The BCS bowl games are coming up after the New Year’s Day NFL games Sunday, with the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl Monday, the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday, the Orange Bowl and on Wednesday and then the BCS National Championship Game the following Monday, January 9th.

Here is a quick preview of the BCS bowl games with picks and current point spreads.

Keep in mind the following:

• All games listed are EST
• Point spreads are of Sunday, January 1st. For updated point spreads and expert advice, here you go: BCS Bowls Odds and Lines

BCS Bowl Games Bettor’s Guide

Point Spreads – Free Picks ATS – Over-Under Odds

TV Schedule – Lock Pick

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Rose Bowl: #10 Wisconsin Badgers vs. #5 Oregon Ducks

• Wisconsin-Oregon Date: Monday, January 2nd at 5:00 PM on ESPN
• Wisconsin-Oregon Point Spread: Ducks -6
• Wisconsin-Oregon Over-Under Odds: 71.5
• Wisconsin-Oregon Spread Pick: Expect a high scoring shootout in what could be the best game of the BCS bowls, as both teams can light up the scoreboard in a hurry. The Badgers rely on the dual passing/rushing threat of QB Russell Wilson  (2,879 yds, 31 TDs, 4 INTs ) and Heisman finalist Montee Ball (1,759 yds, 32TDs).  The Ducks counter with QB Darron Thomas (2,493 yds, 30 TDs, 6 INTs) and Ducks all-time rushing leader LaMichael James (1,646 yds, 17 TDs). Oregon looks to improve on their all-time bowl record of 9-15 and having lost bowl games the past 2 seasons. Wisconsin looks to avenge their Rose Bowl loss last year vs. TCU. Look for the Ducks speed to eventually be too much for the Badgers defense, winning 42-31.
• Pick: Ducks -6

Fiesta Bowl: #4 Stanford Cardinal vs. #3 Oklahoma State Cowboys 

• Stanford-Oklahoma State Date: Monday, January 2nd at 8:30 PM on ESPN
• Stanford-Oklahoma State Point Spread: Cowboys -4
• Stanford-Oklahoma State Over-Under Odds: 73.5
• Stanford-Oklahoma State Spread Pick: Only a devastating 37-31 double overtime loss at Iowa State prevented Oklahoma St. from playing in the BCS Championship Game against LSU. The Cowboys finished their regular season by crushing Oklahoma 44-10. Led by outstanding WR Justin Blackmon (113 rec, 1,336 yds, 15 TDs) and 28-year-old QB Brandon Weeden ( 4,328 yds, 34 TDs), the #3 ranked team in the nation looks to prove it belonged in the BCS title game. Stanford, led by consensus #1 pick in the NFL draft Andrew Luck ( 3,170 yds, 35 TDs) and RB Stepfan Taylor (1,153 yds, 8 TDs), will need to apply the same defensive  pressure on Weeden that has earned them the #6 national ranking with 38 sacks. Look for the Oklahoma St. offense to ultimately take the game over and pull away from Stanford, 45-35.
•  Pick: Cowboys -4  

Sugar Bowl: #13 Michigan vs. #11 Virginia Tech

• Michigan-Virginia Tech Date: Tuesday, January 3rd at 8:30 PM on ESPN
• Michigan-Virginia Tech Point Spread: Wolverines -3
• Michigan-Virginia Tech Over-Under Odds: 50.5
• Michigan-Virginia Tech Spread Pick: Two solid defenses (Virginia Tech-13th nationally, Michigan-18th) and rushing offenses collide in The Superdome in what looks to be a close game. The Wolverines’ star quarterback Denard Robinson (2,056 yds, 18 TDs passing-1,163 yds, 16 TDs rushing) and running back Fitzgerald Toussaint (1,011 yds, 9 TDs) lead a bruising, clock controlling rushing offense. The Hokies are led by ACC player of the year David Wilson (1,627 yds, 9 TDs) and sophomore QB Logan Thomas (2,799 yds, 19 TDs).  Look for the Hokies to rebound from their embarrassing 38-10 loss to Clemson in the ACC title game. Special teams play and a defense keyed on Michigan’s rushing game will pace the Hokies to a 27-19 win.
• Pick: Hokies +3

Orange Bowl: #23 West Virginia vs. #15 Clemson

• West Virginia-Clemson Date: Wednesday, January 4th at 8:30 on ESPN
• West Virginia-Clemson Point Spread: Tigers -3
• West Virginia-Clemson Over-Under Odds: 61.5
• West Virginia-Clemson Spread Pick: In what may be the least attractive BCS bowl game with slow ticket sales in South Florida, the on-field game may turn out to be better than imagined, with two potent offenses both averaging over 33 points per game and 440 yards of offense. West Virginia has the 7th rated passing offense and a 17th rated total offense, led by QB Geno Smith (3,978 yds, 25 TDs, 7 INTs) and WR Stedman Bailey (1,197 yds, 11 TDs). Clemson counters with QB Tajh Boyd (3,578 yds, 31 TDs), RB Andre Ellington (1,062 yds, 10 TDs) and Freshman WR Sammy Watkins (1153 yds, 11 TDs). With more offensive weapons, Clemson eventually pulls away from West Virginia, winning 35-24.
• Pick: Tigers -3

BCS National Championship: #2 Alabama vs. #1 LSU

• Alabama-LSU Date: Monday, January 9th at 8:30 on ESPN
• Alabama-LSU Point Spread: Crimson Tide -1
• Alabama-LSU Over-Under Odds: 40.5
• Alabama-LSU Spread Pick: The rematch between these 2 top defensive squads for the BCS title in New Orleans. No idea why top-ranked LSU is an underdog after winning in OT at Alabama and now playing in what will be a decided home field advantage in The Superdome. Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide ranks first in the country at yards allowed per game (191.3) with LSU #2 allowing 252.1 yards/game. Offensively, LSU ranks #13 in points scored with 38.5 and Alabama ranks #16 with 36 points a game. Crimson Tide is led by Doak Walker award winner Trent Richardson (1,583 yds, 20 TDs) and QB A.J. McCarron (2,400 yds, 16 TDs). Tigers are sparked by dual QBs Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee, who combined for 20 TDs and nearly 2,000 yards and RBs Michael Ford (755 yds, 7 TDs) and Spender Ware (700 yds, 8 TDs). Points will be at a premium for this game, which is where LSU Heisman finalist Tyrann Mathieu comes in to play with his knack making big plays as a punt returner. Look for the Tiger’s to claim the national title in convincing fashion, pulling away from the Crimson Tide in the 2nd half 27-10.
• Pick: Tigers +1

Lock Pick: LSU +1

Cotton Bowl Bonus Lock Pick: Friday, January 6th 8:00 PM on Fox. Arkansas -8 vs. Kansas State. No way Wildcats can hang with Razorbacks in this one. Arkansas 44 Kansas State 23.

Enjoy your 2012 BCS Bowl Games!

Image source: Alternate Crop

While I’m sure there are cases to be made for Stanford, Boise State, and maybe even Oregon, only 2 teams have a realistic chance to finish second: Alabama and Oklahoma State. Voters should put the Cowboys ahead of the Crimson Tide for 2 reasons: quality of wins and strength of schedule.

Much has been made of the quality of Oklahoma State and Alabama’s losses. Alabama’s sole loss came at the hands of #1 LSU, in overtime. Oklahoma State lost to unranked, 6-6 Iowa State (albeit on the road, in double overtime). Less has been made of the two team’s wins.

Consider the following:

• According to Sagarin, Oklahoma State has six wins over top 30 teams, including two top 10 wins. Alabama has only two top 30 wins and one top 10 win.
• Oklahoma State beat seven FBS teams with winning records; Alabama beat three.
• Oklahoma State had to face all nine of the other teams in the Big 12. Alabama avoided playing the 2 best teams in the SEC East, Georgia and South Carolina.
• Alabama played a late-season game against an FCS opponent. Oklahoma State played all 12 of its games against FBS teams.

While Alabama’s win over Arkansas may be more impressive than any of OSU’s wins (although Sagarin has Oklahoma ahead of Arkansas), the Cowboys have three wins—Oklahoma, Kansas State, and Baylor—that are more impressive than Alabama’s second best win (Penn State).

If you follow the old Bilas maxim, “Who’d you play? And who’d you beat?” Oklahoma State gets the edge. The Cowboys played a stronger schedule and have better wins than the tide.

1. If you play a historically great 7-game series, they will come.

Through 5 games this year’s World Series was on pace to be the lowest rated Fall Classic ever. Last Monday’s Game 5 did a historically dismal 8.8 rating. (The low rating was especially surprising considering that Monday Night Football’s number was even worse.)

But by Thursday, American sports fans and television owners realized that they were missing out on one of the great World Series of their lifetimes. Thursday night’s 11-inning classic did a 13.7. Game 7 did even better. Its 14.7 was the best rating for a World Series game since 2004.

2. Oklahoma State is as good as any college football team in the country.

After Saturday’s 59-24 beatdown of Baylor, the Cowboys are #3 in the BCS for the second consecutive week and are #1 in 6 of the 7 BCS computer polls.

While OSU’s much celebrated offense is averaging 50 points per game behind Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon, the Cowboys’ defense is statistically one of the nation’s worst. But SI’s Stewart Mandel argues that Oklahoma State’s defense is much better than the numbers suggest:

Oklahoma State reminds me a lot of last year’s Oregon team, and not because of the array of uniforms. The Cowboys and Ducks both had an electrifying offense that overshadowed an unsung and frankly misunderstood defense. In fact, Brandon Weeden and Co.’s quick-strike attack contributes to the Cowboys’ unflattering defensive numbers. For one thing, the defense is constantly on the field, having played 660 snaps, including 105 on Saturday. By comparison, Alabama’s defense has seen 458 plays. Oklahoma State’s defense has essentially played two extra games.

Meanwhile, [defensive coordinator Bill] Young usually empties the bench by the fourth quarter, so the other team piles up meaningless yards and points against second- and third-stringers.

Regardless of what you think of their defense, the Cowboys control their BCS Championship Game destiny. And Bedlam is in Stillwater this year. I’m just hoping we get to see more of this:

3. Case Keenum is setting records that won’t be broken for a long time.

Thursday night, while you were watching Game 6 of the World Series, Houston quarterback Case Keenum was throwing for 534 yards and 9 touchdowns against Rice. The 6th-year senior now has a record 139 touchdown passes in his college career, 5 better than previous Division I-FBS record holder Graham Harrell. Keenum already holds the FBS record for total offense and likely will break Timmy Chang’s record for passing yards next week against 1-7 UAB.

The ubiquity of the spread offense in recent years has changed the way we look at college football passing records. Chang set his record for total passing yards in 2004, and 9 of the top 10 passers in FBS history have played their entire careers since 2000. Harrell set his touchdown record in 2008, breaking a record set by Colt Brennan the year before.

Given this recent assault on the record books, it may seem naive to expect Keenum’s records to last. But Keenum has 6 more games (assuming that the 8-0 Cougars qualify for the C-USA championship game) in which he can pad his statistics. He is on pace to finish his career with more than 19,000 passing yards and 150 touchdowns. Even by spread offense standards, those numbers may be untouchable.

4. North Dakota State is the class of Division I-FCS.

Drew Lange’s North Dakota State Bison went into Saturday’s game against #2 Northern Iowa ranked 3rd in the Football Championship Subdivision. NDSU beat their Missouri Valley Football Conference rivals 27-19 in the Fargodome.

Image credit: Tina Haines Photography via GoBison.com

Meanwhile, top-ranked Georgia Southern lost to Appalachian State.

The 8-0 Bison, who likely will be #1 when the new FCS polls come out, are now one of two undefeated teams remaining in the Championship Subdivision. (Sam Houston State is the other.)

5. The Cardinals’ winningness rubbed off on their city’s football team.

On August 24 the St. Louis Cardinals were 10.5 games behind the Braves in the National League Wild Card race. You know the rest.

The Cardinals made an appearance with the World Series trophy before Sunday afternoon’s game between the previously winless St. Louis Rams and the New Orleans Saints. The Saints were favored by 13.5 points; they lost by 10. The Rams took control early in the game, leading 17-0 at the half and 24-0 in the third quarter. New Orleans scored 21 second-half points, but never managed to cut the lead to single digits.

The Cardinals didn’t rub off on the St. Louis Blues, who lost two games in western Canada this weekend.

6. Curtis Painter has wheels.

He may not be Peyton Manning, and he may not win games, but Colts quarterback Curtis Painter can run. Painter was the leading rusher in the Colts’ 27-10 loss to the Titans on Sunday, rushing for 79 yards on 7 carries (mostly in the 4th quarter after the game had been decided). He ran for more than twice as many yards on half as many attempts as the Titans’ Chris Johnson. (Maybe Tennessee should sign Curtis Painter, and his hair, to a $53.5 million deal.)

7. The worst team in the NFL will win the right to draft Stanley Spadowski.

Every time I see Andrew Luck, I ask myself, “Who does he remind me of?” Saturday night, while Luck was talking to reporters following Stanford’s triple-overtime win over USC, it hit me. He looks like Stanley Spadowski, Michael Richards’s character from Weird Al Yankovic’s 1989 cult comedy UHF:

What? You don't see it?

If you think that’s anything but a compliment, you need to see UHF.

8. Women’s Professional Soccer won’t leave its most marketable players in the hands of a negligent owner.

Late last week WPS eliminated its magicJack franchise. The Boca Raton team’s roster boasted some of the nation’s most recognizable women’s soccer players, including Hope Solo, Abby Wambach, and Meghan Rapinoe.

The magicJack’s owner, Dan Borislow, bought the team when it was the Washington Freedom, moved it to south Florida (where he lives), named it after his company (which makes a device that enables you to plug a standard phone into your computer’s USB port), then grossly mismanaged it. Apparently, Borislow did nothing to market the team; he didn’t even bother to set up an official team website. He neglected to submit game footage to the league and said that he was not interested in selling tickets.

Borislow also wore cleats to the practice facility so that he could scrimmage with the team. He fired magicJack coach Mike Lyons early in the season then made players double as coaches. Sometimes he coached the team himself.

WPS decided it would have no more of this nonsense. Unfortunately, cutting the magicJack leaves the league with only 5 teams, 4 of which are in the northeast.

#4 Oklahoma State is taking their fast paced offense on the road to Columbia, Missouri where the Tigers have won 10 straight at home.  This current winning streak has included victories over some of the top teams in the Big 12 and none was bigger than last season’s upset victory over #1 Oklahoma.   Many people think Oklahoma State is going to stroll into their final game undefeated, but this game has the potential to ruin the Cowboys’ perfect season.

Here is why the Missouri Tigers will upset the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

MISSOURI’S RUSHING ATTACK

Missouri is one of the best teams in the country at rushing the ball, led by sophomore Henry Josey.  Josey’s 717 rushing yards is tops in the Big 12 and the young running back is averaging 9.6 yards per carry.  Due to injuries at the running back spot, Missouri was forced to use Josey and he has turned into one of the top running backs in the country.

Not only does Missouri have running back that can beat you rushing the ball but they also have a quarterback that can do the same.  Missouri’s James Franklin is a very mobile quarterback that can take off and get positive yards at anytime.  Franklin’s most impressive performance rushing the ball this season came against Oklahoma’s stout defense, where he ran for 103 yards.

Oklahoma State’s defense is susceptible to giving up a lot rushing yards, and last week Texas ran for 231 yards against them.

OKLAHOMA STATE’S DEFENSE IS WEAK

Oklahoma State’s defense gives up a lot of yards and the only thing saving them is that they force a lot of turnovers.  The Cowboys are allowing 426.7 yards per game, and as usual Missouri has one of the best offenses in Big 12.

The Cowboys defense has allowed teams with lesser offenses than Missouri to rack up a large amount of yards against them.  Oklahoma State gave up close to 500 yards of offense against Tulsa and Kansas, two teams that don’t have a winning record.

Missouri is going to get their yards in this game and if they don’t turn the ball they are going to defeat Oklahoma State.

MISSOURI HAS MOMENTUM

Missouri might be the best team without a winning record (3-3) in the country, and their only losses have come on the road against ranked opponents.  The Tigers are coming off a confidence building win against Iowa State, dominating the Cyclones 52-17.

Missouri played very well against Iowa State especially on the offensive side the ball.  Against the Cyclones, Missouri had nearly 600 yards of total offense in a very balanced attack, churning out 289 yards in the air and 294 yards on the ground.

MISSOURI HAS THE HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

The Tigers have their back against the wall and will be motivated not to drop their fourth game of the season.  Missouri fans are going to be loud in this game and will make it very difficult for the Cowboys all day.

Missouri is very tough team at home and that is why I like the Tigers to pull of the up and win this game 49-42 in a shootout.

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Oklahoma State v Missouri Game Info:

• Oklahoma State-Missouri Date: Saturday, October 22nd
• Oklahoma State-Missouri  Kickoff Time: 12:00 ET
• Oklahoma State-Missouri  TV: FX
• Oklahoma State-Missouri Point Spread: Oklahoma State -7

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* – Missouri Tiger football photo credit: via Rok Grilec

Both teams had high hopes entering the season, with the Rebels ranked as high no. 4 in the country, and the Cowboys were in the top 10 for a while as well.

Both had hopes for the BCS and both are not settling in this intriguing match up in the Cotton Bowl.

I always look at the quarterback when predicting who will win bowl games, and both are good.

QB Jevan Snead for Ole Miss played well at times throwing 20 touchdowns, but also made a lot of mistakes 17 picks.

Zac Robinson a little more efficient with 14 touchdowns and 7 picks lost his big time wide receiver Dez Bryant earlier on this season.

Now we go to defense, Cowboys have their issues especially against good offenses, while Ole Miss can shut teams down. Tough one to call, but I say take Mississippi lay the 3 points.

See more of my picks at nflandcollegefootball.com

• Rule #1 Don’t bet what you don’t have. You don’t want to spend grocery money on my picks no matter how hot I get. 
• Rule #2 No matter how much you like a game, bet the same amount on the all games I give you. Freaky things happen in college football.

This is the time of the year when you make your money. Vegas is not sure how certain teams are going to perform, how new players are going to react to certain situations, and who will be the new stars emerge across the country.

And for the record, I only play the big games, the games you will see on TV (which you can find out at the MSF college football TV schedule).  Thus, I will not be giving picks on North Texas vs. some other cream puff.

We have a theme this week, so let’s begin.

Game #1 I love; actually, I love all four of the gems I’m going to give you, but I like this game the most.

Follow the link or click the image below to get great deals on college football tickets at StubHub.

Boise St vs. Oregon

• Boise State-Oregon Point Spread: Boise State -3.5
• Boise State -Oregon Over-Under: 64

The oddsmakers have Boise State favored in this game by 3.5 with the over-under at a whopping 64. I don’t believe either team will have many stops in this game and I expect the over to be in full effect. With that being said, Boise State is at home, it’s the first BIG game of the NCAA year, and oh by the way it’s on a Thursday night.

Folks, for starters, Boise State does not lose many home games, I can probably count on one hand how many losses they have had at home over the past five years. Boise State also has the experience, with 90% of their players having started a game last year. Oregon can’t match that experience, which is HUGE in the beginning of the season.

What does this game mean for Boise State? Well, if they win tomorrow night you might as well pencil them in to BCS Bowl, and maybe even a national championship. For Oregon, this game means a lot, but nowhere near what it means to the Broncos. Oregon did not have this game circled on their schedule as they had Cal, Oregon State, and USC.

Go with the Boise State and give the points.

Georgia at Oklahoma State

• Georgia-Oklahoma State Point Spread: Oklahoma State -5

Game #2 is Georgia at Oklahoma State. Will Georgia be able to stop the high powered offense of the Cowboys? Oklahoma State has some key players like Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant, who just so happens to be my projected #1 wide receiver in the country.

Georgia, on the other hand, has some players, but when the game is close who are they going to turn to? No Matthew Stafford, and no Knowshon Moreno.

Like the previous game, this game means a lot to Oklahoma State. This will be on Saturday night, on ABC, and the country will be watching. Oklahoma State has added seats for this year, so this will be the largest amount of fans to attend an Oklahoma State football game.

Georgia, well they need to worry about the SEC, so this game again means a lot but nowhere near what it means to the Cowboys. Oh and by the way, when was the last time Georgia traveled outside of their time zone?

Give the 5 and count your cash.

Missouri at Illinois

• Illinois-Missouri point spread: Illinois -7

Game #3 has Illinois giving 7 to Mizzou. I will keep this one quick, short, and to the point.

Mizzou lost everyone, Illinois has not. Gone for the Tigers are Chase Daniels, Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman. Mizzou had a great run, but they don’t reload like the top teams in the country do.

Illinois, on the other hand, returns quarterback Juice Williams. He had a great year last year, but still flew under the radar. He will be throwing the rock all day to up-and-coming stud Arrelious Benn. This is a home game for the fighting Illini and they have returning starters.

Give the points as Mizzou can’t stay up with the Illini like Ron Zook can stay up on his skis.

Virginia Tech vs Alabama

• Alabama-Virginia Tech point spread: Alabama -6.5

Game #4 is Virginia Tech vs. Alabama. The line in this game is 6.5. When I first saw this I almost jumped out of my chair. My first thought was there wasn’t going to be 6.5 points scored the whole game, not that I am advocating the under over in this game, but it just seems like a lot to give Virginia Tech, team with more firepower than the Crimson Tide.

Alabama over it’s past two games has been destroyed, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Nick Saban is sweating tonight thinking about the game on Saturday. I like Tyrod Taylor, and I think he is a playmaker, something Alabama doesn’t have many of on the offensive side of the ball.

Take the Hookies and take the points.

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Keep your eye out for Rich’s next column here at MSF, and you can also follow his blog at http://www.nflandcollegefootball.com/.

* – Ron Zook skiing photo credit: Deadspin

I know, I know — Mike Gundy is now 41 and his press conference rant is over a year old. Still, it does not make it any less funny. In fact, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane before we jump into the preview. But rather than listen to Mike Gundy rant about some “garbage” newspaper story, let’s watch him provide a weather report in the heart of a nasty storm.

And now, onto the serious stuff.

Here are the particulars for today’s Bedlam Series game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State:

Matchup: #3 Oklahoma Sooners (10-1) at #12 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-2)

Where: Stillwater, Oklahoma

Time: 8:00 ET

TV: ABC

Announcer Pairing: Brent Musberger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters

Point Spread: Oklahoma -7 ½

Over-Under: 72

What’s at stake: This game will help determine who goes to the Big 12 Championship Game from the Big 12 South division.

Texas took care of Texas A&M on Thursday night, as expected. This means that if the favorites hold serve, with Oklahoma beating OSU and Texas Tech beating Baylor, then there will be a three-way tie in the Big 12 South. By tiebreaker rule, whichever team is tanked higher in the BCS Standings would then go on to play Missouri in the Big 12 Championship Game. This scenario is the only possible way that Oklahoma could play in the Big 12 Championship.

If Oklahoma loses today and Texas Tech beats Baylor, then Texas Tech will play in the Big 12 Championship based on its victory over Texas. If Texas Tech loses to Baylor and Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State, Texas goes to the Big 12 Championship game because the Longhorns beat Oklahoma earlier this year.

So there’s just a little bit at stake tonight in Stillwater.

Let’s take a quick look at what some of the “experts” are predicting:

Dennis Dodd, Senior Writer at CBS Sportsline: Oklahoma State 31 | Oklahoma 23

“I had this vision Saturday night of Mike Gundy sitting on a trunk somewhere drawing up ball plays as he watched OU on TV out of the corner of his eye. People are just assuming that Oklahoma is going to cruise past the Cowboys. The reason it won’t is Kendall Hunter. Gundy will use its All-America-worthy back to control the clock. OSU’s defense is underrated. The fans will be out for blood.”

For the record, the other four prognosticators at CBS Sportsline all picked Oklahoma to win.

John Tamanaha, Official Prognosticator at NBCSports.com: Oklahoma 48 | Oklahoma State 31

“With Mike Gundy calling the shots, Zac Robinson hooking up with Dez Bryant, and Kendall Hunter running the rock, Oklahoma State is more than capable of getting into a shootout with Oklahoma, especially at home in Stillwater. But the Cowboys won’t be able to come up with enough stops to stay within striking distance in the fourth quarter.”

Stewart Mandel, College Football Oracle at SI.com: Oklahoma 48 | Oklahoma State 24

“Theoretically, the Sooners are walking into a “hostile” atmosphere — except there will be 15,000 empty seats due to OSU’s inane policy requiring fans to buy season tickets in order to attend this one.”

And, for the record, 83% of the fans who had voted by 10:15 ET this morning had picked Oklahoma.
Sounds reasonable to me.

Here is why I think Oklahoma will win:

1 – Karma is a bitch

Oklahoma State instituted an insane policy this year that no single-game tickets would be sold for the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game, instead forcing people to buy season tickets. Now, it is estimated that there will be 10,000-15,000 empty seats – for one of the biggest games of the season! Mike Gundy wants to talk about something being garbage? That’s garbage. No way the cosmic forces of college football allow Oklahoma State to win under such circumstances.

2 – Bob Stoops is better than Mike Gundy

It’s that simple. Look no further that the two team’s respective performances against Texas Tech. Graham Harrell made Oklahoma State look foolish, and Mike Gundy may as well have let T. Boone Pickens call the offensive plays. We all know what Stoops and the Sooners did to Texas Tech. Mike Gundy may be a man, but Bob Stoops is the man in the Big 12.

3 – The BCS is a bitch

If Oklahoma wins and Texas Tech wins, as explained earlier, all hell breaks loose. As any college football fan knows, the evil and diabolical BCS demon is not happy unless it has created as much carnage and controversy as possible. Texas Tech and Oklahoma will both win today, forcing the three-way tie in the Big 12 South that will be determined by politics and BS. And nothing says BCS better than politics and BS.

My prediction: Oklahoma 49 | Oklahoma State 31

And now, if you are a betting man, I’d run out an bet every last dollar on Oklahoma State pulling off the upset. I’m as accurate with my predictions as Lee Corso is sane. Just remember that I picked Texas Tech over Oklahoma as you click away from his prediction as fast as humanly possible.