KEYS TO THE GAME

OKLAHOMA RUN OFFENSE VS. LSU RUN DEFENSE

* Since rolling up 342 yards rushing in a 77-0 win over Texas A&M; on Nov. 8, the Sooners have struggled to find a consistent running game, gaining only 56 yards in a 41-3 victory over Baylor on Nov. 15, 78 yards in a 56-25 win over Texas Tech on Nov. 22 and 83 yards in a 35-7 loss to Kansas State on Dec. 6. Kejuan Jones (899 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Renaldo Works (750 yards, eight touchdowns) are Oklahoma’s top rushers. The Tiger defense, behind a quick and aggressive front four led by tackle Chad Lavalais, has allowed only three rushing touchdowns this season, the fewest in the country, and has allowed an average of 68.2 yards rushing a game. Edge: LSU.

OKLAHOMA PASS OFFENSE VS. LSU PASS DEFENSE

* The Sooners and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jason White run an efficient, quick-strike spread offense that has been able to stretch defenses. White, who has completed 265 of 414 passes for 3,744 yards with 40 touchdowns and only eight interceptions, has three outstanding targets in Mark Clayton (79 receptions, 1,393 yards, 15 touchdowns), Brandon Jones (45 catches, 704 yards, eight touchdowns) and Jejuan Rankins (33 catches, 406 yards, six touchdowns). The Tigers rely on a variety of blitzes to pressure the quarterback and have two standout cover corners in Corey Webster and Travis Daniels. Edge: Oklahoma.

OKLAHOMA RUN DEFENSE VS. LSU RUN OFFENSE

* Tiger freshman Justin Vincent (138 carries for 884 yards and nine touchdowns) has emerged as the top runner in a three-back rotation that includes Joseph Addai and Shyrone Carey, and the LSU running game got better in the second half of the season, averaging 224 yards in the final seven games. The Sooners have an outstanding defensive front, led by Lombardi Award-winning tackle Tommie Harris, whom opponents are usually forced to double-team, tackle Dusty Dvoracek and end Dan Cody, and they have the nation’s top linebacker in Butkus Award winner Teddy Lehman, who leads the team with 109 tackles, 17 for loss. Edge: LSU.

OKLAHOMA PASS DEFENSE VS. LSU PASS OFFENSE

* The Tigers’ Clayton -- junior receiver Michael Clayton -- is not the break-away or yards-after-catch threat that Oklahoma’s Mark Clayton (no relation) is, but he is a physical receiver with outstanding hands who can create separation with the best of cornerbacks. He’ll likely be matched against senior cornerback Derrick Strait, who won the Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defensive player. LSU quarterback Matt Mauck can’t match White in terms of fame, but like White, he has been efficient and effective, completing 216 of 336 passes for 2,701 yards with 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Edge: Oklahoma.

SPECIAL TEAMS

* The Sooners, as UCLA fans will recall, have one of college football’s most lethal return threats in Antonio Perkins, who set NCAA records when he returned three punts for touchdowns and racked up 277 punt-return yards in a 59-24 win over the Bruins on Sept. 20. Oklahoma kicker Trey DiCarlo made 19 of 22 field-goal attempts this season, including seven of eight from 40 yards or more. Sooner opponents have averaged only 3.5 yards per punt return. LSU Coach Nick Saban said he won’t decide on a field-goal kicker -- Ryan Gaudet and Chris Jackson have split duties this season -- until game time. Edge: Oklahoma.

COACHING

* Saban and Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops are two of college football’s hottest commodities, judging from the volume of NFL rumors surrounding the pair. Stoops may be a little more creative -- and more of a gambler -- when it comes to devising and using trick plays, but both are considered excellent motivators and tacticians. But Stoops has had more success and has more experience in big games, his last three Sooner teams having won the 2003 Rose Bowl, the 2002 Cotton Bowl and the national championship Orange Bowl in 2001. Saban, the former Michigan State coach, has a 2-4 record in bowl games. Edge: Oklahoma.

INTANGIBLES

* There is no shortage of motivation on either side. The Sooners are eager to erase perceptions created by their lopsided loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 title game, to show the nation they deserved the No. 1 ranking they’d held all season before the upset. The Tigers are hungry to win their first national championship since 1958 and give home-state fans the memory of a lifetime. Oklahoma believes it thrives in hostile environments, so the Sooners don’t mind the fact that LSU will have a home-field advantage, while the Tigers could struggle to keep their emotions in check if they get too caught up in the atmosphere. Edge: Oklahoma.

MIKE DiGIOVANNA’S PICK:

Oklahoma 24, Louisiana State 13