A Fiesta Bowl littered with NFL prospects on both ends was turned in Oklahoma State’s favor late Monday night by a combination of Stanford’s missed field goals and gritty play by its 28-year-old senior quarterback and star wide receiver as the Cowboys topped Stanford 41-38.

A field goal by Oklahoma State kicker Quinn Sharp in the first overtime period clinched victory for the Cowboys after Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson missed two straight opportunities to add three points, the first of which would have given the Cardinal a victory.

A catch from Cowboy wide receiver Colton Chelf set Sharp up for the game-winning kick after Stanford failed to score on its first possession in overtime. It was not until Sharp nailed the kick to win the game that the Cowboys led the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, as Stanford moved the ball up and down the field for 590 total yards.

Andrew Luck, the assumed first overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft, led the way for the Cardinal and finished the night with more than 300 yards passing and two touchdowns. Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, the Cowboys’ superstar draft prospect, was electric on the night, finishing with 186 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

Just the third overtime game in Fiesta Bowl history was an exciting one, as both offenses were obviously ready to go. Oklahoma State certainly had reason to be disappointed with its place in the Fiesta Bowl, but came out firing despite facing an early 14-0 deficit and matched the Cardinal score for score from there.

Tim Tebow got everything he could from his final game as a Florida Gator, passing for nearly 500 yards and rushing for 50 more, as the Gators crushed the Cincinnati Bearcats 51-24 Friday night in the Sugar Bowl.

The strife of Urban Meyer’s health and Tim Tebow’s departure ruled the headlines during the days leading up to the game, and if the Sugar Bowl was Meyer and Tebow’s swan song, it was certainly a flawless one.

From kickoff it seemed as though the Bearcats were overmatched. Quarterback and team leader Tony Pike was pressured throughout the night, unable to hit his strong wide receiving core down field and flushed from the pocket all night.

In fact the Bearcats didn’t find the end zone until halfway through the third quarter as the vaunted SEC defense of the Florida Gators was just too much for the Bearcats.

Cincinnati had its own strife leading up to the game, as they lost their head coach of three seasons Brian Kelly to the Notre Dame job and were being coached by an interim head coach for the bowl game.

The player had shrugged the distractions off, but their lack of balance throughout the game showed a much different story.

Wide receiver Mardy Gilliard didn’t break 50 yards receiving and Tony Pike struggled until the Gators took their foot off the pedal in the third quarter, already up 34 points.

Pike was sacked on multiple occasions, and the Bearcat offense was only able to muster 249 net yards, with just 68 total yards coming on the ground.

The Bearcats finished the season at No. 3 in the BCS rankings, but certainly didn’t look like the same team that went undefeated through the Big East and nearly made their way to the National Title Game despite a suspect defense.

For Tebow and Meyer, the victory in a BCS bowl game isn’t quite what they hoped their final game together might hold, but for the Gator Nation, this victory in the Sugar Bowl is certainly sweet enough.