Big 12 tiers: Where do OU, Oklahoma State football bowl games rank in entertainment value?
Nine of the Big 12’s 14 teams are bowl bound.
In this week’s edition of Big 12 tiers, I’m sorting the nine games by entertainment value. How excited am I to watch them?
The list starts and ends in Louisiana, where Texas will play in New Orleans, and where Texas Tech will play in Shreveport.
Mussatto's Minutes: College Football Playoff's process flawed, even if it got right teams
Tier 1
Texas vs. Washington (Sugar Bowl, CFP semifinal, Jan. 1)
A year ago, these teams met in the Alamodome. Washington beat Texas 27-20 in the Alamo Bowl. Now they’ll meet at the Superdome, in the Sugar Bowl, with a national championship spot on the line.
Texas leads the all-time series 3-2. The last three meetings were all in bowl games.
Washington (13-0) has the slight quarterback edge with Michael Penix Jr. over Quinn Ewers, but both teams have top-20 offenses. Texas (12-1), at least on paper, has a much better defense.
If Texas wins, a Big 12 team will have made the national championship game in back-to-back seasons.
Line: Texas -4.0
Prediction: Longhorns 34, Huskies 27
OU vs. Arizona in 2023 Alamo Bowl: hcore prediction, scouting report
Tier 2
Oklahoma vs. Arizona (Alamo Bowl, Dec. 28)
A football blue blood versus a basketball school. A Big 12 defector versus a Big 12 newcomer. An offensive mind in Jedd Fisch against a defensive guru in Brent Venables.
The Sooners (10-2) and Wildcats (9-3) split a home-and-home series in 1988 and ‘89, and they’ll meet in a bowl game for the first time.
Arizona has won six straight games and the Wildcats reached nine wins for the first time since 2014.
Adding to the entertainment value is the likelihood of seeing Jackson Arnold quarterbacking the Sooners in the wake of Dillon Gabriel’s decision to enter the transfer protal. Arnold will likely be starting opposite Noah Fifita, Arizona’s promising redshirt freshman quarterback.
Line: Arizona -3.5
Prediction: Wildcats 30, Sooners 28
More: New OU offensive coordinator Seth Littrell 'like (a) brother' to OL coach Bill Bedenbaugh
Kansas vs. UNLV (Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Dec. 26)
This game features two coaches in Lance Leipold and Barry Odom who did a remarkable job this season, and two offenses that are fun to watch in their own distinct ways.
Odom, who as a player won a state championship at Ada, led the Rebels (9-4) to the Mountain West title game, where they lost 44-20 to Boise State. Still, UNLV won nine games for the first time since it won 11 in 1984. It was UNLV’s first season with at least eight wins since 2000.
The Rebels are going bowling for just the third time this century.
Kansas (8-4) secured back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 2007 and 2008.
Line: Kansas -12.0
Prediction: Jayhawks 40, Rebels 30.
OSU vs. Texas A&M in 2023 Texas Bowl: Score prediction, scouting report
Tier 3
Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M (Texas Bowl, Dec. 27)
The Cowboys (9-4) just played in Houston a few weeks ago, and while it’s cool to battle an ex-Big 12 squad in the Aggies (7-5), we’ve seen this matchup before. In the Texas Bowl, back in 2019.
Under Mike Gundy, OSU is 11-6 in bowl games.
Meanwhile, Jimbo Fisher is out at Texas A&M, and former Duke coach Mike Elko is in. Elko isn’t expected to coach the Aggies in the bowl game.
Texas A&M leads the all-time series 18-10, but OSU has won four of the last five meetings.
Line: Texas A&M -3.5
Prediction: Cowboys 28, Aggies 20
Kansas State vs. NC State (Pop-Tarts Bowl, Dec. 28)
Kansas State (8-4) and NC State (9-3) both finished in the College Football Playoff committee’s final top 25 — No. 25 and No. 18 respectively.
Dave Doren is in his 11th season at NC State. Did you know the Wolfpack has won at least eight games in six of the last seven seasons? Seems like NC State always flies under the radar. Sort of a college football enigma.
It’s hard to know what to expect from Kansas State in this one, having just lost veteran quarterback Will Howard to the transfer portal.
Line: Kansas State -4.0
Prediction: Wolfpack 20, Wildcats 16
More: Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy says Texas A&M uncertainy 'very unusual' for Texas Bowl prep
West Virginia vs. North Carolina (Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Dec. 27)
Either Neal Brown or Mack Brown is going to get a mayo bath after this one.
I hope it’s Mack just for the entertainment factor.
This will be the third all-time meeting, all bowl games, between West Virginia (8-4) and North Carolina (8-4). UNC beat WVU in the 1997 Gator Bowl, and the Moutaineers got revenge in the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl — which we now call the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Will North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, a projected top-three pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, play? The game is in Charlotte, where Maye grew up.
Line: West Virginia -3.5
Prediction: North Carolina 42, West Virginia 38
Tier 4
UCF vs. Georgia Tech (Gasparilla Bowl, Dec. 22)
Gold vs. Gold in the Gasparilla Bowl.
If you, like me, didn’t know, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival is an annual Tampa tradition. It’s named after pirate Jose Gaspar.
UCF (6-6) swept a home-and-home series against Georgia Tech (6-6) in 2020 and 2022, but the Yellow Jackets lead the series 3-2.
Line: UCF -4.5
Prediction: Knights 31, Yellow Jackets 24
Iowa State vs. Memphis (Liberty Bowl, Dec. 29)
A rematch of the 2017 Liberty Bowl, which Iowa State won 21-20.
I wonder if the Tigers (9-3) like playing a bowl game in their home stadium? Really takes the fun out of a “bowl trip.”
Kansas is the only Big 12 team more heavily favored to win their bowl game than Iowa State (7-5).
Line: Iowa State -6.5
Prediction: Cyclones 17, Tigers 16
Texas Tech vs. Cal (Independence Bowl, Dec. 16)
The Spike/Sonny Dykes bowl.
Texas Tech beat Cal in the 2004 Holiday Bowl, the only meeting between the Red Raiders (6-6) and Golden Bears (6-6).
Not a lot of similarities between Lubbock and Berkeley, but then again, I’ve never been to Berkeley. Only a guess.
Line: Texas Tech -3.0
Prediction: Red Raiders 34, Golden Bears 21
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Big 12 tiers: Where do OU, OSU bowl games rank in entertainment value?
