FanSection Blog

Right now, the predictions for the 2009 BCS Championship Game are all over the place.  The Florida Gators are a 3 point favorite over the Oklahoma Sooners, according to the Heroes Casino & Sportsbook.   However, current College Football Public Betting Information shows that 59% of the bets for this game have been placed on the Florida Gators -3.  Will Florida’s defense step it up a notch?  Will Oklahoma choke like they did in the 2004 Sugar Bowl and the 2005 Orange Bowl?  There are so many factors to take into account, it’s just mind boggling.

So, let’s take a step back for a moment.  Jake Curtis of the San Francisco Chronicle reminds us that, “Oklahoma and Florida have never met on a football field.”  Besides stating the obvious and announcing that it’s probably going to be a close game, I think this quote reminds us that the outcome will be nearly impossible to predict.  But, just to mix it up, let’s give it a go based on some fine FanSection stats:

Round one: Number of New Users (within the past week)
…And the winner is: Florida, with 6,140 new users versus Oklahoma’s 2,837.

Round Two: Smack Talk
…And the winner is: Florida takes the cake on this one, as well, with 931 Smacks versus Oklahoma’s 533 Smacks.

Round Three: Game Day Wall
…And the winner is: It’s actually a dead-tie, with 109 posts laid down on each side.

The final score: The tie makes it a little trickier, but let’s round it out to whole numbers and call it 3-1 Florida.

Post Game wrap up: At this point, you might be wondering why the above stats might be a good indicator of who will take the Championship this year.  Talent is important, but so is hunger for the win.  We can see that Florida has the advantage because the stats reflect school spirit, and tell us how charged up the fans and players are.  However, only time will give us the final answer as to whether these predictions hold merit… Be sure to catch the January 8th game on Fox to see.