Arkansas and Kansas State have impressive quarterbacks with differing styles. The same could be said for the two teams meeting in Fridays' AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.
While Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson is known for his sharp passes, Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein gets as much done with his feet as his arm.
Similarly, Arkansas brings a highly potent offense to Cowboys Stadium, while Kansas State won a lot of games with its defense.
Arkansas (10-2) is known for its slow starts, Kansas State (10-2) for its fast finishes.
Arkansas considers Cowboys Stadium a second home. Kansas State has never played in the palace in Arlington, Texas.
And oh yeah, there's that whole Big 12-vs-SEC thing, although Arkansas with its high-powered offense resembles a Big 12 team while defense-oriented Kansas State would fit in with the SEC.
The contrasts should make for an interesting clash in a game that is already billed as one of the top matchups of bowl season (7 p.m. CT, FOX). Arkansas finished No. 6 in the final BCS rankings while Kansas State was No. 8.
Arkansas' only losses are to the two teams that will play for the BCS national championship. Kansas State finished second in the Big 12, which is 6-1 in bowl games. The Wildcats lost a 52-45 shootout with Fiesta Bowl champion Oklahoma State.
Both teams have a strong case for inclusion in a BCS bowl. They will make their final arguments against each other.
"We all think we should be in the BCS," Arkansas running back Dennis Johnson said. "But we are happy to be in this bowl in (Arkansas alum) Jerry Jones' stadium. We are all just focused on winning this game to show everybody."
Arkansas' focus will be tested with the loss of all three of its coordinators since the regular season ended.
Offensive coordinator Garrick McGee was hired as the head coach at UAB. Special teams coordinator John L. Smith took the head coaching job at Weber State. Defensive coordinator Willy Robinson resigned.
Paul Petrino, the brother of head coach Bobby Petrino, left his position as Illinois' offensive coordinator to return to Arkansas and run the offense.
Ohio State assistant Paul Haynes was hired to run the defense and defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell will handle special teams.
"It is something you wish you could wait until the end of the bowl season and then everyone make their changes," Bobby Petrino said. "You see a number of games going on where you have staffs that aren't going to be there."
The changes likely won't slow down an Arkansas offense that averages 446 yards and 37.4 points per game.
Wilson has passed for 3,422 yards and 22 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He has two elite targets in Jarius Wright (63 catches, 1,039 yards, 11 TDs) and Joe Adams (49 catches, 630 yards, 3 TDs).
"It is nice to play quarterback in an offense like this when you have multiple guys around you like Jarius (Wright), Joe (Adams)," Wilson said. "You have guys that can go up and make plays for you."
Kansas State's Klein is known as much for his toughness as his production. Klein has passed for 1,745 yards and 12 touchdowns and is Kansas State's leading rusher with 1,099 yards and 26 rushing TDs.
The lack of a prolific passing game means Kansas State averages a relatively pedestrian 343 yards a game. The Wildcats average 33.1 points a game, good enough for sixth in the offense-minded Big 12, but their defense has generated 26 turnovers for a plus-13 margin.
"Whatever people think of how good we are or how bad we are, we're not going to think about that," Klein said. "We're just going to try to get ourselves better."
Arkansas also won 10 games a year ago and played in a BCS bowl, the Sugar. With 13 returning starters, the Razorbacks had expectations of landing in a traditional New Year's Day bowl again.
Kansas State, continuing the theme of contrasts, has been a surprise this season after being picked to finish eighth in the Big 12.
"I'm proud of this football team and how far they have come," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "They've probably come as far as any team we've had up until this point in time."
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
