Bowl Matchups 2010-11: Why Oklahoma-UConn Will Be Biggest Blowout in BCS History
The Oklahoma Sooners face off against the Connecticut Huskies in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on January 1st.
This BCS bowl pits the Big East champion against the Big 12 champion and No. 7-ranked team in the nation. But a conference title is about all that these two teams share.
The Sooners are one of the best teams in the country with several big wins on their résumé and several NFL talents on their roster.
The Huskies, meanwhile, are just the best team to come out of the putrid Big East conference and have barely scratched the surface of national attention.
Still, the screwy BCS system has pitted these two teams against one another in a matchup of a massive heavyweight and an overwhelming underdog. The line for this game is already at 17 points, but that may not be high enough.
Could this game end in the biggest blowout in BCS history?
By the Numbers: Oklahoma
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Here are the 2010 numbers for the Oklahoma Sooners and where they rank in the nation.
Average points for: 36.4 (17th)
Average points against: 21.9 (35th)
Average total yards for: 478.1 (13th)
Average yards passing: 351.7 (3rd)
Average yards rushing: 141.3 (77th)
Sacks: 34.0 (13th)
Interceptions: 17 (11th)
By the Numbers: Connecticut
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Here are the 2010 numbers for the Connecticut Huskies and where they rank in the nation.
Average points for: 26.9 (49th)
Average points against: 19.8 (23rd)
Average total yards for: 325.0 (96th)
Average yards passing: 150.4 (116th)
Average yards rushing: 179.9 (31st)
Sacks: 27.0 (43rd)
Interceptions: 19 (fifth)
Oklahoma 2010 Résumé
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The Sooners only have two losses this season: a 36-27 loss to 11th-ranked Missouri and a 33-19 pounding at the hands of a Texas A&M team that is now ranked 17th in the country.
But they've taken care of everyone else, including the top teams in one of the best conferences in the country.
They demolished a ranked Florida State team, 47-17, early in the season; they dispatched a ranked Texas team, 28-20, three weeks later; and they finished off the season by beating ninth-ranked Oklahoma State, 47-41, and 13th-ranked Nebraska, 23-20.
The Sooners, under star quarterback Landry Jones, don't have a single bad loss this season and narrowly missed a chance at a national championship.
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Connecticut 2010 Résumé
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The Huskies, meanwhile, have just as many losses out of conference (two) as they do in conference. That's never a good sign.
Connecticut opened up the season by falling to a pretty average Michigan team, 30-10, and then got manhandled by a mediocre Temple team, 30-16, just two weeks later.
Conference play wasn't any kinder to the Huskies, as they lost to two of the worst teams in the conference: Rutgers (27-24) and Louisville (26-0).
Not exactly the way they wanted to start the Big East schedule. But the Huskies finished strong, winning their last five games and beating a couple of pretty good teams in Pittsburgh (30-28) and West Virginia (16-13). These victories proved to be the tiebreaker in winning the conference.
Still, the Huskies have not beaten a single team that should be considered a top 25 team, and they've lost to a couple teams that might not belong in the top 50. They might be the worst BCS team ever.
BCS Blowout History
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For reference, here are the biggest blowouts in BCS history.
2004 Orange Bowl: USC 55, Oklahoma 19 (36 points)
2001 Orange Bowl: Florida 56, Maryland 23 (33 points)
2000 Fiesta Bowl: Oregon State 41, Notre Dame 9 (32 points)
2007 Sugar Bowl: Georgia 41, Hawaii 10 (31 points)
Of interest here is the fact that all of the above teams, including the losing ones, were ranked in the Top 10 at the time of the bowl game. Oklahoma is currently ranked seventh in the country, while Connecticut shows up at 25th in the AP poll and is left out of the other polls altogether.
The Matchup
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The Sooners have one of the most prolific passing attacks in the country with Landry Jones throwing for over 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns this season. The Huskies defense is very good and is top five in the nation in interceptions.
However, Jones' passing prowess came against a loaded Big 12 conference, while the Huskies' interceptions came against a feeble Big East conference.
If the two teams were to switch roles, then Oklahoma would probably have the highest scoring offense in the country (they're pretty close as it is anyway), and Connecticut would be surrendering over 30 points per game.
The Huskies are good at running the ball, with Jordan Todman emerging as one of the best backs in the nation after tallying 1,574 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns this season. But it won't matter against Oklahoma, who will look to pile up points early and quickly.
The Sooners have topped 40 points four times this season, and 50 points twice, including a shutout of Iowa State (52-0) and a pounding of Baylor (53-24). They've scored less than 20 only once.
The Huskies have topped 40 points twice, but those wins came against Buffalo (45-21) and Vanderbilt (40-21). (I'm ignoring the 62-3 win over Texas Southern because that might as well have been a varsity-JV game.) They have been held under 20 points five times this season.
Using these figures as a benchmark, a 17-point spread seems painfully low. The Sooners will win by at least three touchdowns, and however much more they score will be dependent on whether Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops feels like leaving the starters in.
It would actually be a surprise if this wasn't the biggest blowout in BCS history.
Prediction: 55-17
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
