Oklahoma State football: 3 reasons to watch 2018 Liberty Bowl vs. Mizzou

STILLWATER, OK - AUGUST 30: Quarterback Taylor Cornelius #14 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys looks to throw against the Missouri State Bears at Boone Pickens Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys defeated the Bears 58-17. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

3. It’s an SEC vs. Big 12 appetizer

Let’s admit it: you either find the SEC to be the best thing to ever happen to college football, or you find the league to be overconfident and obnoxious.

While the eyes of the nation will be on the CFP matchup between the No. 1 Crimson Tide and the No. 4 Sooners two days prior, this is another matchup for these two leagues to compare themselves head-to-head.

The Big 12 may feel perennially unappreciated, especially after winning five of its eight bowl games (including an overtime loss by OU to Georgia in the 2017 CFP semifinals). The SEC, on the other hand, lost six of its 11 matchups, but it still produced the two teams playing for the national title in Alabama and Georgia.

Many find the Big 12 to be full of wide-open offenses and pass-happy attacks that light up the Great Plains, while SEC pundits point to the ethereal “SEC speed” and the league’s strong defensive play. Either way you see it, contests like the Liberty Bowl are a chance to see these two contrasting strengths pitted against each other.

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