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Gameday: Instant analysis...Bowl edition Part 2
Published: 1/3/2012 2:19 AM
Last Modified: 1/3/2012 2:19 AM

Some people think New Year's Eve is a big deal.

I always preferred New Year's Day. What could be better than a day full of college football -- the last of the season?

Preempted because of the NFL, this year's bowl lineup didn't disappoint.

There were aerial assaults, overtimes and platinum helmets.

So here's what we learned after the final field goal of Monday night.

1. Oklahoma State has a lot to celebrate
Cowboy fans should enjoy this season while they can. The first breakthrough is always the most special.

After having its national title dreams derailed by a field goal miss at Iowa State, OSU was on the right side of the kicking game Monday night in the Fiesta Bowl.

OSU didn't start off strong, and the Cowboys defensive issues were on display, but Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon completed their college careers with the type of game that will cement the duo as OSU icons.

2. OSU has passed the first hurdle. Now another significant one awaits
The Cowboys have proven they can win big -- 12 wins, a Big 12 title and a BCS bowl victory. Now, can OSU sustain that success?

That's the next hurdle in the program's climb from "little engine that could" to college football elite.

OSU returns eight players on defense -- and that unit may be called upon early to carry a team that must replace perhaps the best quarterback-receiver duo in school history.

Only five offensive players return total, including just two on the offensive line. How the offense is reconstructed will go a long way to determining OSU's future.

3. If you're hoping for a split national title, don't hold your breath
Although OSU winning the AP national title has been a point of discussion, I would be surprised if the Cowboys receive more than a handful of first-place votes -- much less finishing No. 1.

In fact, there's a better chance of LSU winning the AP title after a loss to Alabama than OSU winning it. Alabama already has more second-place votes than OSU does, so you figure those voters would elevate the Crimson Tide in victory rather than leap the Cowboys two spots.

And if you thought LSU and Alabama were the two best teams in the country before Monday night, nothing the Cowboys did in the Fiesta Bowl changed your mind.

But I did find one thing interesting Monday. Penn State is clearly in disarray, but it was trashed by Houston in the TicketCity Bowl. Penn State is either the best or second-best win of the season for Alabama. That's a resume that leaves something to be desired.

4. I know the field goal is the right play, but I still don't like it
I wish the first person to ever fumble going in for a touchdown late in a game would have held on to the ball. That way we wouldn't be subjected to teams running out the last minute of games to position kickers for game-winning field goal attempts that are anything but a sure thing.

You give a kicker a 35-yard field goal attempt, and he should make it. But Stanford reached the OSU 25 with 52 seconds left and opted to position itself for a field goal.

Any mistake you make is a killer. I would rather make the mistake playing for a touchdown, than settling for a field goal.

Reader Comments

6 Total

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Jacky (last year)

Great points - and as much as I love my POKES, I agree with #3 as well. It is time to put all that behind us and celebrate a phenomenal season.

Coach Gundy rocks...as do our Pokes!!!

mgpeters (last year)

It's definitely a great season. And although I don't like recruiting (chasing high school kids just isn't my thing), that's where OSU's focus should be right now. This season needs to pay dividends on the recruiting trail this year and next.

120961 (last year)

I am sorry to suggest that at the time that Penn State played bama they were not as out of kilter as they have recently been. :(

mgpeters (last year)

There's definitely no denying that.

Pete51 (last year)

Thanks for finally promoting some sanity. I'm a big OSU fan, but I cringe when I hear OSU fans and/or players claiming a share of the national championship. LSU would clearly be the most deserving national champion in recent memory based on what they did in the regular season. I don't see how OSU would have a stronger claim than an Alabama team that beats them. If anything, an Alabama win would likely result in a split national championship between LSU and Alabama, with a lot of people (myself included) thinking it's unfair for LSU to have to beat Alabama again. Let's assume LSU loses to Alabama in overtime in another close, low-scoring game. Who has the better resume? Both would have one loss to each other, but LSU clearly had a much more impressive season. I would still vote them number one over Alabama. With the exception of the win over Arkansas, Alabama had a pretty underwhelming season.

OSU's best bet is for LSU to thump Alabama and for OSU to finish the season at number 2.

mgpeters (last year)

It's going to be very interesting to see what happens if Alabama narrowly beats LSU. The Associated Press has a story today addressing that topic. One voter said he was going to vote LSU No. 1 no matter the result in the BCS title game because of body of work. That was my biggest argument for Oklahoma State playing LSU instead of Alabama. The Crimson Tide may be the second-best team, but we already know they aren't the best team. Let someone else challenge LSU.

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