Texas Oklahoma Betting – Classic Rivalry Game Loses Much Of Its Luster
The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners usually generate tremendous buzz for their annual showdown in Dallas. That’s not the case this season.
NCAA football betting: Texas Longhorns vs. Oklahoma Sooners
Online Betting Odds: Oklahoma -4.5
Why To Bet On Texas
This is yet another game in which the best argument for one team is really the case against the other. Oklahoma comes into this game having just barely survived a mediocre Cincinnati Bearcats club, 31-29. The Sooners missed a field goal, dropped a sure touchdown pass in the end zone, and threw an interception which fueled a spirited fourth-quarter rally by the underdog Bearcats. Oklahoma had a 24-9 lead early in the third quarter but then got stifled on offense for the rest of the game. OU scored another touchdown, but only because Cincinnati muffed a punt inside its own 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Without that mistake, Cincinnati would have had the ball down by only two points (24-22). One needs to realize this was the same Cincinnati team that pulled a face-plant the week before against North Carolina State Wolfpack, losing multiple fumbles and falling behind 30-7 before scrambling to get two meaningless cosmetic touchdowns. Oklahoma should have blasted Cincinnati, but instead found itself hanging on for dear life at the end of a two-point escape job. If that’s the kind of Oklahoma team which shows up this Saturday, Texas has an excellent chance to win. Both of these programs are struggling, so if the Sooners are the ones who remain in a funk, the Longhorns stand to benefit.
Why To Bet On Oklahoma
The best pro-Oklahoma viewpoint is really the anti-Texas viewpoint. The Longhorns were awful last weekend against UCLA Bruins, stinking up the joint and losing by 22 points at home to a 1-2 ballclub that got drilled by Stanford Cardinal, 35-0, in week two. UCLA amassed a 13-3 halftime lead against Texas despite gaining just 62 total yards and only 11 passing yards. The Bruins passed for only 26 yards all game long, but were able to run wild in the second half against Texas’ outclassed and outworked defensive front. UCLA eventually totaled 265 rushing yards – 38 of them on a keeper by quarterback Kevin Prince – and scored 21 points after halftime to put the Longhorns away. Texas rushed for just 85 yards against UCLA, a telling indication that the Longhorns lack size and physicality on their offensive line, which has been beset by injuries this season, especially on the right side. Yet, for all the offensive-line woes in Austin, it’s also true that Garrett Gilbert – the sophomore quarterback who played in last season’s BCS title game when starter Colt McCoy got injured – did not pick up the slack. Gilbert couldn’t hit big pass plays down the field until UCLA had sealed the outcome against Texas. If the Longhorns can’t make big improvements from the UCLA debacle, Oklahoma should be in very good shape.
How The Game Will Play Out
This is game is very tough to read. Both programs have talent, but are young in some spots and thin in others. Turnovers will play a huge role, and the hunch here is that Texas will make more of them. Seriously, though: This game is likely to be very weird and sloppy. It’s very hard to predict. Take Oklahoma… if you must.
Texas Oklahoma Betting Pick: Oklahoma
