ESPN College Football

Not-so-instant analysis because I was flying to LA for the Rose Bowl.

Oklahoma's 31-27 win over Stanford drops the Pac-10 to 2-4 in the bowl season and guarantees a losing bowl record with only the Rose Bowl left to play.

How the game was won: Oklahoma dominated the second half to overcome a seven-point halftime deficit. While Stanford had almost no passing game with Tavita Pritchard stepping in for the injured Andrew Luck, the Sooners got 418 yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Landry Jones.

Turning point: The third quarter. Oklahoma scored two touchdowns in the third to go ahead for good while Stanford managed to gain just 32 total yards.

Stat of the game: Oklahoma owned third down. Stanford was 1 for 12 on third down, while the Sooners were 10 for 20.

What it means: Probably not a whole lot in the big picture for Stanford, which is clearly on the rise under coach Jim Harbaugh. There's also, of course, a ready-made excuse due to the absense of Luck, though Sooners fans probably can talk a bit about injuries to quarterbacks and other stars. As far as the bigger picture for the conference, it hurts the image that another ranked Pac-10 team was decisively controlled in a bowl game -- see a 477 to 262 Oklahoma advantage in total yardage. Stanford's first order of business going forward is improving its defense, which struggled all season.

Breaking down the Brut Sun Bowl between No. 21 Stanford (8-4) and Oklahoma (7-5) on Thursday.

WHO TO WATCH: It will be a game-time decision on whether Stanford's redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck (broken finger) will be able to play, but the odds are the ball will be in senior backup Tavita Pritchard's hands. Pritchard isn't new to this. He has started 19 games. But in those starts he threw 22 interceptions with just 15 touchdowns. With Pritchard behind center, Oklahoma will dare him to beat them in the downfield passing game. The Sooners will crowd the line of scrimmage and use one of the nation's best run defenses to slow down All-American running back Toby Gerhart. It's Pritchard's job to make them pay for that tactic.

WHAT TO WATCH: Stanford's defense has been mediocre-to-bad this year. The Cardinal have lost three starters due to injury and they lack overall athleticism, particularly in the secondary. Opponents are completing 63 percent of their passes and have thrown for 20 touchdowns. The Sooners are loaded at receiver, will be far healthier on the offensive line after the layoff and have a good running game to keep a defense leaning forward. Although Sooners quarterback Landry Jones hasn't played well away from home this season, the Sun Bowl won't feel like an away game. The Cardinal will need to step up big on defense.

WHY WATCH: This almost certainly will be the last chance to see Gerhart in a Stanford jersey. That's reason enough because the Heisman Trophy runner-up will face a great matchup with a physical Sooners defense that doesn't want to get run over like most of Gerhart's other opponents. Also, there's the mystery of whether Luck might actually pull a Willis Reed and try to play with a surgically repaired index finger he broke in the season finale against Notre Dame.

PREDICTION: The key all year for Stanford has been Luck. Gerhart is a great running back. But he was great last year. With Luck behind center, however, it forced defenses to respect the pass, and he burned teams -- particularly Oregon -- downfield when they tried to gang up on Gerhart. With Luck, Stanford's physical offensive line would be a great matchup with the Oklahoma D-front. But the Sooners will be able to bring an extra defender into the box and outnumber the Cardinal. Can Pritchard make them pay? Guess here is he will a couple of times. But not enough for the Cardinal to outscore the Sooners, who should have their way with the Stanford D. So the call here is Oklahoma 30, Stanford 21.

Dreams of a national championship ended early this season for Oklahoma when Sam Bradford was injured in a season-opening loss to BYU. And the Sooners’ dreams of claiming an unprecedented fourth consecutive Big 12 title were effectively quashed when the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner was reinjured early in the Texas game.

At 7-5, Oklahoma already has lost more games in the regular season than in any previous season during coach Bob Stoops’ tenure. But the Sun Bowl game against Stanford still is important as the Sooners try to put a positive ending to a nightmarish season.

WHO TO WATCH: Ryan Broyles, WR/KR, Oklahoma

Whether it’s catching passes, running reverses or running back punts, Broyles is the Sooners' top playmaker. He led the team with 76 receptions for 964 yards and 12 touchdown grabs and has averaged 16.5 yards per punt return. And he has a nose for the end zone with 14 touchdowns that led the conference. His 1,565 all-purpose yards rank fourth in the Bob Stoops era and he twice produced 11 catches in a game. And Broyles is in line to become the first wide receiver to lead Oklahoma in scoring in the 72 seasons that the program has been tracking football statistics. When Broyles is making big plays, the Sooners have their best shot to win and quarterback Landry Jones’ confidence is at its peak. A big game from Broyles will be vitally important if this game turns out to be a shootout as so many bowl games seem to do.

WHAT TO WATCH: Oklahoma’s rush defense against Toby Gerhart

The Sooners’ rush defense is their strength on that side of the ball, ranking seventh nationally. With Gerald McCoy and Adrian Taylor at tackle and Jeremy Beal and Frank Alexander at end, the Sooners have one of the most productive defensive fronts in the country. But the Sooners still will be challenged by Gerhart, who ranked second in Heisman balloting on the strength of a late surge that saw him rush for 1,736 yards this season -- including an average of 185.5 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in his last four games. With Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck doubtful because of a broken right index finger, backup quarterback Tavita Pritchard likely will lean on Gerhart more than usual. And considering he averaged 29 carries in his final four games of the season, the interior of the Sooners’ defense might brace for a big test in the game.

WHY WATCH: Can the Sooners turn around their recent bowl slump?

Oklahoma’s struggles in recent bowls have made the Sooners a national punchline with five straight losses in BCS games and three consecutive losses in national championship games. While the Sun Bowl might not have the national luster of some of their recent bowl games, just winning the final game of the season would be huge for the Sooners’ psyche -- especially after all of this season’s early disappointments. A triumph over the Cardinal would enable the Sooners to produce some positive momentum heading into 2010.

PREDICTION: There might be some concern about how motivated the Sooners will be in El Paso after playing in BCS games in seven of their last nine seasons. But the struggles in those recent games should have this group excited just to try to win a bowl game for a change. With Luck likely out, the Sooners will be catching a break. Look for the Sooners to try to control Gerhart and force Pritchard to beat them passing. The Sooners also look to have too many offensive weapons against a pedestrian Stanford defense that likely will have trouble matching them athletically. Oklahoma 38, Stanford 24.