Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-3 SU, 5-2 ATS) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (6-1 SU, 3-4 ATS)
College Football Week 9
Date and Time: Saturday, October 28th, 2017 8:00 PM ET
Where: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
TV: FOX SPORTS NETWORK
by Keith F., Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: TT +20/OU -20
Over/Under Total: 73
In a weekend of pivotal Big 12 match-ups, the Texas Tech Raiders will hit the road to square off with the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord-Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. The contest will be covered by FOX Sports Network and shown for regional audiences. The kick-off time is scheduled for an early start of 7:30 PM ET. For Texas Tech, they are simply trying to find their feet after getting swept away by the Iowa State Cyclones in a 31-13 loss. The Sooners survived a dogfight against the Wabash Cannonballs also known as the artist formally known as Kansas State in Manhattan where the Sooners were forced to rally yet again. The Sooners have had an uncanny ability to play down to the level of their opponents. These two sides last met in 2016, where the Sooners were forced to get into a shootout with the Red Raiders in Lubbock, Texas and escaped town with a 66-59 win. Many have suggested that this contest will have a similar feel and evolve into a basketball game as opposed to a football contest.
The Red Raiders do what the Red Raiders do and that is play a fast-paced, high-octane brand of football that is all about airing it out in scoring in bunches. The archetype of the Texas Tech program for many years is adopting a philosophy where they outscore opponents. Sadly, the ideology has not yielded the rewards that many had hoped as the Red Raiders find themselves struggling to sustain leads and win games against outfits with offenses that can go tit-for-tat. The Raiders have come crashing down to Earth after starting off at 4-1 and earning a top-25 ranking in the process. In their last two games at West Virginia and Iowa State, Tech has lost by an average margin of 14.5 points. Against Oklahoma, the Red Raiders have not earned a victory since 2011.
The Sooners enter on the heels of yet another uninspiring win when they struggled to get by Kansas State in Manhattan, last weekend. Though Oklahoma has already fallen at home this year at an even higher price the Sooners remain a consensus contender for the College Football Playoff. Some argue that if Ohio State were to knock off Penn State this weekend, this would bolster the credentials of the dubious Sooners given the fact they owned Ohio State in The Horseshoe in early September. Quarterback Baker Mayfield remains a popular selection for the Heisman race and has played worthy of such accreditation, so far this season.
Out of the gate we have seen a lot of different trends emerge. In many regards the consensus seems down the middle with this one but we have seen heavy money roll in on Texas Tech, while many tickets were written in Oklahomas name. However, some have indicated that there is in fact a lean materializing on the Red Raiders and the fact this market has dropped by a point from the open suggests that there is some affection being generated for Tech. In the Over/Under, the numbers have been on the decline by 1.5 points to reflect action on the Under. This game like many other Big 12 contest are suggested to be a shootout.
Playing chalk has its disadvantages, especially when you are dealing with a team as prestigious as Oklahoma in its own stead. The spot usually inflicts on a premium on takers. However, the public is more prone to gravitate towards the pooch in this contest and take back what seems to be a hearty helping of points. Nevertheless, Texas Techs defense has proven it cannot get the job done as they led in their previous two losses against both West Virginia and Iowa State. If Tech expects to get into a fist fight with Oklahoma, they better think again. The Sooners wont be caught taking this team lightly or looking ahead be that they simply cannot afford to. Oklahoma will make a statement victory in Norman that will likely produce overreactions in the weeks to follow. This week we will swallow the points.
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