Stanford vs. Oklahoma State: Fiesta Bowl Looks Like Antithesis of BCS Title Game

If a rematch of the field goal-laden, defensive struggle that is to be this year's BCS title game is not your style and you were one of the many clamoring for anything but another LSU-Alabama game, then you'll like what the Fiesta Bowl brings to the table tonight.

Not to take anything away from LSU or Alabama, both made the title game fair and square and deservedly so.  Both have premier defenses and that's why they have come so far.  Still, from a viewer's standpoint we saw how the first game went down and we known they combine to allow only 19 points per game. 

First of all, the Fiesta Bowl features the two teams who would have been next in line for the title game if Alabama had not received a rematch opportunity with all three having only one blemish on their 2011 resumes.  It also features the NFL's upcoming bona fide No. 1 overall draft pick in Andrew Luck for the Stanford Cardinal. 

On the other side for the Oklahoma State Cowboys their quarterback is no slouch either.  Brandon Weedon managed to throw for over 360 yards per game this season with 34 touchdowns and a 159 rating rivaling Luck's 35 touchdowns and 167 rating.

Much of Weedon's success is clearly due to the top receiving prospect Justin Blackmon, a 6'1", 215-pound sensation who scored 15 touchdowns this year to follow up the 20 he had a year ago.  There will be more than a handful of scouts with a keen eye on this game which will almost certainly be both Luck and Blackmon's final collegiate game.

As for excitement for the fans, these offenses both rank in the top seven in scoring and top 11 in yards.  The ball will be flying all over the field in a game that is much like a title game in itself.  Oklahoma State certainly felt they deserved to be in the BCS championship after dropping just one game and had it not been to Iowa State they very well could have got the nod.  Either way their head coach Mike Gundy received the hardware for the national coach of the year.  For Stanford, head coach David Shaw did an outstanding job himself getting the Cardinal to the BCS after losing previous head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. 

Back to the 19 points allowed between Alabama and LSU, that should be about a quarter of football for Stanford and Oklahoma State's fine-tuned offenses.  They combine to score 92 points in a game and allow 46 points between the two.

The game may not be the sport's grandest stage, but it is not too far behind and both team's superstars desperately want to leave their college days with a signature win. 

Whether it is to see some of the NFL's future stars in action or just to see a touchdown or two scored (which should be just about every few minutes of game-play), make sure you tune in to this year's Fiesta Bowl and catch all the high-scoring action.