No. 10 Colorado will face No. 12 Oklahoma State in the 24th edition of the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 in San Antonio, Texas. It is the first bowl appearance for the Buffaloes since 2007 and the first under head coach Mike MacIntyre. For the Cowboys, it is their 11th consecutive bowl appearance under head coach Mike Gundy.
Colorado (10-3) finished first in the Pac-12 South Division; they fell to No. 4 Washington in the Pac-12 title game. Oklahoma State (9-3) finished third in the Big 12; a season-ending loss to (then No. 9) Oklahoma was their only blemish in the final two months of the season after suffering early-season losses to Baylor (then No. 16) and Central Michigan.
Oklahoma State is led by quarterback Mason Rudolph, who passed for 3,777 yards this season, and wide receiver James Washington, who had 1,209 of those yards and found the end zone nine times. Campus Insiders calls Rudolph an “NFL-caliber talent” who doesn’t get the respect he deserves.
The X-factor for Colorado, according to Campus Insiders, will be quarterback Sefo Liufau. They describe Liufau as a “steadying force for a balanced and efficient offense.” Liufau missed most of the first half in the Pac-12 Championship, and was ineffective when he returned, but Jordan Cornette expects a fully healthy Liufau will put that performance behind him.
Campus Insiders predicts a Colorado win in San Antonio, despite a rough outing against Washington. The Buffs defense will be inspired, says Cornette, and deliver a victory.
The Valero Alamo Bowl kicks off at 7 p.m. on Dec. 29. The game will air on ESPN.
