Oklahoma (7-5, 5-3 Big 12) vs. Stanford (8-4, 6-3 Pac 10)
December 31st, 2009 2:00 PM ET
Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas
In one of the more interesting non-BCS match ups this year, an underachieving Oklahoma team minus their Heisman winning quarterback takes on an overachieving Stanford team featuring the Heisman runner up (who probably should have won).
Watching Gerhart run against Oklahoma should be one of the more enjoyable things to watch this bowl season, at least if the Oklahoma defense comes to play.
Outside of that, both of these teams have been oddly hit and miss. Oklahoma hasn’t won more than two games in a row the entire season, Stanford beats Oregon and demolishes USC, then loses to California the next week.
Who knows how well either team will play in this game. I have to give the edge to Oklahoma, however, because good defense beats good offense (hear that Oregon) and Stanford’s power run game plays right into the teeth of the Oklahoma defense… at least in my opinion.
On the other hand, Oklahoma’s offense has been wildly inconsistent behind
freshman QB Landry Jones, who had the unenviable task of replacing Bradford. If Jones turns the ball over (he threw five interceptions against Nebraska) and puts the Sooners defense in a bad spot too many times, it could be a completely different ball game.
Also, Oklahoma’s best defender DT Gerald McCoy is heading to the NFL, so will he risk injury to play hard in this game? Who knows.
Like I said, it is a tough game to call, but that isn’t going to stop us from trying.
Who Are We Picking?
Mali: Oklahoma
Eric: Stanford
Jeff: Stanford
Jim: Oklahoma
The picks are split down the middle once again, highlighting the uncertainty of the game. It should be a fun one to watch on new years eve.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
