We are now less than 36 hours from No. 12 Oklahoma's tilt with No. 14 Arizona in the Valero Alamo Bowl, and these teams could not be much more evenly matched.

Coming into this game, Oklahoma and Arizona are incredibly close in many offensive and defensive metrics. Oklahoma is entering this matchup ranked 5th in offensive yards per game, with Arizona at 17th. On defense, these margins get even more narrow. Oklahoma enters the Alamo Bowl giving up 22.3 points per game, and Arizona is surrendering 20.8. With the game so razor-thin on paper, let's look at two key positional matchups in this contest that could have a significant impact on the outcome.

At risk of stating the obvious, if the Sooners want any chance at winning this game, they'll have to do what virtually no one has been able to do this season: make Noah Fifita look like a redshirt freshman. If you're not aware of how talented Fifita is, you might re-watch his last two performances when Arizona faced Utah and Arizona State. In those two outings, he had 780 passing yards, seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. The freshman took the helm at quarterback after Jayden de Laura sustained an injury in Week 4 against Stanford, and Fifita never looked back. He's been tremendous with his arm, but one knock on him this season has been his lack of comfort as a scrambler. He's got the ability to make plays with his legs, as Oklahoma defensive coordinator Ted Roof noted on Tuesday, but hasn't always taken advantage of the opportunities to do so. Since taking over as the starter, he has a whopping two rushing yards this season.

Every great quarterback needs great weapons, and Arizona has one in Tetairoa McMillan.The dynamic duo of McMillan and Fifita has deep-rooted chemistry, as the two have played together since their youth football days. When Arizona needs a big play, McMillan is the guy to watch for, as he's a big play waiting to happen. The 6-foot-5 standout is averaging 15.5 yards per catch, has tallied 1242 receiving yards (3rd in Pac-12) and 10 touchdowns (5th in Pac-12) on the season as a sophomore. There is a real case to be made that he'll be the best wideout that the Sooners have faced all season, and Gentry Williams may well be the defensive back called upon to slow him down. Oklahoma will easily be the most aggressive secondary that Fifita has seen, as the Sooners are second in the FBS in interceptions with 19. The key for Oklahoma is simple: make Noah Fifita as uncomfortable as possible and exploit his youth.

This is where all Oklahoma fans start getting uneasy. After a season of ups and downs at offensive line, the Sooners will be without seven scholarship linemen, including starters in Tyler Guyton, Andrew Raym and Cayden Green. The offensive line will have to find a way to stop Arizona’s game-wreckers in Taylor Upshaw and Jacob Manu, who combined for 15 sacks on the season. Both rank among the Pac-12's top ten in sacks. Yet despite all of the pressure, Arizona has not been able to force many turnovers this season. They have only forced 13 takeaways on the year, which ranked 9th in the Pac-12. With Jackson Arnold making his first career start at Oklahoma, it is likely that Arizona will be sending pressure early and often versus a suspect offensive line.

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