With the 2013-2014 College Football bowl season winding down, some of the nation’s top teams are set to meet in multiple high-profile contests. The BCS bowl slate began in tremendous fashion with No. 4 Michigan State upending No. 5 Stanford 24-20 in the 100th edition of the Rose Bowl Game on New Year’s Day. Later that evening, No. 15 Central Florida surprised many with their convincing 52-42 victory over No. 6 Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl, providing fans with an action-packed start to 2014. Looking to continue the entertainment value of the bowl season, the 80th Allstate Sugar Bowl is next on the schedule and this game should shape up to be a fun one as well.
No. 3 Alabama had visions of a third-straight National Championship this season but after falling to Auburn in the regular-season finale, the Crimson Tide dropped in the rankings and out of title contention. Set to take on No. 11 Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl Thursday night in New Orleans, ‘Bama head coach Nick Saban said recently that the key to his team’s success will be their preparation, focus and approach. “The important thing about a Bowl game is all about mindset,” Saban said. “So how your team sort of resets their mindset is really important to how a team's going to prepare, how they're going to focus, how they're going to play in the game. And to me, sometimes if you're an underdog, you have a little bit more to prove.”
Thanks to victories over Iowa State (48-10), Kansas State (41-31) and then-ranked No. 6 Oklahoma State (33-24) to end the regular season, No. 11 Oklahoma will look to take down an Alabama team that held opponents to 10 points or less nine times this season. Dealing with the Crimson Tide defense will surely be a tall order but head coach Bob Stoops knows that controlling Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron will serve as a tough task as well. McCarron finished second in Heisman Voting this season but Stoops views him as the nation’s top talent.
“I think AJ McCarron is the best player in the country, I really do,” Stoops said. “If I had a vote, that's who I'd vote for. On and on, just fundamental, sound, great players, force great schemes. I appreciate good football, and the Crimson Tide play it, and they play it the right way.”
The Sooners and Tide last met in 2003, with OU taking down Alabama 20-13.
Alabama vs. Oklahoma: DATE, TIME & VIEWING INFO
DATE: Thursday, January 2, 2014
TIME: 8:30pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: ESPN
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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