Luck And Weeden Spotlighted In Fiesta Bowl Matchup

A poll taken over the recent holidays revealed the upcoming Tostitos Fiesta Bowl is more anticipated than the BCS Championship Game by a 3:1 margin among college football fans and bettors.  And why not?  With a matchup between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Stanford Cardinal, each with their own outstanding quarterback, the contest should be among the most entertaining bowls on the schedule.

Now granted, there was nothing scientific about the survey which consisted of my mingling about a party and asking a baker's dozen of the revelers which bowl they were most looking forward to.  One of them even found it amusing there was a bowl game named for the corn chips she was serving alongside the seven layer bean dip.

As good as that dip was, the Fiesta Bowl should be even better.  The battle closes out a strong slate of college football action on Monday (Jan. 2) with ESPN providing the pictures from University of Phoenix Stadium starting at 8:30 p.m. (ET).

Oklahoma State is a 3½-point favorite, up a half-point since the opener.  While the spread has widened a tad, the total has slimed down a couple of points since the start and presently stands at 74.

The eventual television ratings for this bowl season will prove my informal survey wrong, but it would be a complete shock if the Cowboys-Cardinal matchup doesn't provide far more offensive excitement than the national title tilt between LSU and Alabama.  That excitement begins with the two quarterbacks, Andrew Luck of Stanford and Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State.

Luck has been the runner-up in Heisman Trophy balloting each of the past two years, and is expected to be the top pick in next April's NFL draft.  He completed 70 percent of his passes this past season, racking up 3,170 yards with 35 touchdowns against nine picks.  The senior will be concluding a collegiate career that has seen him toss 80 TDs compared to 21 interceptions, amassing over 9,000 yards through the air.

Weeden didn't place in the top 10 of this year's Heisman voting despite a 72.6 percent completion mark for over 4,300 yards and a 34:12 TD:INT ratio.  The senior turned 28 this past October after first testing the professional baseball waters for a few years as a second-round pick out of high school by the New York Yankees in 2002.

While the two QBs get most of the publicity, each has a fine complement of weapons.  Weeden's stable of offensive mates includes wide receiver Justin Blackmon (113 receptions, 1,336 yards, 15 TD), who placed fifth in the 2010 Heisman balloting and could be the top receiver chosen in the NFL draft if he declares.  Joseph Randle rushed for nearly 1,200 yards on less than 200 carries and scored 23 touchdowns to lead the Cowboys ground game.

Luck's big-play receiver is tight end Coby Fleener who averaged over 20 yards per catch and crossed the goal line 10 times.  Griff Whalen (49 rec., 664 yds.) is another receiving threat while Stepfan Taylor is the workhorse for the Stanford infantry with 207 carries and 1,153 yards rushing.  One weapon expected to miss the game is receiver Chris Owusu who is dealing with the effects of a concussion and listed as doubtful for Monday's game.

With stats like that, it's no surprise to see both Oklahoma State and Stanford rank among the top offenses in the nation.  The Cowboys are third in total yards (557.0 per game) and second in scoring (49.3 points per game).  The Cardinal aren't far behind in those columns, finishing 11th in yardage (480.9) and sixth in scoring (43.6).

Both schools also did an excellent job against the college football odds this season.  Oklahoma State and Stanford each finished with 11-1 records in the standings, each covering nine of the 12 spreads along the way.

Where the two schools differ on the stats pages is on the defensive side of the ball.  The Cardinal allowed just over 331 yards per game, good enough for 25th in the country, while the Cowboys were 107th surrendering a touch more than 445 yards each contest.  Stanford was 23rd in the nation in scoring defense (20.3 PPG) with Oklahoma State 60th (25.8).

Still, even with those statistical shortcomings, the Cowboys defense came up with 42 turnovers during the regular season, most in the country and twice as many as Cardinal defenders.

Oklahoma State finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the Don Best Linemakers Poll, with Stanford coming in at No. 5.  The BCS Standings also had the Cowboys third with the Cardinal down one rung in fourth.  Monday's contest will mark the first time the two schools have met on the gridiron.

The roof is scheduled to be closed for the entire game, though the weather forecast for the Glendale, AZ area will be just about perfect for a football game.  Clear skies and the thermometer in the low-to-mid 60s for kickoff are included in the current forecast.