While the landscape of college football is sorting itself out, there is still a lot that can happen before it is all said and done. There have been upsets, there have been surprises, and there has definitely been chaos. One conference that isn’t short of any of these is the Big 12. With plenty of eyes on Quinn Ewers, in our continued college football odds series, we make our Texas-Oklahoma State predictions.
There will never be anything short of excitement with this group of programs and this weekend should bring much of the same. The matchup here is going to directly impact how the Big 12 shifts into form for the rest of the year as the Texas Longhorns travel to Stillwater to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30pm CST and a loss for either team would be a major setback in the race to a conference title.
Texas-Oklahoma State Predictions
Texas and Quinn Ewers Might be Back
For a few weeks, the loss of Quinn Ewers looked like the nail in the coffin for the Longhorns season, but ever since Ewers returned from injury, Texas looks poised to make a run at a conference title. Sitting at 5-2 and 22nd in the country, there is still plenty of time left in the season for Texas to build their resume.
The Longhorns took care of business last week with a 24-21 win over Iowa State. Quinn Ewers dominated with 3 touchdown passes in a key conference win. It was a solid performance in all phases as the defense also helped seal the deal by forcing 2 turnovers against the Cyclones. Texas has a talented roster and that will pay dividends as Big 12 play continues.
Running back Bijan Robinson has been sensational for the Longhorns so far including 780 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with it. With what should be a high-octane football game on Saturday, look for Robinson to get going to help compliment the Longhorns’ passing attack.
Must Win for the Cowboys
In a league that has been known for its offense, defense still needs to be a priority if winning a conference championship is the goal. For Oklahoma State, their defense has struggled immensely so far this season. The Cowboys sit at 90th in scoring defense in the entire country and their secondary might be one of the worst in the country.
While quarterback Spencer Sanders lit the stat sheet up last week in their double overtime loss to TCU, the weakness of this team was exposed as the Cowboys gave up 43 points and 510 total yards. With competition not getting any easier, they are going to need to fix this as they go up against one of the better offenses in the entire country this weekend.
Texas-Oklahoma State Predictions
This is going to be an electric Big 12 showdown on Saturday. Oklahoma State comes in as 6.5-point underdogs with a game total set at 61 points. Texas has shown they are much improved, especially since the return of Quinn Ewers. As strong as the Longhorns look right now, I’m riding with the Cowboys in this one to cover as home underdogs.
Even with the issues that Oklahoma State has had on defense, Spencer Sanders and the Cowboy offense is poised for a big outing at home. The big number to look at here is the point total. Both teams are top-20 in the country in points per game scored and have been accustomed to high scoring contests so far this season.
Oklahoma State is a team who also loves to push the tempo and the Cowboys are 6th in the FBS in plays ran per game. This game is going to be nothing short of a classic Big 12 shootout and I would say to take the points in this one as this game should finish well over the 61-point total.
College Football Odds: Final Texas-Oklahoma State Predictions: Oklahoma State Cowboys +6.5 points and Game Total Over 61-point total
