BCS National Championship • Thursday 8 p.m., ABC
Texas worked hard and got its wish by reaching the national title game — a trip the Longhorns thought they earned last year. But the Horns will have their hands full with No. 1 Alabama. This is the game everyone has waited for. Let’s hope it was worth the wait. — Jim Williams

PLAYER TO WATCH

Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama

So you’ve become the first player from the University of Alabama to win the Heisman Trophy. Now, you must field questions about the Heisman hex for the month leading up to the national title game. We’ve discussed this already in Cheers & Jeers, but including Ingram, eight of the last 10 Heisman winners have played for the national championship in the same season. Of the other seven, only Matt Leinert went on to win the title game. Ingram averaged 165 yards per game against five ranked opponents this season, but managed only 30 yards and was kept on the sideline for most of the Crimson Tide’s game-winning drive against Auburn. Alabama faces Texas in the BCS National Championship Game on Thursday. The Longhorns have not allowed a 100-yard rusher the entire season. – Jeffrey Tomik

BOLD PREDICTIONS

1. Texas will beat Alabama in the BCS title game » I’ve got about 140 words to convince myself that this will happen, because right now, I don’t think it will. Oddsmakers have the Crimson Tide as a 5 1/2-point favorite and, given their running game and defense, that’s probably closer than it should be. Remember, Texas has a nasty habit of letting its opponent dictate the tempo of the game. The Longhorns got into a shootout against high-flying Texas A&M and then were bullied into a low-scoring slugfest in the Big 12 title game against Nebraska. Still, they won each game, so instead of having an identity crisis, the Longhorns earn the “adaptability” label. Lets not forget that Colt McCoy, as a Heisman finalist facing a Heisman winner (Mark Ingram), has history on his side. Former Heisman finalists Tim Tebow, Vince Young and Josh Heupel all won national championships by beating the Heisman winner. For that reason alone, you have to pick Texas … even though they’re probably going to get crushed. — James Irwin

2. The Wizards will make the NBA playoffs » When Washington began the 2009-10 season, it sincerely believed that the pieces were in place to challenge for a top-four seed in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs. At the very least, the Wizards promised not to be satisfied with anything less than advancing out of the first round. As the new year begins, it’s looking increasingly like they have a better chance of finding themselves back in the NBA Draft lottery next spring. But that’s only before looking at the standings in the gawd-awful East, where only Boston, Orlando, Cleveland and Atlanta are legitimate contenders. The rest of the conference is abysmal, meaning that despite their constant underachievement, the Wizards ended 2009 a mere two games out of the eighth seed. Although they may not have the same roster they began with when the regular season ends — including the potential end of the Big Three of Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler — they will still miraculously find themselves in the postseason. — Craig Stouffer