Look out for offensive fireworks galore this weekend when the Oklahoma State Cowboys host the reeling West Virginia Mountaineers. Let's go over the college football odds for this Big 12 affair and find out where the value truly lies.
Odds Overview
Oklahoma State is favored by 7.5 points for this visit from Geno Smith and team. Neither team has been too profitable ATS this season,
with the Cowboys at 3-4 and the Mountaineers sitting at 2-6.
With two highly productive offenses taking to the field, we
see a total of 79.5 on the college football odds board. The OVER is 4-3 for
both teams thus far.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Man, oh, man, how quickly the tide can turn. The Mountaineers,
who once stood at 5-0 with wins over Baylor and Texas, have now dropped three
in a row.
All three opponents were tough (Kansas State, Texas Tech,
and TCU), but two of those losses were at home, and the losses to the Red
Raiders (49-14) and Wildcats (55-14) weren't even close.
The loss to TCU was especially tough to swallow considering
they lost on a risky two-point conversion by the Horned Frogs, finishing as
losers in a 39-38 double-overtime decision.
In a game wherein the West Virginia running game couldn't get
anything going – they totaled just 78 yards on 35 carries, a 2.2 YPC mark –
Geno Smith had to take over, and he did a nice job indeed. Smith finished 32-of-54 for
260 yards and three touchdown passes, though he also was intercepted once.
The Mountaineers defense couldn't stop TCU, however, and
that's been a common theme all season. With the #111-ranked total defense, West
Virginia could be in a lot of trouble against Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Cowboys have had a week to think about what went wrong
against Kansas State in a 44-30 loss, but it shouldn't be too difficult to
figure it out. They had to deal with Colin Klein. Simple as that.
Klein was hurt in the game, but not before completing
16-of-22 passes for 245 yards. He then ran 17 times for 64 yards and a score as
his Wildcats were able to stay on the field for close to 38 minutes of the 60.
Oklahoma State looked impressive on the offensive side of
things, though, finishing with 504 total yards. Wes Lunt and Clint Chelf
combined to throw for 417 yards and two touchdowns, though Lunt was picked off
three times.
Apparently, there's still no word on who'll get the start at
quarterback this weekend. Lunt is recovering from the blow he took against the
Wildcats, and Chelf looked like he knew what he was doing when he came in. That
leaves Mike Gundy with a very interesting decision.
Whoever is under center will be running the nation's
number-two rated total offense. The Cowboys average over 555 yards per game,
and their defense (#47) hasn't been that far off the mark either.
College Football Pick
Both of these passing offenses are just on another level,
which is why we feel the OVER may still be worth a hard look despite the
exceptionally high O/U.
The Cowboys are #8 in scoring offense at 42.5 PPG, and the
Mountaineers are right behind at #9 (40.8 PPG). Meanwhile, West Virginia's
defense has been atrocious (39.8 points per game allowed), leaving the door
wide open for another shootout this weekend.
These high totals always seem to scare a lot of people away,
but re-consider a play on the OVER here. This should be one of those great Big
12 offensive battles that features countless scoring plays.
OVER
79.5