Fiesta Bowl 2012: Andrew Luck and Cardinal Will Fall to Weeden and Cowboys

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck would like nothing more than to lead the Cardinal to a Fiesta Bowl victory before he heads off to the NFL, but Brandon Weeden and Oklahoma State provide a serious challenge.

While Luck and the Cardinal have averaged 43.6 points per game this season, the Cowboys have averaged 49.3 points per game, second in the nation.

Keep in mind that the only elite offense the Cardinal faced this season was Oregon. They proceeded to give up 53 points to the Ducks.

On top of that, while Luck has played at a Heisman-caliber level this season, there is no question he's been slightly less productive than last season. He ended the regular season throwing six interceptions in his last five games. It's also worth noting that losing some of his top receivers from last season has hurt.

Let me be clear: It's not like I expect the Cardinal to be shut down by Oklahoma State. Far from it.

What I am saying is that the Cardinal don't have the same firepower as the Cowboys and I see the Cowboys simply scoring more points in the long run.

You have to understand that this Oklahoma State offense has simply been phenomenal this season, which was why a lot of people wanted to see OK State matched up with defensive-minded LSU in the BCS Championship Game.

The Cowboys haven't scored less than 30 points all season long and they are coming off a 44-10 drubbing of then-No. 10 Oklahoma. In that regard, they also have momentum, while Stanford is coming off a ho-hum 28-14 victory over disappointing Notre Dame.

This should be a great game, and both offense will be hard to stop.

However, in the end, Brandon Weeden and Oklahoma State will oust Andrew Luck and Stanford.