This will be the 50th game of the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl with two powerhouse teams going at it. The game will be played at State Farm Stadium on January 2, 2021.

How They Got Here: Oregon

The Oregon Ducks aren’t strangers to the Fiesta bowl as they have been to the bowl 3 times. The last was in 2013 where they went up against the Kansas State Wildcats and won 35-17. The Ducks got here from winning the PAC-12 championship after narrowly defeating the USC Trojans in an exciting game that went back and forth. Oregon will be led by quarterback Tyler Shough where he had a total of 1,480 passing yards and a total of 13 touchdowns in the shortened 2020 season. This will be a homecoming game for him, Shough is an Arizona native that hopes to win in his home state.

The Ducks have a strong defense that will be led by PAC-12 Championship MVP Kayvon Thibodeaux who is expected to have a big game after he held the USC Trojans to 38 rushing yards. On the season, Thibodeax has made a total of 32 tackles with 3 sacks as he finds ways to disrupt the offensive line and get straight to the quarterback. He thrives in big games as he’s recorded 3.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for losses, and 10 tackles in two PAC-12 Championship victories.

While Oregon is mostly reliant on their passing game, don’t be surprised if they sneak in some running plays as well, especially with running back Travis Dye. Dye has 391 rushing yards on the short 2020 season and averages 7.0 yards per attempt which makes him a key player should the Ducks want to go for a couple of rushing plays. They might have to consider going to the rushing game as Iowa State’s defense is no joke and can put pressure on the quarterback.

How They Got Here: Iowa State

For the Iowa State Cyclones, this will be their first time participating in the Fiesta Bowl and their first time ever going up against Oregon, but they should be able to handle their own. The Cyclones defense is one that should give Oregon some frustration as said earlier, they have a dynamic duo in JaQuan Bailey and Will McDonald IV on defense. Iowa State’s defense has given up a total of 344.3 yards per game and only 5.3 yards per play. They are excellent in turning the ball over on downs.

The offense for the Cyclones isn’t too bad either as they will be going in with an Arizona native of their own in quarterback Brock Purdy. Purdy threw for a total of 2,594 yards which translated into 18 passing touchdowns and is continuing Iowa State’s greatest season in school history. Breece Hall is another player on offense that is looking for a big game as he’s a Heisman Trophy candidate with 1,436 rushing yards and averages 5.9 yards per attempt.

Another driving factor for Iowa State may come from their Head Coach Matt Campbell who is in his fifth season coaching the team. He knows his team well and what kind of matchups to expect from Oregon as he owns the best winning percentage in Iowa State history. While Oregon’s Head Coach, Mario Cristobal, should be given some credit of his own (being the reigning PAC-12 coach of the year), Matt Campbell has the edge in terms of knowing his team longer and what they can do.

Gambling Picks and Prediction

The Cyclones are 4-point favorites coming into this game as they lost their last game against Oklahoma. Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell was pretty upset with the close loss and wasn’t impressed with his team’s overall performance. Look for Iowa State to take out that frustration on Oregon with their strong defense and Oregon having a tough time moving the ball forward.

The over/under for this game is at 26.5 points which is respectable for both teams as they both have a great offense with the Cyclones getting a little edge with their defense. I would be taking the over with this game as both teams can put up some numbers, even with Iowa State having a strong defense, I think Oregon can find ways to convert first downs. Overall, this should be an entertaining matchup between two great teams that both have chips on their shoulders despite it being a shortened season.

Score Prediction: #10 Iowa State 34, #25 Oregon 28