Oklahoma State to the Fiesta Bowl: A Guide to the Matchup vs. Stanford

Oklahoma State may not be playing in the national championship game, but Cowboy fans are still pumped for the bowl season. The Cowboys will face the Stanford Cardinal January 2nd in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

The matchup will pit the No. 3 and No. 4 teams against each other, and will provide one of the most interesting games of the bowl season.

Here's everything you need to know for this matchup.

Bowl Information

Time: Jan. 2nd, 8:30 pm EST

Payout: $17 million per team

TV: ESPN

Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium

Place: Glendale, Arizona

Oklahoma State's High Powered Offense

This team is averaging 49.3 points per game, 386.3 passing yards per game and 170.8 rushing yards per game.

Oklahoma State has the best offense in the country, and it will test a Stanford defense that has struggled against similarly high-powered offenses this season.

Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon and Joseph Randle are OSU's offensive triplets, and have lead this team to large point totals and big wins.

They will be a handful for Stanford.

Stanford's Balanced Attack

Stanford runs a pro-style offense that will ground and pound at the Cowboy defense while letting their Heisman-hopeful quarterback use play-action to make big plays.

Andrew Luck leads the Stanford offensive unit and is a model of efficiency. He also had led the Cardinal to rank fifth in the country in scoring at 43.6 points per game.

This offense will be unlike any that Oklahoma State has faced this year. The Cowboys will have a difficult time stopping the Stanford run game and the resulting play-action passes.

Oklahoma State's Porous Defense

Although the Cowboys have been one of the best turnover-forcing defenses in the country, they given up a lot of yards and points.

The Cowboys are giving up 25.8 points per game on average and over 400 yards of total offense per game.

Those aren't good numbers when you're looking at facing a projected No. 1 overall draft pick in Andrew Luck, whose strength is taking care of the ball.

Stanford's Lack of Team Speed

Oklahoma State is fast on both defense and offense and plays that way. The Cowboys' goal is to run a play every 18 seconds and to wear out defenses with quick play calls.

Stanford, as a pro-style team, lacks the speed to keep up with Oklahoma State. Against a similar opponent in Oregon, Stanford lost by 23 points and allowed the Ducks to run all over them.

Oklahoma State proved this past weekend that it can run the ball very effectively against good defensive fronts, and their passing game is miles and miles better than anything Stanford has faced this year.

The Cardinal need to keep pace with the Cowboys.

How the Cowboys Got Here

Oklahoma State got off to a running start, winning their first ten games. The Cowboys got big wins on the road against Texas, Missouri, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

The Cowboys lost a close contest to Iowa State on November 17th that effectively ended their championship hopes.

The Cowboys had seven wins over Top 50 teams in the BCS and capped off their season with a 34-point victory over arch-rival Oklahoma.

How the Cardinal Got Here

Stanford also got off to hot start this season. The Cardinal won their first nine games, which included wins against Washington and USC.

The Cardinal dominated their schedule, winning eight of their first nine games by more than 20 points.

On November 12, the Cardinal fell to the Oregon Ducks 53-30, shutting the door on their potential national championship berth.

They closed out their season with wins over Cal and Notre Dame.

Brandon Weeden

Brandon Weeden is the Cowboys' key player.

The 28-year-old former minor league pitcher has thrown for 4,328 yards and 34 touchdowns this season, leading the Cowboys to a 22-3 record in his two seasons as the primary signal-caller.

He did not record a touchdown against Oklahoma last weekend, but he did manage the game well and lead the team to a victory. He'll need to do the same in the Fiesta Bowl in order for the Cowboys to win.

Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck is Stanford's most important player. Shocking, right?

The junior has thrown for 3,170 and 35 touchdowns compared to just nine interceptions. He's led his team to a 31-7 record in his three seasons at quarterback.

He produces more than most quarterbacks with fewer pass attempts. That's a big reason why he'll be the No. 1 overall draft pick and why he'll be big in this game.

Prediction

Oklahoma State  55, Stanford 42

Stanford's power running game and play-action passes give the Cowboy defense problems, but it's nothing compared to the fits the Cowboy offense gives the Cardinal defense.

Andrew Luck throws for three touchdowns, over 300 yards and runs for another score. He also throws one pick.

Brandon Weeden throws for 400 yards, three touchdowns and one pick. Justin Blackmon tops the 150-yard receiving mark.

The Cowboy offense proves too much for the Cardinal in the end.