Sugar Bowl 2017: Auburn vs. Oklahoma TV Schedule, Time and Odds
The 2017 Sugar Bowl should feature one of the bowl season's best offensive displays when the No. 14 Auburn Tigers get together with the No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners.
Auburn (8-4) rode a strong rushing attack to a solid campaign, toppling notable programs such as LSU and Arkansas but going down at the hands of Clemson and Alabama while battling one of the nation's toughest schedules.
Oklahoma (10-2) had fewer problems, losing two of three against ranked competition to start the season before rattling off nine wins in a row behind one of the nation's most explosive offenses.
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There are few better ways to top off Monday's slate, so let's take a look at all the details.
Sugar Bowl 2017
Date: Monday, January 2
Time (ET): 8:30 p.m.
Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
Watch: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Over/Under: 65
Spread: Oklahoma (-3)
Team Injury Reports
| Johnathan Ford | DB | Prob Mon |
| Joshua Holsey | DB | Prob Mon |
| Byron Cowart | DE | Out for season |
| Stanton Truitt | WR | Ques Mon |
| Marcus Davis | WR | Prob Mon |
| Sean White | QB | Prob Mon |
| Jayvaughn Myers | DB | Out for season |
| Malik Miller | RB | Out indefinitely |
| Paul James III | LB | Out for season |
| Jeremiah Dinson | DB | Out indefinitely |
| Jaunta'vius Johnson | DL | Out indefinitely |
| Jamel Dean | DB | Out indefinitely |
| Prince Micheal Sammons | OL | Ques Mon |
| Dede Westbrook | WR | Prob Mon |
| Will Johnson | DB | Ques Mon |
| Devin Montgomery | RB | Ques Mon |
| Marquise Overton | DT | Out for season |
| Rodney Anderson | RB | Out for season |
Rising to the Occasion
Auburn knows a thing or two about playing elite competition.
The Tigers lost to then-No. 2 Clemson, 19-13. They also lost to then-No. 17 Texas A&M, 29-16. Wins against then-No. 18 LSU, 18-13, and then-No. 17 Arkansas, 56-3, show the other side of the coin.
So yes, it's impressive when looking at the numbers and seeing Auburn slots fifth in total defense. The only team to hit the 30-point mark on Auburn's defense this year wasn't Deshaun Watson-led Clemson, but rather then-No. 1 Alabama on the road to close the season.
Given the wealth of experience against top programs, it's safe to say Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn has his guys ready to go against the Sooners. He shared his thoughts during the week leading up to the game, according to Stats LLC (via ESPN.com).
"If you look at it, they're very explosive. It starts with their quarterback. He's an outstanding player. The Westbrook kid is probably as good a receiver as there is in the country. They've got two very talented running backs and a talented offensive line," Malzahn said.
This should also speak to just how dangerous the Sooners can be. Odds are strong the Tigers will need a big day from quarterback Sean White, who threw nine touchdowns against three interceptions this year. A backfield featuring four players at 40 or more carries and two at 800 or more yards will need to hit on a ball-control approach to help the defense.
Fresh out of the SEC fire, one of the toughest challenges of the year awaits the Tigers.
Hitting Autopilot
"Autopilot" is a good word for the Sooners, as the offense tends to look like a seamless machine each week.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield deserves most of the credit after completing an eye-popping 71.2 percent of his 330 attempts for 3,669 yards and 38 touchdowns with only eight interceptions.
Not only is Mayfield incredible when a play breaks down, but he was also one of the nation's best at slinging it deep, as data tallied by PFF College Football illustrated:
Top wideout Dede Westbrook makes it all possible. He brought in 74 catches for 1,465 yards and 16 touchdowns this year, averaging an almost silly 19.8 yards per catch.
When the passing game doesn't work for some reason, Oklahoma simply turns to Joe Mixon (1,183 yards, eight touchdowns on a 7.0 average) and Samaje Perine (974, 11 and 5.4).
This offense wasn't enough to beat then-No. 15 Houston to start the year or then-No. 3 Ohio State a few weeks later, but it did wind up getting the Sooners wins of 52-46, 56-28 and 38-20 against ranked opposition during the streak to close the season, the final two numbers being the last games of the year.
In other words, Mayfield's offense continues to look better as the season goes on, meaning the Sooners should be at their best for a dance with an elite defense Monday night.
Prediction
Only Ohio State really slowed Mayfield this year, which should say a lot about this contest.
Looking at the injury reports above, Auburn doesn't enter this one at full strength, with some of the defense's most important players making the list in various ways.
It seems apparent enough Oklahoma can create a gap and manage it in this one. Great as Auburn cornerback Joshua Holsey has been all year, there isn't a player in the country who can stop Westbrook.
This will shine through as Mayfield orchestrates a clinic of sorts, keeping the Tigers at bay all four frames. The Auburn offense will settle for field goals one too many times, widening the gap.
Prediction: Oklahoma 35, Auburn 30
Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of OddsShark.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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