Dec. 22, 8 p.m., (ESPN)
The MAACO Las Vegas Bowl matches a pair of ranked teams that wish they were somewhere else.
Early in the season, BYU thought it was a BCS-buster when it beat Oklahoma. But the Cougars got pushed around by Florida State and trounced by TCU, which ended those dreams.
Oregon State lost its season finale at Oregon, the rivalry game defeat costing the Beavers the Rose Bowl for a second-consecutive season.
BYU will be playing in its fifth-consecutive Las Vegas Bowl, and the Cougars are 2-2 vs. the Pac-10 in the bowl. So this is sort of a rubber match.
The game features a pair of outstanding quarterbacks. BYU’s Max Hall is third in the nation in passer rating and has thrown 30 touchdown passes. Oregon State’s Sean Canfield is 15th in the nation in passing rating and has competed 70 percent of his throws.
Canfield gets a lot of help from the Rodgers brothers, running back Jacquizz and receiver James. Hall gets a boost from burly running back Harvey Unga and tight end Dennis Pitta
BYU has slightly better numbers on defense, and pass rush may be a key. Neither team has been great at getting to the opposing quarterback – the Beavers have only 15 sacks – and neither is great at pass protection.
Ted Miller | email
College Football- ESPN.com Pac-12 blogger
- Covered college football since 1997
- Wrote for Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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Ted Miller
Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-12. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in the 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
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