All of the games on the December 30th bowl schedule finish up in Tempe for the Insight Bowl, where the Oklahoma Sooners will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes.
The Sooners haven't had the greatest bowl history against teams that they aren't all that excited about playing against. This is definitely going to be one of those games that isn't up to snuff for OU, especially since the team came up short of the BCS with its loss in Bedlam against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
We've seen some great results from this team this year, most notably a 55-17 win over the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Shootout and a 58-17 win at the Kansas State Wildcats on October 29th. However, we've also seen this team take a total night off against the Pokes (44-10 loss), Baylor Bears (45-38 loss as 16.5 point favorites), and the Texas Tech Red Raiders (41-38 as 28 point favorites).
The offense really hasn't looked the same without WR Ryan Broyles, who is sure to be one of the top picks in the NFL Draft next year. QB Landry Jones, who also could be one of the top signal callers in the NFL Draft next year if he elects to head to the pros, didn't have his greatest year. Yes, he threw for 4,302 yards, but he also had 28 TDs against 14 picks, both numbers of which are good, but neither of which is particularly fantastic.
Iowa is one of these teams that always seems to figure out how to compete in some of its biggest games of the year. It is a huge underdog in this game of 13.5 points at Bookmaker Sportsbook, but we aren't willing to totally count it out.
The Hawkeyes didn't play well on the road this year, only notching one win against the Purdue Boilermakers. In fairness, they did take on a slew of bowl eligible teams this year, including two out of conference. Iowa also had a win over the Michigan Wolverines, a BCS at large team.
RB Marcus Coker and WR Marvin McNutt have both had fantastic years. Coker rushed for 1,384 yards and 15 TDs this year, while McNutt had 1,269 receiving yards. If these two get going in this game, the Sooners could be in some trouble, especially against a defense that is a heck of a lot more challenging than its No. 68 ranking in the nation suggests.
