All Sooners

Oklahoma-Arizona Alamo Bowl: Our Picks

The AllSooners crew offers their predictions for Thursday's Alamo Bowl between the Sooners and the Wildcats in San Antonio.

John E. Hoover

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John Hoover

While Arizona seems very focused about winning this game, it feels like Oklahoma is more focused on the big picture — in the midst of another roster turnover, a two-deep that's been ravaged by the transfer portal and opt-outs, breaking in a new starting quarterback, transitioning to a new offensive coordinator, etc. Arizona coach Jedd Fisch's roster retention has been impressive, while OU is up to 18 defections, including QB Dillon Gabriel. Giving Jackson Arnold his first career start against a talented and tough Arizona team seems like a big ask. The Sooners might try to lean on a power run game to make Arnold's job easier, but with an overhauled offensive line, that seems sketchy. And Brent Venables and an Oklahoma defense that gave up chunks of yardage in the passing game all season faces a QB (Noah Fifita) who's coming off a school-record 527 passing yards in a rivalry game.

Final score: Arizona 35, Oklahoma 33

Ryan Chapman

Oklahoma enters the Alamo Bowl as the more talented team, but the Sooners have had to deal with more key players opting out to either prepare for the NFL Draft or transfer than the Wildcats. Being around both teams through two days in San Antonio leading up to the game, it’s also apparent that this contest means a great deal to Arizona, where many of the players are participating in a bowl game for the first time. The Wildcats are plenty talented, boasting a top 40 unit on both sides of the ball, and quarterback Noah Fifita will have plenty of chances to shred an OU passing defense that has struggled at times this year. But if Jackson Arnold is as advertised for the Sooners in his first start, Oklahoma’s skill position talent will prove to be too much for the Wildcats in an exciting showcase to close 2023.

Final score: Oklahoma 38, Arizona 31

Randall Sweet

While the Sooners have had a solid season, losing players like Andrew Raym, Cayden Green and Dillon Gabriel to the transfer portal and the draft will hurt Brent Venables’ team against a very talented Arizona squad lead by a quarterback coming off of a 527-yard, five-touchdown performance against Arizona State. Additionally, the Wildcats are very determined and motivated heading into the Alamo Bowl, which could give them the edge they need to knock off what should be a more talented team. If Oklahoma doesn’t come out of the tunnel fired up and prepared for Arizona’s best effort, it could be a long night for the Sooners.

Final score: Arizona 37, Oklahoma 31

Ross Lovelace

Because of Dillon Gabriel’s departure, the Sooners are underdogs in the Alamo Bowl. Arizona’s high-paced offense should create problems for an OU defense that was reeling down the stretch. When the Sooners were clicking, though, the results were impressive. Games like West Virginia and TCU over the last few weeks of the season exhibit that perfectly. Expect new offensive coordinator Seth Littrell to play an aggressive game and let Jackson Arnold loose, which could turn into a shootout. It still feels like Oklahoma has the edge in the trenches, and aside from USC, the Pac-12 has looked suspect throughout bowl season. This seems like the prime opportunity for the Sooners to pull off the “upset” and ride into a massive season on deck with an 11-2 record.

Final score: Oklahoma 45, Arizona 35

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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