Posted
on 01/02/2008 10:25:33 AM
By: CappersPicks.com College Football Handicapping
Staff
CFB: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma vs. West Virginia (8:00 PM ET - FOX)
Jan
03-08 -- Fiesta Bowl Preview at Glendale,
AZ - 37TH ANNUAL TOSTITOS FIESTA
BOWL
The third leg of the BCS, the Fiesta Bowl,
offers perhaps the best matchup of any bowl
game in 2007-08, West Virginia and Oklahoma.
Both teams were frontrunners for the national
title for much of the season, and come into
this game with two losses. The Sooners are
about a TD-favorite.
Oklahoma played
and won one more game, which could prove
significant since an amazing trend has
formed in the Fiesta Bowl in which the
team with the better straight up record
has won ten games in a row, both SU & ATS!
WVU has struggled defensively in bowl games,
allowing at least 30 points & 37 PPG
in its L8. The Mountaineers are also just
2-10 ATS in L12 road games vs. teams outscoring
opponents by 17+ PPG. HC Bob Stoops’ team
has lost three straight BCS bowl games, both
SU & ATS, including this same one a year
ago to Boise State.
OKLAHOMA
A little over a month ago you were in the
driver’s seat for a shot at the national
championship and you lose to an unranked
team. That’s the Oklahoma story and
it all starts and ends with the quarterback – freshman
Sam Bradford. How in the world a redshirt
freshman became the end-all, be-all for
the Oklahoma Sooners is amazing, but it
has happened. Without Bradford, they are
entirely beatable – but with him,
watch out. The Sooner season hinged on
Bradford and, for the most part, he came
through. His one bad game, against Colorado,
led to the only loss while he was healthy.
The most amazing stat about Bradford… one
touchdown pass every nine attempts. There
are other players on the Sooner team as
they ranked second in scoring offense and
defense in the conference. RB Allen Patrick
led the team in rushing with nearly 1,000
yards, Juaquin Iglesias had over 850 receiving
yards, and DeMarco Murray scored 15 touchdowns.
Junior guard Duke Robinson and junior linebacker
Curtis Lofton have been named as consensus
All-Americans. Coach Bobby Stoops has to
be pleased with the outcome this year despite
losing a shot at the national title. This
was a building year for the next two and
he has another Big 12 championship. The
next two years will be fun in Norman.
WEST VIRGINIA
A little over a month ago you were… well
you get the picture. The Mountaineers have
had a horrible month. First they lose to
a horrible Pitt team… at home… with
a bid in the BCS championship game on the
line. Then three weeks later, they lose the
man who had brought them there – Coach
Rich Rodriguez. Now, with an interim coach,
they must face what is probably one of the
two best teams in the nation. The Mountaineers
finished first in both offensive scoring
and defensive scoring in the conference,
but it was the Big East. Then again the Big
East had some very highly ranked teams this
year. WVU had three players, RB Steve Slaton,
QB Pat White, and RB Noel Devine, all finish
in the top ten in rushing in the conference.
Devine was a find who came on late in the
year with blazing speed and scary moves.
While the running game is the key, WR Darius
Reynaud can hurt you from the air. He did
so while compiling over 850 receiving yards
and 11 TDs.
THE GAME
This game could look a lot like the OU -
Texas Tech game or a lot like the OU -
Missouri games. Oklahoma’s
stout defense should be able to keep Slaton,
White, and Devine in check, but I am worried
about last year’s Fiesta Bowl. The
spread offense run by the BSU team was
able to hang with the Sooners and you wonder… The
difference this year is going to be the
OU offense. If Bradford is healthy, I don’t
think anyone can stop the offense from
Norman. The million dollar question is
how will West Virginia respond to a new
coach? Typically teams don’t do well
in this situation. I wouldn’t be
surprised if West Virginia just kind of
rolled over and semi-showed up. Interim
coach Bill Stewart seems to have it all
in hand, but it’s different and different
very rarely translates into victories in
Bowl games. Look for WVU to run up the
middle when the outside game does not work.
If they can break a few up the middle,
they could stay close, but I wouldn’t
count on it. This should be one of the
best bowl games played this season – but
expect the Sooners to be too tough for
West Virginia.
StatFox Edge – Oklahoma
by 13
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