ALAMO BOWL - Alamodome – San Antonio, TX
Kickoff: Thursday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Line: Colorado -3.0, Total: 62.5

#10 Colorado will be looking to cap off an unbelievable season with a win over #12 Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl on Thursday.

Oklahoma State faced Oklahoma in what was pretty much the Big 12 Championship in the final week of the regular season, as the winner of that game was going to finish the season atop the conference. The Cowboys were not very competitive in that game, though. They lost 38-20 as 12-point underdogs, and that loss snapped a seven-game winning streak. Still, this is a good football team and Oklahoma State knows the importance of winning a bowl game like this one. The Cowboys offense will be the focal point of Colorado’s film sessions, as Oklahoma State put up 40 or more points in six games this season. The Buffaloes, meanwhile, get things done on defense. Until losing 41-10 to Washington in the Pac 12 Championship, Colorado had allowed an average of 16.0 PPG in its previous eight games. The team will need to put forth a similar effort in this one. It’s worth noting that Oklahoma State is 4-2 in its past six bowl games and that this is Colorado’s first bowl appearance since 2007. The fact that the Buffaloes are even playing in this game is truly insane, as many thought this was the worst team in the conference before the year. As for trends in this game, Colorado is the team that is seemingly favored. The Buffaloes were 6-0 ATS when the total was between 56.5 and 63.0 points this season, and they are also facing a Cowboys team that is just 5-15 ATS after having won eight of its past 10 games since 1992.

If a great offense beats a great defense then Oklahoma State should come away with a win in Thursday’s Alamo Bowl. The Cowboys have one of the most explosive units in the nation, and they are capable of beating teams with both the pass and the rush. Through the air, QB Mason Rudolph (3,777 yards, 25 TD, 4 INT) takes a ton of deep shots and he rarely ever throws picks. He threw only four interceptions all season, and two of those came in the same game. When he does look downfield, the guys he’ll be targeting will most likely be WRs James Washington (62 rec, 1,209 yards, 9 TD) and Jalen McCleskey (69 rec, 762 yards, 7 TD). Both players are extremely talented, but Washington’s 19.5 yards per catch is truly ridiculous. He should be in for a huge play or two in this one. On the ground, it’ll be RB Justice Hill (1,042 yards, 5 TD) that sees most of the carries for this Oklahoma State team. Hill is only a freshman, but he emerged as the best ball carrier on this team with a 122-yard performance against Baylor on Sep. 24. From there, Hill rushed for 100 yards or more in four of the next eight games. He’ll need to run it well on Thursday for his team to win this massive game.

The Buffaloes might not have the same amount of weapons as the Cowboys, but they can put up points as well. The leader of their offense is QB Sefo Liufau (2,171 yards, 11 TD, 6 INT), who is also one of the team’s best runners. Liufau rushed for 496 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, and his ability to do both keeps defenses honest. Liufau suffered an ankle injury against Washington in the Pac 12 Championship, and the result of the game might have been different if he were 100% healthy in that one. He should, however, be fully recovered for this game, and he’ll be ready to take off. The most talented player on this offense is RB Phillip Lindsay (1,189 yards, 16 TD), though. Lindsay has a nose for the endzone, as he had five multi-touchdown games this season. He is also a weapon out of the backfield, as he caught 47 passes for 390 yards and a score this season. If Colorado is going to win this game then it’ll mean that Lindsay made a ton of plays. Defensively, the Buffaloes were one of the best teams in the nation this season. Shutting down the Cowboys’ passing game will be tough, but this secondary is certainly capable.