Bleacher Report and oregonlive are doing the inevitable position-group-by-position-group breakdowns for Auburn versus Oregon, assigning edges to one school or the other. The papers have done the same type of thing for years in a variety of sports (third base: edge to the Yankees. Rebounding: edge to the Celtics.)
Although it's as good a way as any to prep fans for the matchup, it's rarely as illuminating or scientific as it purports to be. For one thing, not every player responds to go-time on the biggest stage in a predictable or consistent way (see 3B, Yankees).
Secondly, the controlled mayhem of a football game isn't the sum of neat little matchup groups. Sometimes a fierce backside blitz trumps every other matchup on the field. Sometimes Brandon Bair beats a pass into the ground and it doesn't matter how wide open the receiver is. If John Boyett is in touch with his inner Chuck Norris a week from Monday, he can blow the heck out of a few of those projected advantages.
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