No. 18 Pittsburgh (9-3)
                vs.
No. 24 Oregon State (8-4)

Date: Dec. 31

Time: 2 p.m. ET

Location: El Paso, Texas

Television: CBS

Payout: $1.9 million

Last result: Oregon 56, South Florida 21

2008 results: Oregon State; Pittsburgh

2008 statistics: Oregon State; Pittsburgh

Tickets: Buy them here

Coaches: Mike Riley (Oregon State); Dave Wannstedt (Pittsburgh)

Bowl history/last appearance: Oregon State 7-4 (won 21-14 over Maryland in '07 Emerald); Pittsburgh 10-14 (lost 35-7 to Utah in '05 Fiesta)

Series: Pittsburgh 1-0 (38-13 in '02 Insight)

What Oregon State must do to win: First and foremost, the Beavers will need to get over the disappointment of missing out on a trip to the Rose Bowl. Those hopes were dashed when their defense inexplicably melted down and gave up a whopping 65 points to in-state rival Oregon in the regular-season finale. They can’t afford any lapses against Pitt RB LeSean McCoy, who is tied for the national lead in scoring (10.5 points per game) and averages 116.9 yards on the ground.

With older brother James sidelined, true freshman RB Jacquizz Rodgers will have to overcome an injury of his own and lead the way in a return to his home state.

What Pittsburgh must do to win: The Panthers need to capitalize on their distinct advantage in the area of special teams. Kicker Connor Lee has connected on nearly 85 percent of his 59 career field goal attempts and Pitt has blocked 10 kicks this season. 

Assuming that the Beavers are able to recapture the defensive mettle they displayed while winning eight of nine prior to the loss to Oregon, the Panthers will need to improve their protection of QB Bob Stull, who won’t find it easy to sustain drives. Oregon State allowed an average of only 17.1 points during that aforementioned stretch of nine games.

What the NFL is watching: McCoy will eventually get a chance at the next level to match the success of Panthers great Tony Dorsett, but if he’s true to his word, he’ll be back for another year. Pitt LB Scott McKillop is a tackling machine, who will get his chance to fly around on Sundays.

Opening point spread: Oregon State by 3 (53)

Prediction: Pittsburgh 34, Oregon State 31

MVP: Pittsburgh RB LeSean McCoy

Live vote: Who will win?

BOWL BREAKDOWNS Click on each game for a recap of the action                                             BCS GAMES    1/8: Championship — No. 1 Florida 24, No. 2 Oklahoma 14    1/5: Fiesta — No. 3 Texas 24, No. 10 Ohio State 21    1/2: Sugar — No. 7 Utah 31, No. 4 Alabama 17    1/1: Orange — No. 21 Virginia Tech 20, No. 12 Cincinnati 7    1/1: Rose — No. 5 USC 38, No. 6 Penn State 24                                           OTHER BOWLS    1/6: GMAC — Tulsa 45, No. 23 Ball State 13    1/3: International — Connecticut 38, Buffalo 20    1/2: Liberty — Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19    1/2: Cotton — No. 20 Mississippi 47, No. 8 Texas Tech 34    1/1: Capital One — No. 16 Georgia 24, No. 19 Michigan State 12    1/1: Gator — Nebraska 26, Clemson 21    1/1: Outback — Iowa 31, South Carolina 10 12/31: Chick-fil-A — LSU 38, No. 14 Georgia Tech 3 12/31: Insight — Kansas 42, Minnesota 21 12/31: Music City — Vanderbilt 16, Boston College 14 12/31: Sun — No. 24 Oregon State 3, No. 18 Pittsburgh 0 12/31: Armed Forces — Houston 34, Air Force 28 12/30: Holiday — No. 15 Oregon 42, No. 13 Oklahoma State 31 12/30: Texas — Rice 38, Western Michigan 14 12/30: Humanitarian — Maryland 42, Nevada 35 12/29: Alamo — No. 25 Missouri 30, No. 22 Northwestern 23, OT 12/29: PapaJohns.com — Rutgers 29, North Carolina State 23 12/28: Independence — Louisiana Tech 17, Northern Illinois 10 12/27: Emerald — California 24, Miami 17 12/27: Champs Sports — Florida State 42, Wisconsin 13 12/27: Meineke Car Care — West Virginia 31, North Carolina 30 12/26: Motor City — Florida Atlantic 24, Central Michigan 21 12/24: Hawaii — Notre Dame 49, Hawaii 21 12/23: Poinsettia — No. 11 TCU 17, No. 9 Boise State 16 12/21: New Orleans — Southern Miss 30, Troy 27, OT 12/20: Las Vegas — Arizona 31, No. 17 BYU 21 12/20: St. Petersburg — South Florida 41, Memphis 14 12/20: New Mexico — Colorado State 40, Fresno State 35 12/20: EagleBank — Wake Forest 29, Navy 19

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