2012 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Odds

Written by Jack Jones

The third-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys take on the fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal in the 2012 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. This showdown is set for 8:30 EST on January 2nd and will be nationally televised on ESPN. The Cowboys and Cardinal are expected to play in an absolute shootout in this one. Star quarterbacks Brandon Weeden and Andrew Luck have combined for 69 touchdown passes this year. Both will continue to sling it in this high-scoring affair.

Oddsmakers have installed a line of Oklahoma State -3.5 over Stanford with a total set of 74 points for the Fiesta Bowl.

Oklahoma State

The Cowboys clearly wish they were playing in the national title game. They were the next team out thanks to an upset loss at Iowa State in double overtime in their second-to-last game of the season. Oklahoma State (11-1) would make their case to still get in after thumping Oklahoma 44-10 in their finale. However, the damage had already been done. The smallest margin ever separated OSU and Alabama from the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the final BCS standings.

The Cowboys rank 3rd in the country in total offense (557.1 yards/game) and 2nd in scoring offense (49.3 points/game). While OSU is just 104th in the land in total defense (445.7 yards/game), they are a respectable 61st in scoring defense (25.8 points/game). Weeden is completing 72.6 percent of his passes for 4,328 yards with 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Joseph Randle has been a load in the backfield, rushing for 1,193 yards and 23 scores while averaging a whopping 6.0/carry. Many like to think of this offense as pass-happy, but Randle certainly makes it two-dimensional. Justin Blackmon is arguably the best receiver in the country. He has 113 receptions for 1,336 yards and 15 touchdowns on the year.

Oklahoma State is 13-8 in 21 bowl appearances all-time. This will be their sixth straight bowl game under head coach Mike Gundy, who is 58-30 in his first seven years on the job here. Gundy owns a 3-2 bowl record, which includes a 36-10 win over Arizona last year in the Alamo Bowl.

Stanford

The Cardinal were primed to make a run at a national title before suffering their first loss at home to then-No. 7 Oregon 53-30 on November 12th. Stanford (11-1) had reeled off nine straight victories to open the season before that loss. They would finish strong with home victories over California and then-No. 22 Notre Dame to secure a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.

There’s no question Luck came back for his junior season to win a National Championship and a Heisman Trophy, but he is going to come up just short of each. Luck is completing 70.0 percent of his passes for 3,185 yards with 35 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has also rushed for 153 yards and two scores.

Stanford ranks 11th in the country in total offense (480.9 yards/game) and 5th in scoring offense (43.6 points/game). Their stop unit doesn’t get enough credit as they rank 24th in total defense (331.1 yards/game) and 23rd in scoring defense (20.3 points/game). Stephan Taylor has rushed for 1,153 yards and eight scores to lead the ground attack. Tight end Coby Fleener has turned his 32 receptions into 648 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns.

The Cardinal are 10-11-1 in 22 bowl appearances all-time. This will be their third straight bowl appearance, though they had not made the postseason for seven straight years prior to 2009. Stanford beat up on then-No. 12 Virginia Tech 40-12 in the Orange Bowl last season. They will be making their second straight trip to the BCS.

Betting Trends

Stanford is 34-16-1 ATS in their last 51 games overall, including 7-0 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games.

Oklahoma State is 49-19-2 ATS in their last 70 games as a favorite, including 22-4-2 ATS in their last 28 games as a favorite of 3.5-10.0.

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