Oklahoma State Cowboys Betting – Oklahoma State Cowboys 2011 College Football Preview
MLB baseball betting gurus spend a lot of time analyzing pitching and catching. That’s just what the Oklahoma State Cowboys focus on whenever each and every season begins. In the 1980s, Oklahoma State devoted its energy to the running game, thanks to a fellow named Barry Sanders. Now, though, OSU places its trust in the propelled pigskin, an aerial show that lights up skies in the Central Plains region.
Head coach Mike Gundy has won at least nine games in three consecutive seasons for the Cowboys. Moreover, he’s done so while finishing two of those years in the top 20. An 11-win 2010 and the return of two prime players - All-Big 12 First Team quarterback Brandon Weeden and All-American wide receiver Justin Blackmon - have the locals excited in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Stratospheric hopes might not be in order for this team, but one couldn’t blame OSU fans for being very excited about their team’s potential. The margin for error is small, though, in a balanced league with many teams that share Oklahoma State’s larger overall position.
The Cowboys return 10 total starters from an offense which finished second in the nation in passing and 29th in rushing last year. There is, however, a large question mark: Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, the mastermind of the Cowboys’ spread attack, is no longer on the job after taking the head coaching gig at West Virginia. Holgorsen delivered lights-out results at Houston and then Oklahoma State. He rose quickly in the coaching profession for a reason, so his absence is likely to matter even though Gundy, the head coach, is an appreciably solid play-caller in his own right. Will the Cowboys see a drop in production under new coordinator Todd Monken? It’s likely, but the extent of the decrease in production is really the only salient issue. If the drop-off is not substantial, Monken will have done quite well.
The Cowboys’ defense returns six starters. This new group will have a little leeway to grow when one considers the dominant returning talent on the offensive side of the ball. Make no mistake, though: one should place a considerable amount of emphasis on the word “little.” Even when the Pokes rang up 41 points last year – against Nebraska and Oklahoma – they lost at home because their defense gave up 51 and 47 points, respectively. Oklahoma State must play better defense if it wants that breakout season. Any reputable sports betting expert could tell you that.
Interestingly enough, the Cowboys’ first test of the season will be in week two when they play Arizona in Stillwater. That’s the same Arizona squad which was torched by Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl. Road trips to Texas A&M, Texas, and Missouri will be difficult tasks as well. The Big 12 title may very well come down to the final week of the season when the Cowboys take on heated rival Oklahoma in the Bedlam Series. If things go as planned for Oklahoma State, there would be no better way to put the program on a higher plane than by defeating Oklahoma to win the league. With that said, the Bedlam game might obviously receive more publicity than any other contest on Oklahoma State’s schedule, but the ability to win every other Big 12 game will define the successfulness of this season. A strong second-place showing behind Oklahoma with an 11-1 record is a realistic goal OSU fans should have in mind. A properly-calibrated sports bet would ultimately settle on 10-2 as the ultimate landing point for this team in 2011.
