The Oklahoma Sooners were on the cusp of reaching the Big 12 title game but just missed out when BYU fell to Oklahoma State. Then, it seemed like they had a shot to sneak into a New Year’s Six bowl, but the committee felt like their losses outweighed their win over Texas.
Still, there’s one more game to make a statement in 2023 with a matchup against the Arizona Wildcats in the Alamo Bowl. An opportunity to finish with 11 wins and head into the offseason with more momentum.
And this matchup with Arizona has a chance to be one of the best of the bowl season. Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports put the Alamo Bowl at No. 5 in his ranking of every bowl game this season.
Arizona was one of my favorite teams to watch this season. Early in the year, the Wildcats were forced to turn to backup QB Noah Fifita, and it was the best thing that could’ve happened to them as Fifita has been one of the best players in the country since. He’s been the driving force behind leading the Wildcats to their best season since 2014. They’ll face an Oklahoma team that’s been up and down this year. The Sooners are 10-2, but the offense tends to disappear at times, and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby just left for the Mississippi State job. Still, my initial reaction to seeing this matchup is that it has the potential to be a thriller, which would be nothing new for an Alamo Bowl.
If you’re not familiar with our beloved Alamo Bowl’s history, it’s traditionally been a high-scoring game. The last 14 games have averaged 66.2 points with the winning team averaging 40.3. Both of these teams are more than capable of living up to the game’s past. – Fornelli, CBS Sports
The Arizona Wildcats were a really good team in 2023. Their losses to Washington and USC came by a combined nine points. They won six in a row to close out the regular season, which included a 42-18 win over Utah.
The Wildcats rank in the top 30 nationally in scoring offense and scoring defense. They’ve allowed just 20.8 points per game and are scoring 34.3 points per game.
The Sooners have been one of the best offenses in the country this year. They’re No. 3 in the nation in scoring, averaging 43.2 points per game. The defense finished No. 42 in the nation, allowing 22.3 points per game, which is an improvement from the 30 points per game they allowed in 2022.
The transfer portal departures of [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag], and [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] could have an impact on the outcome of the Alamo Bowl. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] will get the first start of his career, and with a month to prepare, he should be more than ready for the bright lights in San Antonio, Texas.
[autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] proved to be Oklahoma’s best running back down the stretch, notching four straight 100-yard days to finish the season. While Lawrence will be a loss on defense, the Sooners feel really good about their young safeties and future NFL-er Billy Bowman.
As Fornelli mentions, this is going to be a fun matchup that has the potential to be one of the best in this year’s bowl season.
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