OKLAHOMA STATE @ BYU (BYU -8, 52.5)
CFB ODDS, CFB PREDICTIONS, CFB PREVIEWS
COWBOYS @ COUGARS 10/18/24
BYU was predicted to finish 13th in the redesigned Big 12 Conference back in July. Following a 41-19 victory over Arizona on last Saturday to improve their record to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference, the Cougars moved up to 13th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
BYU is now not just thinking about winning the Big 12. The Cougars are talking about the College Football Playoff. This year’s version of the playoff will include 12 teams for the first time. The Cougars are already bowl eligible. Another win puts them one step closer to a conference title berth.
The current resume definitely shouts championship contender. With victories of 38-9 over No. 17 Kansas State and 18-15 at No. 21 SMU, BYU has outscored opponents 206-98. SMU is 5-1 and is one of just four remaining unbeaten teams in the ACC. Kansas State is also 5-1. The Wildcats are 2-1 in the Big 12 and still in the conference title game race.
Jake Retzlaff, the quarterback for BYU, is completing 60.3% of his passes and has thrown 14 touchdowns. At wide receiver, Chase Roberts and Darius Lassiter form a potent 1-2 punch. Meanwhile, the defense pressures the quarterback well—eight different players have sacks—and creates turnovers. This BYU team does not have a significant weakness, aside from a third-down conversion percentage of 30.6 percent that is among the lowest in the country.
Oklahoma State (3-3, 0-3) hopes for a second-half reset to a once-promising season that turned sour after losing its first three conference games. They lost each by increasingly larger margins. When the Cowboys played their most recent game on October 5, they were defeated 38-14 by visiting West Virginia.
The offense of Oklahoma State hasn't performed nearly as well as most predicted. With an average of less than 4 yards per carry, running back Ollie Gordon II is on track to garner less than half of the 1,732 rushing yards that he recorded last year. Quarterback Alan Bowman has thrown eight interceptions in just six games.
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy couldn't commit to starting Gordon this week. His performance has forced Gundy to bench last year’s national leading rusher. Gordon has actually been benched twice in the past three games.
Lately, the defense has also had some problems, especially when it comes to stopping the run. West Virginia pounded the Cowboys for 389 yard on the ground. Kansas State amassed 300 rushing yards in a 42-20 victory over the Cowboys.
Oklahoma State has defeated BYU in each of their previous three meetings, most recently in a 40-34 double-overtime triumph to end the regular season last year.
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COACH RICK FREE PICK:
FREE PICK: UNDER (1H) 27.5
BYU is one of the best defensive teams in the country. The Cougars allow just 8.6 points in the first half this season. In five of their six games this season, the first half total has not come close to this number. The only scary thing here is that Oklahoma State allows over 16 first half points. However, BYU plays very slowly on offense. They rank 119th in tempo. The Cowboys only rank 79th. Plus, OSU only averages 11 points in the first half. BYU will work the clock, probably have a lead, but this first half total won’t hit four touchdowns.