The Chick-fil-A Bowl is an impressive matchup between teams that were in the Top 10 nearly the entire season, showcasing the LSU Tigers and the Clemson Tigers. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start time to bring in the New Year. Currently the odds have LSU favored by 6 points.

Outside of the BCS bowl games, this one might have the most excitement surrounding it. Both teams won 10 games this season and finished with just two losses. It's going to be the ultimate battle of offense against defense in this game. LSU finished the season ranked in the Top 10 but wasn't able to get into a BCS game after suffering losses to Alabama and Florida during the regular season. Clemson's two losses came against Florida State and South Carolina.

When the lines first came out, LSU was favored between 3 and 3.5 points. It stayed that way for a few weeks but has since been bet up to Les Miles' team favored by 6 points.

LSU sports an impressive defense with several players that will be playing on Sunday in the near future, especially Eric Reid and Kevin Minter, a second team All-American with 111 tackles on the year. Defensively they are awesome, giving up just 17 points per game and forcing opponents to play at the top of their game offensively in order to stay in the game.

They weren't the best offensive team in the league and scored 30 points per game. They threw for more than 207 yards per game and rushed for 180 per contest. They're very balanced and aren't a team that runs a huge vertical passing game led by QB Zach Mettenberger, but they've been able to get the job done. 

Clemson sports the type of offense needed to be able to beat LSU. They averaged more than 42 points per game this season, which put them sixth overall in the country in scoring. The LSU defense will certainly have their hands full with Andre Ellington at running back. Tajh Boyd was a Heisman candidate at one point this season and still is playing at a high level.

The Tigers threw for nearly 320 yards per game and ran for 199 per contest, rolling up more than 519 yards of offense per game. That's getting work done and they will be giving LSU all they can handle. Clemson has already made school records with 508 points and 6,220 yards. What's surprising is their defense is actually pretty decent. The Tigers gave up an average of 25 points per game.

This is one of the best non BCS bowl games and it's strength against strength. We will get to see whether offense or defense is more important in this one. Expect a close mathcup in this game of two heavyweights that had BCS dreams but came up short. Hard to imagine this one not living up to the drama.

Free Pick: LSU 27, Clemson 24

College Football Free Picks: LSU vs Clemson Betting

What college football bettors need to know about LSU Tigers vs Clemson Tigers on Monday (12/31/12) - a Free Pick from Pregame.com's RJ Bell, with Bryan Leonard.

-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!

The Ten Commandments for Betting the Bowls... CLICK HERE

Get More Free Picks from the Pregame Pros HERE

Check out Pregame.tv each week to get Videos with analysis, handicapping tips and Free Plays.