2011 Bowl Projections: Oklahoma State Will Dismantle Stanford in Fiesta Bowl

Oklahoma State will play Stanford on Monday, January 2 in the 41^st edition of the Fiesta Bowl.

The Cowboys will prove to the world why they deserved the opportunity to play in the BCS National Championship against LSU after they dismantle Stanford.

Oklahoma State should be angry they weren’t selected in the BCS National Championship game and a team that already lost (Alabama) to LSU is in the equation.

The Cowboys will use that as motivation in their game against Andrew Luck and the Cardinal. They will come out primed and determined to prove that they are the second-best team in the nation.

Teams that have given Stanford problems this season have carried dynamic offenses. Oklahoma State has one of the best offenses in the country.

Oklahoma State possesses the second-best offense in terms of scoring per game (49.3) in the country. Against Oregon and USC, two offenses in the top-20 in scoring, Stanford gave up 101 combined points (1-1).  

When they play high-powered offenses, it forces Luck to be great even with average offensive weapons. Against Oregon Luck went 27-41 for 256 yards, three TD and two INT.

Luck is the best quarterback coming out of college, but he doesn’t have the necessary weapons on the perimeter to keep track with Oklahoma State.

The opposing quarterback isn’t too bad, either. Brandon Weeden has tossed 34 touchdowns to only 12 interceptions this season. He has totaled 4,328 yards in the air.

Justin Blackmon provides Weeden with a safety blanket that few quarterbacks have in college football. He has caught 113 passes for 1,336 yards and 15 touchdowns. Whenever Weeden is struggling he looks to his main target to bust him out of trouble.

A player that never gets talked about when discussing the Cowboys is Joseph Randle. All he has done in his sophomore season is rush for 1,193 yards and 23 touchdowns.

The reason why Weeden, Blackmon and Randle experience success isn’t just because of how talented they are. The Cowboys offensive line is one of the best in the country, providing time for Weeden to throw the ball and opening lanes for Randle. Great offensive lines get overlooked by great offensive numbers.

Stanford has a great team this season and Luck will be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, but their inability to stop Oklahoma State will be the biggest reason why they will get dismantled by the Cowboys.

They are simply on a mission. The Cowboys want to prove that the BCS made a mistake by placing Alabama in the championship game, and they are ready to show the world that they have one of the best teams in the country.

Prediction: Oklahoma State wins, 44-27.