Texas-Oklahoma State Under 62 – This year’s Oklahoma State squad is certainly not one of Mike Gundy’s finer productions.
The Cowboys are 4-3 on the season, but, more importantly, just 1-3 in Big XII action, having lost both of their conference home games outright as the betting favorite to Texas Tech (41-17) and Iowa State (48-42).
Oklahoma State entertains sixth-ranked Texas (6-1) Saturday night as a 3.5-point home underdog, but I am more intrigued by the total of 62.
While first-year starting quarterback Taylor Cornelius has been shaky at best, the Cowboys’ offensive line may be the bigger issue. South Alabama, one of the worst teams in the FBS, had four sacks and 11 tackles for loss against Oklahoma State in Week Two, while Iowa State registered seven sacks and 16 tackles for loss against the Cowboys three weeks ago.
Bad news for the Cowboys, but Texas’ defensive front seven is better than both those units.
Texas sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who is nursing a sprained AC joint in his shoulder, is expected to start, but could be limited in the running game which is a big part of the Longhorns’ offense.
If Ehlinger cannot go or gets injured, the drop off at quarterback to backup Shane Buechele is significant.
These factors and others have me recommending this game to remain under the total of 62.
Paul Stone has over two decades of experience as a bettor and handicapper. He is a winner of multiple Las Vegas handicapping contests and his work has appeared in various media outlets including the Las Vegas-Review Journal and ESPN Insider.
Follow Paul on Twitter@paulstonesports or e-mail him at Paulstonesports@gmail.com.
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