Predicting every 2016 college football bowl game

Sugar Bowl: Auburn vs. Oklahoma – Jan. 2, 8:30 p.m. ET

Whenever the New Year’s Six games were being announced, this is one that caught my eye. I’ll admit, I’m a big fan of the majority of the games in that category, but this one stood out to me for the huge contrast in styles that it presents. Obviously this matchup is going to pit the explosive and multi-headed attack of the Oklahoma Sooners against the SEC-stereotype, stout defense of the Auburn Tigers. The results should be a war of attrition in the Sugar Bowl.

Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook were in New York as Heisman Trophy finalists for a reason. After a slow start to the season, they turned on the jets late in the year and really got things rolling. It’s not just that passing game duo either, as the likes of Joe Mixon have been monstrous in moving the ball on the ground and keeping the attack balanced. While that may be the case, this is a team that stumbled early and is susceptible to being shut down by a stout defense.

Auburn certainly presents that, ranking 20th in college football in scoring defense for 2016 as they allowed a mere 15.6 points per game. However, they also can’t even come close to matching the offensive prowess of the Sooners. With a revolving door at quarterback—for one reason or another—and Kamry Pettway being a bit inconsistent, you never know how much support that Tigers offense is going to provide.

But against this Oklahoma defense, Auburn should at least have some success moving the ball. After all, the Sooners have been mediocre at best in terms of stopping their opponents. Moreover, we saw what can happen to this team when they face a high-caliber defense when they were routed by Ohio State. As such, I think the Sooners fall, but in a close one.

Prediction: Auburn: 24, Oklahoma: 23