Oklahoma State Football: Latest Fiesta Bowl News and Updates

On January 2, the Fiesta Bowl will match up Oklahoma State and Stanford in one of the most anticipated games of the bowl season.

All kinds of news has come out over the last couple of weeks pertaining to the Cowboy coaches and players. Players are winning awards, coaches are hot commodities and bowl games have been having discussions.

Here are all the tidbits you need to know in preparation for this epic matchup.

Blackmon Wins Biletnikoff, Will Go to NFL Next Year

As was universally expected, Justin Blackmon was awarded the Biletnikoff Award this past week as the best wide receiver in college football. He became just the second player to win the award two years in a row, joining the company of MIchael Crabtree.

He also dropped this equally startling bit of news: He's leaving for the NFL after this season.

The Fiesta Bowl will be Blackmon's last college game, his last chance to cement his potential top 10 draft pick status.

Sugar-Fiesta Talked About OU-OSU Swap

Another interesting piece of information that came out this week was about the bowl selection process had Oklahoma beaten Oklahoma State in the final game of the year.

According to CBSSports.com, the Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl were prepared to trade teams in the event of an Oklahoma win. As the Big 12 champions, Oklahoma would have been tied to the Fiesta Bowl, while Oklahoma State would have been an at-large selection for the Sugar Bowl.

Both schools confirmed this week that they had discussed a trade in that type of scenario. The trade would have been permissible since the Sugar Bowl would have lost both Alabama and LSU to the national championship game.

Gundy and OSU in Contract Talks

After winning 40 games in the last four years including two 11-win seasons and a Big 12 championship, Mike Gundy will soon be making the big-time money that he deserves.

NBC Sports reports that Gundy and OSU officials are currently working on a new deal for the 44-year-old coach. Gundy's current deal is for 2.1 million per year and runs through 2015.

Although Gundy is an Oklahoma native and an Oklahoma State alum who has called OSU his "Yankee job," there is still some doubt about whether or not OSU will be able to keep him without extending his contract.

Fiesta Bowl Considered Best Bowl of the Season by Many

Despite all the talk about the "Rematch of the Century" between Alabama and LSU, the buzz lately has been about the Fiesta Bowl matchup between Oklahoma State and Stanford.

It is by far the best bowl game featuring any of the Pac-12 or Big 12 teams.

According to the Washington Post, the Fiesta Bowl is working hard to rebuild its image after last year's scandal and has been paid off with the "golden game" of Oklahoma State and Stanford.

Cowboys Dominate AP All-Big 12 Team

Not only did Oklahoma State win its first ever Big 12 championship this season, it also topped its mark for the most All-Big 12 selections.

In all, 13 Cowboys were selected for the team, seven for the first team. Among the first team players were running back Joseph Randle, receiver Justin Blackmon, defensive end Jamie Blatnick and linemen Levy Adcock and Grant Garner.

Cowboy OC Is in High Demand

Todd Monken hasn't been the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State for very long, and it may stay that way.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars position coach has been the target of multiple job rumors in the past few weeks, including Illinois, Tulane and Memphis. Monken was quoted as saying that he had not interviewed at Illinois, the job he was most rumored to be in the running for. Monken is originally from Illinois.

It appears he was being truthful, since the job ultimately went to Toledo head coach Tim Beckman (a former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator).