Allstate Sugar Bowl
No. 14 Auburn Tigers vs. No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners
When: January 2nd at 8:30 PM Eastern Time
Where: New Orleans, Louisiana
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Watch: ESPN and ESPN3
Auburn head coach Gus Malzhan was on the hot seat in September. Now he’s playing in the Sugar Bowl. That just about sums up what its like to be coaching in the SEC these days. The Tigers got to New Orleans with defense. That defense will have to find a way to contain Heisman finalists Dede Westbrook and Baker Mayfield.
Oklahoma has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. Time will tell whether or not the Joe Mixon situation will be a distraction for the team come game time. Presumably, Mixon will be on the field and will be a key contributor to an offense that was third in the nation with 557 yards per game. The Sooners averaged a hair more than 7.5 yards per play.
The Tiger defense allowed just 18 total touchdowns this season and held opponents to less than 16 points per game. Led by junior defensive end Carl Lawson, the defensive front seven of Auburn is one of the best units in the country.
An elite defense versus and elite offense, this game should be a fun one to watch. The battle that I find most interesting will be the Oklahoma defense versus the Auburn offense. If Auburn is able to get the running game going they should have a chance to make this one interesting.