Fiesta Bowl 2012: Everything You Need to Know About Oklahoma State vs. Stanford

One of the best games of the bowl season will be the Fiesta Bowl on January 2nd, pitting the Oklahoma State Cowboys against the Stanford Cardinal.

Each of these teams is 11-1 and each has big wins, elite players and specific strengths and weaknesses that will make this game an epic matchup. However, you've got to know the background story.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2012 Fiesta Bowl.

TV/Radio/Live Streaming

41st Annual Fiesta Bowl

When: Monday, Jan. 2

Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. EST

Where: Glendale, Arizona

Site: University of Phoenix Stadium

Capacity: 78,600

TV: ESPN

Radio: ESPN Radio, List of Cowboy radio networks and Stanford radio networks

Streaming: ESPN3

History of the Fiesta Bowl

The first Fiesta Bowl was a seven-point Arizona State victory over Florida State in 1971. Since then, 40 Fiesta Bowls have been played and many have been memorable.

The most memorable is probably the 2007 game in which the Boise State Broncos defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 43-42 in double overtime. Twenty-two points were scored in the final 1:26 of the game and 15 in the overtime. The Broncos scored the winning two-point conversion on the now infamous "Statue of Liberty" play in the clip above.

Penn State, Arizona State, Ohio State and Nebraska hold the record for most bowl appearances with six, and Penn State has the best record in the game at 6-0.

Stanford has never played in the Fiesta Bowl and Oklahoma State has appeared once (1-0).

How Oklahoma State Got Here

The Oklahoma State Cowboys started off their 2011 campaign with 10 straight wins that included wins on the road over Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Missouri and home wins over Kansas State and Baylor.

The Cowboys' lone loss came against Iowa State on Nov. 18, just one day after a plane crash took the lives of women's basketball head coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna.

The team followed that loss with a 44-10 thrashing of in-state rival Oklahoma, clinching a Big 12 title.

How Stanford Got Here

The Stanford Cardinal began their season in dominant fashion, defeating their first seven opponents by an average of 36 points.

Two weeks after defeating USC 56-48 in triple overtime, the Cardinal suffered its only defeat of 2011 against the Oregon Ducks 53-30. That lone loss would end up costing the Cardinal a shot at the Pac-12 title.

Stanford finished out the year with wins over California and Notre Dame to get to 11-1. Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck earned an invite to the Heisman Trophy Presentation in New York, but finished as runner-up in the Heisman voting for the second straight year.

Oklahoma State's Best Win

Dec. 3: Oklahoma State 44, Oklahoma 10

On Dec. 3, Oklahoma State faced off against in-state rival Oklahoma. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Cowboys defeated the Sooners in their annual Bedlam game.

In a 44-10 domination, Cowboy running backs Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith rushed for a combined 270 yards and four touchdowns, proving that the Cowboys do more than just pass. Cowboy quarterback Brandon Weeden added 217 yards through the air and star wide receiver Justin Blackmon caught 10 passes for 95 yards.

The Cowboy defense played its best game of the season. The Cowboys forced five turnovers and held the Sooners to just three points in the first half. Defensive end Richetti Jones took a fumble back for a touchdown and cornerback Brodrick Brown intercepted a pass in the end zone to prevent a Sooner score.

Stanford's Best Win

Oct. 29: Stanford 56, USC 48 3OT

In a game that saw the lead change hands eight times, Stanford outlasted the USC Trojans by eight points in triple overtime.

Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck threw for 330 passing yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score. Luck, who nearly cost the Cardinal the game with a crucial interception late in the 4th quarter, led four late scoring drives that kept the Cardinal in the game.

Junior running back Stepfan Taylor (99 rushing yards on the day) scored the tying touchdown with 38 seconds left in regulation and also scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third overtime.

This game was the Cardinal's first game all season that they won by less than 26 points.

Oklahoma State's Bowl History

The Oklahoma State Cowboys played their first bowl game in the 1944 Cotton Bowl and defeated TCU 34-0. They followed that up the next year with a Sugar Bowl win over St. Mary's.

The Cowboys won their first five bowl games with wins in the 1958 Bluegrass Bowl, 1974 Fiesta Bowl and 1976 Tangerine Bowl. The 1980s were good to the Cowboys bowl-wise as they went 4-2 in bowl games, including wins in the Gator, Bluebonnet and Holiday Bowls.

The 1997 Alamo Bowl (a 33-20 loss to the Drew Brees-led Purdue Boilermakers) was the lone bowl appearance for OSU in the 1990s.

The 2000s were another good decade for the Pokes. The Cowboys have been invited to a bowl game every year since 2002 except in 2005.  The Cowboys have gone 4-4 in those games, defeating Arizona in the 2010 Alamo Bowl, Indiana in the 2007 Insight Bowl, Alabama in the 2006 Independence Bowl and Southern Mississippi in the 2002 Houston Bowl.

Stanford's Bowl History

The Stanford Cardinal played in its first bowl game in the inaugural Rose Bowl in 1902, losing to the Michigan Wolverines 49-0. From 1924 to 1949, the Cardinal played in seven Rose Bowls, compiling a 3-3-1 record. In 1949, Stanford played in its first non-Rose Bowl, the Pineapple Bowl, defeating Hawaii 74-20.

After a Rose Bowl defeat following the 1951 season, the Cardinal didn't play in another bowl game until 1971 and 1972 in which they beat Ohio State and Michigan (both of whom were undefeated) in consecutive Rose Bowl games.

Following two minor bowl wins in the late 1970s, the Cardinal made just one bowl appearance in the 1980s. The 1990s were better for Stanford, who won 1992 Blockbuster Bowl and the 1996 Sun Bowl.

After losing in the Seattle Bowl in 2001, the Cardinal did not make another bowl game until Andrew Luck came along. They lost the 2009 Sun Bowl to Oklahoma in Luck's freshman season and then won the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech the next year.

Meet Oklahoma State's Best Player

Could it be anyone else?

Justin Blackmon is a two-time consensus All-American at the wide receiver position. The 6'1" junior caught 113 passes this season for 1,336 yards and 15 touchdowns. Blackmon is a beast physically, who uses his impressive frame to box out defenders and his ridiculous hands to catch everything thrown his way.

Stanford's defensive backfield has not seen a wide receiver with Blackmon's caliber all season long. USC's Robert Woods is the closest comparison, and he had 89 yards and a touchdown vs. the Cardinal.

Meet Stanford's Best Player

Andrew Luck may be Heisman-less, but that doesn't take anything away from how he can hurt opposing defenses.

Widely considered a forgone conclusion as the No. 1 pick in April's NFL draft, Luck threw 35 touchdowns to just nine interceptions this season. He also completed 70 percent of his passes and threw for 3,170 yards.

The Cowboy defense has faced many good quarterbacks this year (Landry Jones, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill), but Luck will by far be the best quarterback the Cowboys have to go up against. Luck is dangerous in that he knows the game so well and will outsmart opponents. His decision-making has the potential to off-set the Cowboys' knack for forcing turnovers.

Oklahoma State's Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths: The Oklahoma State Cowboys boast a high-octane offense that has been able to score at least 30 points on everyone they've gone up against. The defense is very good at forcing turnovers (No. 1 nationally) and the punting and kicking games are superb.

Weaknesses: While the defense does get takeaways, it does give up yards and points as well (25.5 points allowed per game). Andrew Luck doesn't make many mistakes, which may make it difficult to for OSU to get him off the field. The Cowboys have also never played in a BCS game before and may not be ready for such a big stage.

Stanford's Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths: The Stanford Cardinal are a big, powerful team. The size and power running game of the Cardinal is something that the Oklahoma State defense hasn't seen this season. The Cardinal also have a very high football IQ and do not make many mistakes.

Weaknesses: Stanford's general lack of team speed showed in its lone loss against Oregon, and it will show again in this game if they don't adjust. The Cardinal also lacks an outside receiving threat. That role was filled by Chris Owusu, but he won't be playing in the Fiesta Bowl due to injury. While the group of tight ends and inside receivers Stanford has are great (Coby Fleener, Griff Whalen, Levine Toilolo, etc.), it won't be enough to have as much success against Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State's Expected Starting Lineup

Offense

Quarterback: Brandon Weeden

Running Back: Joseph Randle

Wide Receiver: Justin Blackmon

Wide Receiver: Isaiah Anderson

Wide Receiver: Josh Cooper

Wide Receiver: Tracey Moore

Left Tackle: Levy Adcock

Right Tackle: Parker Graham

Left Guard: Nick Martinez

Right Guard: Lane Taylor

Center: Grant Garner

Defense

Defensive End: Richetti Jones

Defensive End: Jamie Blatnick

Defensive Tackle: Anthony Rogers

Defensive Tackle: Nigel Nicholas

Linebacker: Shaun Lewis

Linebacker: Alex Elkins

Linebacker: Caleb Lavey

Cornerback: Brodrick Brown

Cornerback: Justin Gilbert

Safety: Markelle Martin

Safety: Daytawion Lowe

Stanford's Expected Starting Lineup

Offense

Quarterback: Andrew Luck

Running Back: Stepfan Taylor

Fullback: Ryan Hewitt

Wide Receiver: Griff Whalen

Wide Receiver: Jamal-Rashad Patterson

Tight End: Coby Fleener

Left Tackle: Jonathan Martin

Right Tackle: Tyler Mabry

Left Guard: Kevin Danser

Right Guard: David DeCastro

Center: Sam Schwartzstein

Defense

Defensive End: Matthew Masifilo

Defensive End: Ben Gardner

Nose Tackle: Terrence Stephens

Linebacker: Chase Thomas

Linebacker: Trent Murphy

Linebacker: Shayne Skov

Linebacker: Max Bergen

Cornerback: Barry Browning

Cornerback: Johnson Bademosi

Safety: Delano Howell

Safety: Michael Thomas

Key Matchup

Andrew Luck vs. Brandon Weeden

It must be these two guys. In the best quarterback matchup of the bowl season, two quarterback-centric offenses will face off on January 2nd. Each of these quarterbacks is mature, consistent and a winner. They will both have big days against defenses that just can't keep up with them.

Between the two of these guys, they’ve thrown 69 touchdowns and over 7,000 passing yards this season.

Whichever signal-caller can make the better decisions and not turn the ball over will end up winning this game. It is truly a game that is in these quarterbacks' hands.

Prediction

Oklahoma State 41, Stanford 35

In a game dominated by high-powered offenses, the team that scores last wins.

Oklahoma State wins this game because of their speed on both sides of the ball. Stanford struggles to produce outside the middle of the field against Oklahoma State's speedy secondary, while Justin Blackmon causes matchup problems on the other side of the ball.

Luck is able to score on the OSU defense, but ultimately it isn't enough to offset the lack of another offensive playmaker or the Cowboys' speed. Luck isn't stopped much, but just barely enough to squeak out a Cowboy victory.