Sugar Bowl – 3 Best Storylines

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by Ricky Winnor

1 –Can Oklahoma Simply Make The Game Close?

The best thing to say about the 2014 Sugar Bowl is that it is a matchup of two classic schools in college football, two programs that convey a lot of history, tradition and excellence. Yet, Oklahoma’s name isn’t accompanied by the same on-field strength that Alabama can point to. Alabama was a legitimate national championship contender. The Crimson Tide came so close to a perfect regular season, but they were upended by Auburn on a 109-yard field goal return for a touchdown on the final play of the game, one of the most improbable occurrences in the long history of college football. Alabama led the game, 21-7, and had numerous chances to put the game away in the fourth quarter. 
Head coach Nick Saban inexplicably passed up a chip-shot field goal that would have given his team a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. Everything about the game pointed to an Alabama win… until the very end, when Auburn scrambled to tie and then ran back a field goal into the history books. Alabama is a colossus in college football, even with that loss on its back. Oklahoma got trampled by Texas and roughed up by Baylor. The Sooners did extremely well to win 10 games this season in the face of a lot of injuries, but their defensive front seven will still be without a top lineman, Jordan Phillips, and an elite linebacker, Corey Nelson. 
How will Oklahoma possibly be able to withstand the acknowledged physical power of Alabama in the trenches? How will Oklahoma quarterbacks Blake Bell and Trevor Knight (whoever winds up starting this game) be able to hold up under the pressure they’re likely to receive from Alabama’s front four? How will Oklahoma’s receivers get open? How will Oklahoma’s running backs find holes in Alabama’s defense? How will Oklahoma’s defensive line be able to generate enough pressure on Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron? There is simply no matchup on the field where Oklahoma appears to have an advantage. This feels like a mismatch, and it’s up to Oklahoma to change a lot of minds.

2 –Being Disrespected: Oklahoma’s One Hope

The best online betting software makes your life somewhat easier, and that’s important. Yet, the real thing that makes your life easier as a bettor is to win. Alabama seems like the obvious choice, but one thing that does happen in bowl games is that an underdog plays with a ton of passion and flies around the field because it thinks it is being disrespected. Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops has made a lot of harsh statements about the SEC over the years. Now he gets to face an SEC team in a bowl game, and you know his team will be fired up. Will this be able to shift the balance of power?

3 – The Alabama Letdown Factor

When you go to www.wagersolutions.com,you grow in understanding. Alabama will try to grow in this game by showing that it can play with pride and determination even after being denied a chance to compete for a third straight national championship. If Alabama sulks through this game, the Crimson Tide could lose. We’ll see if this team is ready to regroup.

 

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