The NCAA football schedule hits Week 12 and already attention is focused on the SEC Championship game, to be played a couple of weeks from now. It will, barring a complete disaster, be a matchup between the #1 Florida Gators and the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide. This online sportsbook currently has the Gators as the odds-on favorite to win the SEC at 5/9, with Alabama sporting odds of 7/5.

The BCS’ Top 5 teams remain unchanged from the week previous with the Gators at the top, the Tide No. 2 and the Texas Longhorns, TCU Horned Frogs and Cincinnati Bearcats rounding out the Top 5 in that order.

Florida hasn’t deviated from top spot since the BCS rankings first came out a little over a month ago and with two more easy games before the conference championship, there is no reason why the Gators shouldn’t remain at the top of the BCS rankings heading into the big game.

This week, Florida has a tilt against the Florida International Golden Panthers…this should be a blowout. It is one of the biggest pointspread margins of the season, with sportsbook listing the Gators as 43-point favorites.

Florida is currently riding an 11-game straight up winning streak. They have recorded a mark of 9-5-1 ATS the last 15 times they’ve been listed as a favorite of 8 points or more, but they’re only 2-5-1 ATS in the last eight in that spread range. Although 43 points is a wild spread to ask a team to cover.

Sports bettors are still enamored with the #1 team in the nation, as 74% of all the betting volume on this is laying the 43 points.

A quick note on the Total in this one: the last eight times the Gators have been favored by eight points or more, they have a mark of 1 Over, 6 Unders and 1 Push.

The Gators should be able to get by FSU the week after when the cross-state rivals meet.

Since 1995, Florida is 5-2 ATS in seven home games against the Seminoles.

All signs point to the Gators being undefeated going into the early-December SEC title match against Alabama.

With the exception of a blip in early-November, Alabama has been a constant in the BCS’ two-spot this season.

The Tide also have a powder-puff game this coming week against Chattanooga, but looking ahead, there could have trouble vs. the Auburn Tigers during Thanksgiving weekend.

‘Bama has struggled in its last eight games against Auburn, going 2-6 SU (these two have recorded 2 Overs and 6 Unders in those games).

In the Tide’s last seven road games against the Tigers however, they may be 2-5 SU but are 5-2 ATS.

Alabama has been a great road team in its last nine overall away games, going 8-1 SU and an impressive 8-1 ATS.

This much-anticipated SEC Championship matchup in a couple of weeks will be the biggest game of the year so far in college football.

Good luck this weekend.

The final pitch of LSU senior pitcher Louis Coleman’s career with the Tigers ended any hopes of a comeback for the Texas Longhorns as the Tigers won game three of the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, 11-4.

After the pitch, Coleman threw his glove high up into the Omaha night air and was soon in the midst of a wild dogpile as LSU players poured out of the dugout, running into the infield to celebrate the sixth national championship victory by the school’s baseball program and the first for baseball coach Paul Mainieri.

“I’ve dreamt my whole life of having this moment. It’s almost surreal,” Mainieri said in the postgame press conference.

The Tigers took the opening game, 7-6, in the eleventh inning after scoring two runs in the top of the ninth inning to keep the game alive. The Longhorns then won game two with a final score of 5-1.

In game three, outfielder Jared Mitchell came out swinging and sent a two-out, three-run homer over the wall to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

In the second inning, outfielder Ryan Schimph drove in catcher Micah Gibbs to give the Tigers a 4-0 advantage.

Texas then came back to tie it all up at 4-4, but a series of unfortunate events on the Longhorn’s part led to a 9-4 LSU lead.

A sacrifice fly by Schimph and a solo homer by infielder Sean Ochinko finished up the scoring for the Tigers.

Coleman, was sent out to pitch the final two innings after Anthony Ranaudo threw 119 pitches, allowing four runs on eight hits with five walks and four strikeouts. Texas loaded the bases twice during the game, but Ranaudo was able to keep the scoring by the men in orange to a minimum.

Chad Jones, a lefthander, also came in and pitched before the call was made for Coleman to make his way to the mound.

After last year’s disappointing performance by the Tigers in the College World Series, he had elected to stay with LSU for his senior year, a year in which the Tigers were ranked at No. 1 in the nation by many baseball publications.

Coleman, a fifth round pick by the Kansas City Royals in the MLB Draft, struck out three batters in the ninth inning to give the Tigers the victory.

“If there is a better way, write the story for me. It’s been so much fun … to accomplish something like this with these players,” Mitchell said after earning the most outstanding player award.

Mitchell, who was a first round pick by the Chicago White Sox in the draft, also played wide receiver on the LSU football team and earned a championship ring with the Tigers in 2007, as did Chad Jones, who is expected to be the team’s starting safety this coming season.

After a dramatic 7-6 win over Texas last night, the LSU Tigers look to hoist the college baseball championship trophy tonight.

All that it will take, is a “W”, and after winning every game since a 4-1 loss to Vanderbilt in the opening round of the SEC tournament, the Tigers are not strangers to winning.

Last night’s game saw the Tigers tie the game at 6-6 in the top of the ninth inning after being down 6-4 to the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns failed to score in the bottom of the ninth and the game went into extra innings, after having runners in scoring position in the tenth inning, the Tigers finally went ahead 7-6 in the top of the eleventh.

Texas failed to score once more and the Tigers got the win

Now, after winning the first game out of the best of three series, LSU just needs a win tonight to win it all after starting the season ranked at #1 by most college baseball publications.

They never dropped below #5 all season and spent most of their time at the #2 spot.

First pitch of tonight’s game is at 6:00 PM CST.

Austin Ross will pitch for the Tigers.

First Round: Jared Mitchell OF, Chicago White Sox

Second Round: DJ LeMahieu 2nd Base, Chicago Cubs

Fifth Round: Louis Coleman P, Kansas City Royals

Fifth Round: Ryan Schimph OF, IF, Toronto Blue Jays

Tenth Round: Blake Dean OF, Minnesota Twins

Eleventh Round: Sean Ochinko 1st Base, C, Toronta Blue Jays

The draft will continue on Thursday with Rounds 31-50.

The LSU Fighting Tigers baseball team is headed for Omaha and the College World Series for the second consecutive season.

Last year, the Tigers were joined by Georgia but this year Ole Miss and Arkansas will also play in Omaha.

In the first round of last year’s competition, LSU lost to North Carolina and then beat Rice in a bottom of the ninth comeback in which Blake Dean hit a ball off of the wall to score three runs and secure the loser’s bracket win for the Tigers.

The Tigers then lost once again to North Carolina.

This season, the Tigers haven’t lost a game since suffering a 4-1 loss inflicted by Vanderbilt in the first round of the SEC tournament, the Tigers then beat Vandy after advancing through the loser’s bracket to the SEC tournament championship game.

To advance to the CWS, the Tigers beat Rice for the first time ever in the Super Regionals in Baton Rouge taking the first two games of the best of three series.

The Tigers will play against Virginia on Saturday at 6 PM at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha.

In honor of LSU winning the SEC tournament, we’re going to post a video from April 29, 2009. In it, Ryan Schimph homers in the 5th inning and Blake Dean, the next batter up, knocks one over too.

Then, they come back up to bat while its still the 5th inning and both hit another homer.

Also, since Dean’s grand slam attempt fell just short of the wall yesterday, we decided to post Dean’s grand slam last year against Alabama in the SEC tournament.

After being ranked at #1 in college baseball preseason rankings, the LSU Fighting Tigers showed that they were for real after making their way to the SEC Championship game through the loser’s bracket.

In the first round, the Tigers were beaten by the Vanderbilt Commodores by a final score of 4-1. The Tigers then beat the Alabama Crimson Tide and the South Carolina Gamecocks in elimination games.

On Saturday, the Tigers began a game against the Georgia Bulldogs shorty after 1:00 PM CST and quickly racked up 7 runs in the first inning.

The game was then delayed by rain for over 4 hours.

The Tigers finished the game with a final score of 16-0 in seven innings and then went on to play the Bulldogs again in an elimination game around 45 minutes after the first game had finished.

The second game ended shortly before midnight when Ryan Schimph called off catcher Micah Gibbs and caught a pop up in the 7th inning.

The Tigers won with a final score of 3-2.

LSU then went on to face Vanderbilt again in the SEC Championship game and beat the Commodores with a final score of 6-2 to win their second consecutive SEC Championship.

Alabama is the only other team to ever do this.

LSU’s Mikie Mahtook (above) was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Hi Tiger fans. I’ve been away from a computer for a while but have gotten back just in time to cover the baseball team’s postseason run which will hopefully include a trip to Omaha.

Check back soon for updates on our Tigers.

It wasn’t pretty and neither dominated the game, but in the end, the #2 ranked LSU Fighting Tigers scratched and clawed their way to an 8-5 victory over the #29 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

With the win, LSU’s record improves to 25-8 overall and 9-4 in SEC play.

The Tigers led the ballgame by a score of 2-1 until the seventh inning when LSU righthanded pitcher Paul Bertuccini gave up an RBI to the nation’s homerun hitting leader, Kent Matthes which was just short of being a grand slam.

The next Alabama batter, first baseman Brandon May then slammed a three run homer over the left field wall to give the Crimson Tide a 5-2 lead over the Tigers.

In the top of the eighth inning, Leon Landry (above) scored a run on a single and then a three base error after Alex Kubal missed the ball in what should have been an in the park homerun. Jared Mitchell and Ryan Schimph then hit back to back singles. LSU designated hitter Blake Dean then hit an infied RBI and brought Mitchell home to cut ‘Bama’s lead to 5-4.

LSU first baseman Sean Ochinko was retired by the Tide to end the inning.

Alabama failed to score in the bottom of the eighth and LSU came to bat in the top of the ninth.

LSU catcher Micah Gibbs reached second after hitting a double and then with two down and with Gibbs on third, Alabama shortstop Josh Rutledge charged and dropped a hit by Mikie Mahtook allowing Mahtook to reach first base and Gibbs to reach home plate to score the tying run.

LSU third baseman Tyler Hanover was walked and then Jared Mitchell hit a double to score Mahtook and Hanover. Schimph, who had led off the inning, hit an RBI single to score Mitchell and to bring the game to its final score of 8-5.

In the bottom of the ninth, ‘Bama struck out, flied out, and was tagged out at first base by Ochinko.

The game was the first in a three game weekend SEC series between the two teams in Tuscaloosa.

Saturday’s game begins at 6:06 PM and will be televised by Cox Sports Telivision and Comcast Sports South and can be heard on the LSU Sports Radio Network.

Its a matchup of the only SEC teams to make the College World Series last year and its the biggest series that LSU has played this year.

On Friday, the #2 ranked LSU Fighting Tigers will step up to the plate against the #1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia.

Friday night’s game will begin at 6:00 PM, Saturday’s game will begin at 12:00 PM, and Sunday’s version of the series will begin at 11:00 AM.

LSU will send sophomore pitcher Anthony Ranaudo to the mound as they have done throughout most of the Friday night games this year.

Probable starters for Saturday and Sunday are Louis Coleman and Austin Ross who was named SEC Pitcher of the Week last week after his outing against Ole Miss.