No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners at No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Saturday, 12/3/11, 8:00 PM EST, TV: ABC
Opening Point Spread: Oklahoma State -3
Current Betting Line: Oklahoma State -3
Opening Total: 74
Current Total: 71.5
Oklahoma is certainly out of the national championship picture and head coach Bob Stoops is now motivating his team to potentially capture its fifth Big 12 Conference crown out of the past six years.
“They know it’s a one-game season with the chance for the conference championship,” stated Stoops about his team’s frame of mind. “That’s where you want to be.” The Sooners have tallied a 10-2 record in this particular rivalry game under his direction, including wins in the last eight.
Oklahoma rebounded from its second loss of the season with a 26-6 win over the Iowa State Cyclones as 29-point home favorites. Offensively, the team racked up 509 yards of total offense, marking the eighth time this season that it’s gone over that particular number.
Quarterback Landry Jones will be making his 36th career start Saturday, ranking first on the school’s career passing yards list. He ranks second among active signal-callers in averaging 323.5 passing yards per game, while sitting fourth with 92 touchdown passes.
Bettors will find that the Sooners are 12-12 ATS versus conference opponents over the last two-plus years, while the ‘under’ is 14-11 in that situation.
Oklahoma State will aim to bounce back after watching its national title dreams virtually disappear, dropping a 37-31 overtime contest to the Iowa State Cyclones as 26.5-point road favorites on Nov. 18.
“Everybody’s spirits are high and excited,” stated Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy. “We won’t approach it any differently but our players and coaches have to stay focused on the task at hand.”
The Cowboys will be looking for their first victory in this series since a 38-28 win as 15-point home underdogs on Nov. 30, 2002. Five of the last six meetings in Stillwater have been decided by 10 points or less.
Oklahoma State still has an outside shot of reaching the BCS championship, sitting in the No. 3 spot in the latest BCS standings. Another victory would also clinch the school’s second 11-win season in its history.
The talented pass-catch duo of quarterback Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon lead the charge. Weeden leads all conference throwers and ranks second nationally in passing for 373.7 yards per game, while Blackmon averages 9.4 catches per game.
Gundy will watch a group of seniors play their last game inside Boone Pickens Stadium, leaving as the winningest class in program history. The 17 players have never finished a season with less than nine wins.
From a handicapping perspective, the Cowboys are a dominating 21-4-2 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points, while the ‘under’ is 3-0-1 in that situation.
Pick:
Oklahoma State Cowboys -3
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