-38.

(12) Penn State vs. (13) LSU:  History has shown that Big Ten teams don’t fare to well when they go head to head with an equal from the SEC, and I think history is about to repeat itself tomorrow. Penn State has some elite talents on their football team, but they lack the vertical attack to match the Tigers score for score if need be. While the Nittany Lions have a couple players who will be playing on Sunday’s next season, they lack the overall defense needed to stop the Tigers size and speed. I think Penn State keeps it close early, but the Tigers pull away in the end 31-17.

(16) West Virginia vs. Florida State: The “Bowden Bowl”, a match-up of his current team against his former team, is a nice retirement party for Bobby Bowden (though I don’t know if he’ll like his parting gift from the Mountaineers). I suspect that Florida State will be fired up for their coach, but emotion is about the only advantage they have over WVU. The Mountaineers have an immensely talented (and quick) offense, and while they’ve had their share of inconsistencies I see them putting on quite a show tomorrow against FSU. The Seminoles will be starting a freshman at quarterback, and while he has a promising future, I think he will have his hands full with the Mountaineers defense tomorrow. If the Mountaineers can get pressure on the quarterback early, they can neutralize the Seminoles extremely talented receiving corps. WVU wins this one easily 38-24.