(Video courtesy Arizona athletics)
No. 18 Oklahoma State (1-0) at Arizona (1-0)
Kickoff: Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)
Spread: Oklahoma State by 13.5
Watchability: If you like offense, this could be the game to watch on Saturday. The Cowboys put up 84 points in their season opener against overmatched Savannah State. Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez is laying the groundwork for his own spread attack to find success quickly, as the Wildcats piled up 624 yards (the second-highest total in program history) in their win over Toledo.
Shining stars: Oklahoma State: Joseph Randle. Like the rest of the Cowboys' starters, Randle wasn't in the opener for long, but he looked impressive in his limited action. The starting running back tallied 107 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries. He and fellow running back Jeremy Smith will test Arizona's new 3-3-5 defense, directed by former West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel. Arizona: Matt Scott. There has been a long line of quarterbacks who have found success under Rodriguez's system, from Shaun King at Tulane to Woody Dantzler at Clemson to Pat White at West Virginia to Denard Robinson at Michigan. Scott's performance in the team's 24-17 overtime win suggests he may be next, as he finished with 387 yards passing and another 74 yards rushing.
Who could steal the show: Oklahoma State: Wes Lunt. Observers got to see little of Oklahoma State's true freshman starting quarterback, as coach Mike Gundy pulled his starters before the end of the first quarter in the season-opening rout. Still, Lunt looked quite good, completing all 11 of his passes for 129 yards. Arizona: Ka'Deem Carey. The sophomore running back would have been the biggest name to emerge from the Widlcats' season-opener if not for Scott's eye-popping numbers. Carey rushed for 147 yards on 20 carries in his first career start, including a 73-yard touchdown run.
You going? Ranking the road trip: If opening week was an indication, the road trip may not be worth it. Fewer than 50,000 were in the seats for Rodriguez's first game in charge in Tucson. Perhaps the locals just didn't get charged up for a game against a MAC team and they'll be a touch more excited to face the defending Big 12 champions.
Magic number for Oklahoma State: 10. The Cowboys may not be intimidated by an early season road trip to face a team from a major conference, as the program has won 10 of its last 11 true road games. OSU's 10 road wins over the last two seasons are tied with four other schools (Oregon, TCU, Virginia Tech and Stanford) for most in the country.
Magic number for Arizona: 25 percent. That's Arizona's red-zone success mark in the season opener against Toledo, as only one of four trips to that area of the field ended in points. Turnovers and missed field goals ended opportunities to score -- and against Oklahoma State's offense, Rodriguez and company will need to take advantage of every chance.
The game comes down to: Which offense stumbles? Arizona's 624 yards of offense almost went for naught, as the Wildcats committed three turnovers and finished with only 17 points in regulation before ultimately beating Toledo. Oklahoma State was so utterly untested against Savannah State that we truly don't know how its offense will respond against a defense with a pulse.
Prediction: Oklahoma State 44, Arizona 24
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Big 12 bloggers C.J. Moore and Patrick Southern, follow @CBSSportsBig12 on Twitter. You can also follow @cjmoore4 and @patricksouthern.
