Purdue vs. Oklahoma State: Heart of Dallas Bowl 2013 picks and predictions

The Oklahoma State Cowboys look to turn around a disappointing end to the season on Tuesday when they take on the Purdue Boilermakers in the 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl, and are certainly favored by most to do so.

The Cowboys fell out of the AP Top 25 with an 0-2 finish to the season that included a tough 51-48 overtime loss to No. 13 Oklahoma and a disappointing road loss to Baylor to end the year. OK State boasts one of the more prolific offenses in the NCAA yet was troubled by a defense that struggled to get teams off the field.

The Oklahoma State defense might not have much trouble against Purdue, however, with an offense that ranked outside the top 50 in the NCAA in all categories. The Boilermakers used a three-game win streak to overcome a five-game skid in the middle of the year and finish with an even record overall.

Brian Bennett of ESPN expects a close game, with the Cowboys prevailing, 31-27, while Adam Rittenberg is calling for a bit of a bigger win for OK State.

Again, the Big Ten team might be more motivated than the Big 12 squad, but can Purdue keep up on the scoreboard? I don't think so. Although cornerbacks Josh Johnson and Ricardo Allen give the Boilers' a chance against the pass-happy Pokes, Purdue isn't consistent enough or dangerous enough on offense to pace Oklahoma State. I agree Marve has a nice performance in his final college game and Antavian Edison scores twice, but Purdue will be playing catch up after a rough first half and falls short. ... Oklahoma State 38, Purdue 28

Meanwhile, four out of six experts at CBS are picking the Cowboys straight up as well as to cover the 17.5-point spread.

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on New Year's Day, with coverage on ESPNU.