Every year, there's one or two non-New Year's Six bowls that jump off the page. The Alamo Bowl between Oklahoma State and Colorado is one of those games. The one-time conference foes provide an intriguing matchup indoors on a fast track, but that doesn't mean it will be an offensive shootout. Colorado boasts one of the top defenses in all of college football and Oklahoma State has some playmakers in all three levels of its underrated defensive group.
With two excellent coaches and some future NFL talent to boot, the Alamo Bowl promises to be one of the better games before New Years.
Viewing information
Date: Thursday, Dec. 29
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Alamo Dome -- San Antonio, Texas
TV: ESPN
Live streams: WatchESPN / WatchESPN apps
Storylines
Colorado: The Buffs had the turnaround of the year in college football, and coach Mike MacIntyre (deservedly) was named Coach of the Year by CBS Sports. This wasn't just any leap out of irrelevance, either. Colorado was a once-proud program that suffered through a decade of basement-dwelling misery before rattling off 10 legitimate wins while claiming the Pac-12 South. This was no fluke by MacIntyre and his team, even if the conference championship game went horribly wrong in every imaginable way.
Oklahoma State: Speaking of great coaches, Mike Gundy (and his terrific mullet) is criminally underrated nationally. All he does is put Oklahoma State in position to win the Big 12 every few years in a day and age when a round-robin schedule should make it harder for programs like his. With some future pros on offense (quarterback Mason Rudolph, wideout James Washington) and along the defensive line (Vincent Taylor), this might be the best team he's had since the Cowboys won the Big 12 title in 2011.
Players to watch
Secondary, Colorado: There are simply too many playmakers in the defensive backfield to choose just one guy. Stunningly, there were no first-team All-Pac-12 selections out of this group, but collectively, this is as stingy and physical a secondary as Oklahoma State will have seen. The Cowboys' wideouts will have a tough time breaking free against one of the top pass defenses in the country.
Justice Hill, RB, Oklahoma State: The Pokes have an excellent passing attack, but Colorado's secondary is filled with studs of their own. This is a strength vs. strength matchup. However, the Buffs were less stingy against the run and the Cowboys finally found their own rushing attack this year. Hill was named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and was the first 1,000-yard rusher for Oklahoma State since Joseph Randle in 2012. His contributions will be critical to opening up the passing attack -- or replacing it altogether.
Prediction
Oklahoma State is more balanced offensively than in recent years, but the Buffaloes are a tough matchup defensively. The question is whether the loss of defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, who is taking the same job at Oregon, will have an impact in this game. Colorado is also a different team -- a better team -- when quarterback Sefo Liufau is healthy. Don't be scared away by how each team ended the season as this is an intriguing, close matchup. Pick: Colorado -3.5