Fiesta Bowl Predictions: What to Watch for in Tonight's Shootout in the Desert

Spoiler Alert: The Fiesta Bowl is going to be awesome.

Then again, you probably already knew that. It's hard to ask for a better matchup than the Stanford Cardinal vs. the Oklahoma State Cowboys (8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN). We're going to see two of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Stanford's Andrew Luck and Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden, and you can rest assured that plenty of points will be scored.

I could make more sexy generalizations, but I think we're better off taking a look at a few key specifics.

Here are five super-important things to watch in the Fiesta Bowl.

Andrew Luck

There's no point in denying that a lot of people are going to be tuning in to watch the Fiesta Bowl because it will be Andrew Luck's last college game, so let's go ahead and talk about him right off the bat.

All you really need to know about Luck is that the hype is for real. He completed 70 percent of his passes during the regular season, and he threw multiple touchdown passes in every game that he played in.

The truly impressive part is that Luck doesn't really have a stud wide receiver to throw the ball to. Instead, he spreads his passes around pretty evenly, making good use of his tight ends. Coby Fleener is a dangerous weapon, and so is Levine Toilolo.

The other thing that makes Luck dangerous is his mobility. He's not Robert Griffin III, but he is by no means a sitting duck when the pocket collapses. He will scramble if he has to, and he can make throws on the run with impressive accuracy.

If you require moving pictures to prove Luck's overall quality, this video should do the trick:

Rushing Attacks

We tend to think of Stanford and Oklahoma State as pass-only teams, but nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, the Cardinal finished 20th in the nation in rushing this season with over 200 rushing yards per game. They have the underrated Stepfan Taylor to thank for that, as he rushed for over 1,100 yards this season.

As you can see in this video, Taylor is tough because he's hard to bring down and hard to catch:

On the Oklahoma State side of things, Joseph Randle doesn't get nearly enough credit for the role he plays in the Pokes' offense. Despite getting limited carries, he rushed for over 1,100 yards and had over 20 rushing touchdowns this season.

To boot, Randle was also productive in Oklahoma State's passing game, catching 38 passes for 238 yards. Brandon Weeden will go to him if he sees an opportunity.

Case in point, check out this play from last year:

Memo to Stanford: Don't lose sight of Joseph Randle.

Justin Blackmon

Justin Blackmon wasn't quite as dominant in 2011 as he was in 2010, but that doesn't mean Stanford can afford to take its eyes off him either. Blackmon is still one of the most dangerous receivers in the country.

Blackmon's specialty is getting open. He has a pretty deep bag of tricks that he uses to create separation, and finding him is way too easy for Brandon Weeden. Stanford would be wise to risk double-teaming Blackmon.

Then again, Blackmon can make plays even when the coverage is good. Check out this catch from last season:

Containing Blackmon is going to be a problem for Stanford. The Cardinal allowed over 240 passing yards per game this season, and Blackmon is part of the nation's No. 2 passing offense. 

Brandon Weeden

Most days, Brandon Weeden is great.

But on occasion, he can look less than great.

Weeden's main problem is that he tends to throw interceptions in bunches. He threw six picks in Oklahoma State's first three games, leveled out, but then threw five picks in the Cowboys' final four games. Three of those came against Iowa State, which of course was the only game the Pokes lost this season.

When you throw the ball as often as Weeden does (522 attempts in 2011), interceptions are bound to happen. The Cardinal will be hoping they can pick a few balls off in the Fiesta Bowl.

But when Weeden is going good, he's making throws like this one:

Oklahoma State's Secondary

It's stating the obvious that both defenses will have to play well, but the defense you want to keep your eyes on is Oklahoma State's.

In particular, you want to watch the Cowboys' secondary.

The pressure will be on Oklahoma State's secondary to stay at home against Luck. That shouldn't be asking too much, and it could actually work out in their favor. Though they tended to give up yards, the Pokes also picked off 23 passes during the regular season.

That was second only to NC State.

If we're lucky enough, we might see Oklahoma State's secondary produce a gem like this one:

Final Thoughts

On the whole, I think the Pokes are a stronger team than the Cardinal. That alone would be enough to convince me that they're going to win the Fiesta Bowl, but we also have to consider the fact that the Cowboys are going to be a little extra motivated in this game.

That has everything to do with how they would rather not be playing in the Fiesta Bowl. The Cowboys just barely missed out on the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, and they think they got robbed. Expect them to do something to prove that they deserved to go to the title game this year.

Though, Andrew Luck will be looking to prove something as well.