Don't Sleep On The Oklahoma St. Cowboys

All of the buzz around college football this weekend is down in Dallas, Texas at the Cotton Bowl, as Texas and Oklahoma will go at it in the 106th Red River Rivalry. For the first time since 2008 both Oklahoma and Texas are ranked in the top 10 of the USA Today Poll and for just the second time since 2005 both the Longhorns and Sooners are undefeated coming into the showdown. Not only is Texas looking to rebound from its first sub .500 season since the polls began all the way back in 1941, but Oklahoma is ranked number 1 in the USA Today Poll and is looking to make their first BCS Championship game since 2008 when they lost to Tim Tebow and Florida 24 to 14. In a conference that has been dominated by Oklahoma and Texas, as the two have won the Big 12 nine times since 2000, people often overlook the other contenders in the conference. Although Oklahoma St. is ranked number 6 in the AP poll, the Cowboys have been flying way under the radar. As Oklahoma and Texas are once again in the forefront of the conference, the Oklahoma St. Cowboys are quietly taking care of their business and have a great chance of winning their first conference title since 1976 when they were in the Big Eight and their first ever Big 12 conference title.

The Cowboys are so dangerous and are so difficult to defend because of their prolific offense, which ranks 3rd in the country in total yards per game at 571.5. Oklahoma St. ranks 6th in the country in points per game at 46.8 and they have not been held under 30 points in any game this season. Their passing game is devastating to any defense. The Cowboys 415.5 passing yards per game ranks 2nd in the country only behind Houston. Oklahoma St. quarterback Brandon Weeden has thrown for more than 350 yards in all four of the Cowboys' wins including a 438 yard performance against the Texas A&M Aggies on the road two weeks ago in a 30-29 comeback win. Weeden's main target, Justin Blackmon, is one of the best receivers in the country. Dating back to last season, Black,on has had over 100 yards in 15 out of 16 games. Blackmon's 11 catch, 121 yard, and 1 touchdown game against Texas A&M is a normal line for the big 6-1 receiver. The Cowboys like to sling the ball out to Blackmon on first down, so that they can have a more manageable second down if they don't pick up the first down originally. Blackmon has 16 receptions for 197 yards on first down this season. The Cowboys have shown this year as well that they have other targets aside from Blackmon. Last week Josh Cooper had career highs in receptions with 11 and receiving yards with 123, while Hubert Anyiam added 10 catches and 92 yards in that game. Tracy Moore had 112 yards receiving against Louisiana-Lafayette in the Cowboys first game of the season. Since the Cowboys have such an effective passing game, many people forget that they can run the ball on teams as well. Joseph Randle is averaging 115 yards per game this season and is tied for the Big 12 lead with 7 touchdown runs. Randle said about the red zone, "It's time to shine when you get in there. It's the score zone."

Everybody knows that the Cowboys offense can score with anybody in the country. Oklahoma State's defense is the only thing that is going to hold them back. The Cowboys 27.5 points per game against ranks 75th in the country and only Baylor, Iowa St., and Kansas are allowing more points per game than the Cowboys in the Big 12. The Cowboys defense has struggled to get pressure on the quarterback. No Oklahoma St. player has more than 2 sacks this season. However, the Cowboys defense has shown that they can hold the other team down when they need to do so. In week 2, the Cowboys held the Arizona Wildcat offense, which ranks 3rd in the country in passing yards, to 0 points in the first half and put the game out of reach early. Texas A&M scored just 9 points and had 4 turnovers against the Cowboys in the second half, which was essential in Oklahoma St. erasing a 17 point halftime deficit.

The schedule sets up fairly nicely for the Cowboys as well. After Oklahoma St. plays Kansas at home this week, they travel to Texas and Missouri in consecutive weeks. After those two difficult games on the road, the Cowboys have Baylor, Kansas St., and Oklahoma all at home in Stillwater in three of their final 5 games. Since Brandon Weeden is a senior and Justin Blackmon will likely go to the NFL draft next year, this has to be the year for Oklahoma St. to make their first ever BCS Bowl game.