Notre Dame vs Oklahoma State Fiesta Bowl Odds, Picks and Preview

• Notre Dame is a 2.5-point favorite over Oklahoma State in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl on Saturday
• Oklahoma State is 9-3-1 ATS, 9-1-1 in its last 11
• Read below for odds, analysis and a betting preview

No. 5 Notre Dame (11-1) is a 2.5-point favorite over Oklahoma State in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at 1 pm ET Saturday on ESPN. The Irish have won their last seven games since a 24-13 loss to Cincinnati, which used that victory as a step to the CFP Final Four.

No. 9 Oklahoma State (11-2) had five and six-game winning streaks this season, falling to Cheez-It Bowl loser Iowa State in Week Six and suffering a length-of-the-football loss to Sugar Bowl-bound Baylor in the Big 12 championship game.

Notre Dame vs Oklahoma State Odds

Odds from FanDuel on Dec 30th

Both teams are used to playing this time of year. Oklahoma State is making its 16th consecutive bowl appearance, trailing only Georgia (25), Oklahoma (23), Wisconsin (20), Alabama (18) and Clemson (17). The Cowboys will play one day shy of the 10-year anniversary of their 41-38 overtime victory over Andrew Luck and Stanford in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl.

Notre Dame has appeared in 10 bowl games in the last 11 seasons. The Irish won their 11th and most recent national championship here in a 34-21 victory over West Virginia in the 1989 Fiesta.

This season had some big-time upsets 👀

Do you agree with @RJ_Young's top 5? pic.twitter.com/KiOIABjYqC

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 21, 2021

Sitting It Out

Notre Dame will be without arguably its best player on each side of the ball after running back Kyren Willams and safety Kyle Hamilton opted out. Both are projected as high picks in the 2022 NFL draft. Williams had 1,002 yards and 14 touchdowns and added 359 yards receiving. Hamilton

Oklahoma State sophomore running back Dezmon Jackson, who rushed for 547 yards as a reserve, entered the transfer portal a week ago and is ineligible to play.

Which of these teams looking for their first New Year's Six Bowl Game win in the CFP Era is getting a W this season? 🤔🏟 pic.twitter.com/MYH9NpRJvY

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 23, 2021

For the Defense

Oklahoma State and Notre Dame stood out on defense in the regular season.  Both teams rank in the  in the top 10 in the FBS in scoring defense and in the top 30 in total defense.

The Cowboys have given up only 278.4 yards per game, third behind only Wisconsin and Georgia, and have held 11 opponents under their scoring average. West Virginia (29.3 points pre game) had only three points against them. Texas Tech (33.6) was shut out.

The Irish were in the top 20 in the FBS in a half-dozen difference making defensive categories, gaining momentum as the season progressed. Notre Dame entered the bowl season ranked tied for sixth in defensive touchdowns (four), tied for 10th in pass interceptions (15), tied for sixth in sacks (40), tied for 14th in turnovers gained (23) and tied for 17th in third-down conversion percentage (32.9 percent).

Notre Dame junior defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey has 10 sacks, the fourth-highest season total in program history. With one sack today, the Irish will tie the school record for sacks in a season set in 1996.

Linebacker Malcom Rodriguez leads Oklahoma State with 112 tackles and has two sacks and two fumble recoveries. His 68 unassisted tackles rank 21st in the FBS. True freshman defensive end Collin Oliver has 11.5 sacks, tied for 12th in the FBS.

Elite company. @cloliver25 is 1⃣ of 3⃣ – and the ONLY defender – named a finalist for @TheFWAA Freshman of the Year award.

🔗 https://t.co/OnUzXjlEEF#LetsRide I #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/W4YkGHjAe7

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) December 29, 2021

Other Side of the Ball

Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan has settled into a nice groove since being benched in the Virginia Tech game in favor of freshman Tyler Buchner. Coan saved that 32-29 victory in relief and has completed 115 of 152 passes (75.7 percent) for 1,433 yards with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions while starting the final six games.

Coan threw for 345 yards in a 45-14 victory over Stanford in the final game of the regular season after opening the season with a 366-yard game against Florida State. Buchner is the second-leading rusher behind Williams, and the Irish will turn Chris Tyree as the lead running back.

Running back Jaylen Warren is the Cowboy’s biggest offensive threat after rushing for 1,134 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he told reporters he is “100 percent” for the Fiesta Bowl after an ankle injury caused him to miss the 21-16 loss to Baylor in the Big 12 title game.

Quarterback Spencer Sanders has been up-and-down, completing 209 of 341 passes (61.3 percent) for 2,468 yards, 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Seven of those interceptions game in two games against Baylor, four in the Big 12 title game. He has one touchdowns and six interceptions in the last two, including a 37-33 victory over Oklahoma.

Freeman Takes Over

Marcus Freeman, 35, will make his  debut as Notre Dame’s 30th head coach, capping a whirlwind first season in South Bend. He joined Brian Kelly’s staff this season as defensive coordinator and was elevated following Kelly’s abrupt departure to LSU.

He was the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati the previous four seasons, where his defenses consistently ranked among the FBS elite, ranking in the top 15 in rushing defense, scoring defense and total defense in 2018.

By the Numbers

Notre Dame is 9-3 ATS and has covered in its last seven. The Irish has lost its last eight New Years Six bowl appearances since beating Texas A&M in the 1994 Cotton Bowl.

In a game full of defense, the points are the play.

• The pick: Oklahoma State +2.5 (-105)