Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Predictions: West Virginia vs. Oklahoma

The college football bowl series is well underway. Kickoff for the 37^th annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl is scheduled for January 2, 2008, 7:30 PM (Eastern), at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale Arizona. By beating Missouri in the Big 12 Championship, the Oklahoma Sooners will be headed back to the Fiesta Bowl. With the Fiestas Bowl's other selection, it passed on Hawaii and took Big East champion West Virginia. Oklahoma, the number four-ranked team in the nation is favored by eight points over number nine-ranked West Virginia.

Since the arrival of both teams, the pre-game celebrations have been ongoing for over a week. On Saturday, December 29, the streets of Central Phoenix were filled with spectators for the 37^th Annual Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. The Sooners running game will keep the Mountaineer defense honest with Allen Patrick, Chris Brown and company adding over 200 yards on the ground.

After playing Colorado and Texas Tech, Oklahoma's secondary seemed to be a liability. If West Virginia's running game starts to struggle early, expect them to go to the air and try to exploit the Oklahoma secondary.

There is no doubt that the performance of Steve Slaton will be under heavy scrutiny. Steve Slaton's numbers have indeed severely decline from a year ago. He went from being a game breaking threat to a mediocre number two back. In 2006, Slaton finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy polls. In 2007 he didn't even earn first team all-Big East honors.

During the Big East championship game on November 24, West Virginia showed everyone that a 66-21 victory did not require more than 10 carries for 54 yards out of Slaton. Because of this, West Virginia can be assured that he's not the focus of the Sooners' defensive game plan. This could be laying the groundwork for a big game for Slaton.

Pat Forde "They go as [White] goes," said linebacker Curtis Lofton. "We definitely scheme around him and we're trying to stop him."

"The biggest myth is everyone saying Steve is not playing well," offensive coordinator Calvin Magee said. "He's probably the most unselfish kid I've been around in my life. He's had to read this all year, too.

Slaton said he's had a good year individually because he's showcased his versatility and his character -- as he said, "by having less carries and not complaining about it," says ESPN.

My Prediction: West Virginia: 28 Oklahoma: 36