Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-6 SU, 4-7 ATS) vs. No. 20 Oklahoma Sooners (8-3 SU, 5-6 ATS)
College Football Week 15
Date and Time: Saturday December 6th, 2014. 3:30PM EST
Where: Memorial Stadium Norman, O.K.
TV: FS1
by Jay, Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: OSU +19.5/OU -19.5
Over/Under Total: TBA
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Rivalry week comes a week late in the Bedlam Series this Saturday when the Oklahoma State Cowboys meet the no. 20 Oklahoma Sooners inside Memorial Stadium in Norman. Despite being one of the most well-known rivalries in college football, the Sooners have owned the series winning 10 of their last 11 games against the Cowboys along with a convincing all-time mark of 84-17-7. This Saturday the Sooners will be 19.5 point favorites to extend that mark again against an Oklahoma State team that needs a win to just become bowl eligible.
Mike Gundys Cowboys have been one of the main forces in the Big 12 in recent years reaching at least 10 wins in 3 of the last 4 seasons. However, the Cowboys have had a disastrous 2014 campaign and if they fail to upset the Sooners this Saturday then they will fail to become bowl eligible for the first time since Gundys inaugural season in Stillwater back in 2005. To make matters even worse, Oklahoma State is in the midst of a 5 game losing streak where they have been blown out by a minimum of 21 points in each of those contests.
The problems for Oklahoma State are plentiful but mainly it has been the offense that has taken a big step back in 2014. The Cowboys have fell victim of injuries at the quarterback position and have just not found many answers since. What has typically been one of the best offenses in the Big 12, the Cowboys have been held to 14 points or less in 4 of their last 5 outings. Quarterback Daxx Garman is 2nd in the Big 12 in throwing interceptions with 12 total on the season. Garman has connected on just 53% of his passes this season and the offense has been even worse on the ground averaging just 137 yards per game on the ground as a team which ranks 101st in the FBS.
Needless to say, Oklahoma States offense has not been able to hold onto the ball. As a result, the defense has given up a ton of points this year against Big 12 offenses. Most Big 12 offenses are extremely talented so if you are not able to move the football effectively, then you will typically pay the price which has exactly been the result of Gundys unit this season. So what are Oklahoma States chances of turning things around and shocking the Sooners this Saturday?
Well honestly, they are not good. The Sooners 3 losses this season have come against 3 of the best offenses in the conference. The Sooners run the football very well and play disciplined defense which has allowed them to win the games they were supposed to this season rather convincingly. Freshman running back Samaje Perine broke the single game all-time Division I record against Kansas most recently with 427 rushing yards on the ground. Perine has really developed nicely during the 2nd half of the season and has 1,428 yards on the year. Oklahoma States defense has struggled against the run this season so it will be interesting to see if Perine and Oklahomas offensive line can control the battle upfront. If that happens, it will be a long day for the Cowboys. On the other hand, if Oklahoma States defense can stop the run and put quarterback Trevor McKnight into some tough situations then possibly Oklahoma State could force a few turnovers to make this ballgame. However, that may be a reach considering how these teams stack up against each other.
Jay’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Oklahoma States offense is in shambles and they will be extremely lucky to score 20 points in this game. Oklahoma on the other hand is starting to play really well on offense between the run and the pass. I expect this one to get out of hand as the Sooners hang a big number. Take Oklahoma -19.5