The No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners (10-1, 7-1) will visit the No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-1, 7-1) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT. The Cowboys have already clinched their spot in the Big 12 title game. Meanwhile, the Sooners can clinch a spot with a win, or if Baylor loses to Kansas State on Saturday morning.
At first glance:
OSU is a 3.5-point favorite, which isn’t surprising. The Cowboys’ defense has been phenomenal. No one has scored more than 24 points against them this season. The two teams that did were the Texas Longhorns, which resulted in a win, and the Iowa State Cyclones, which came in OSU’s only loss of the season. The Cowboys are ranked 2nd in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 14.9 points per game.
On the other hand, the Sooners are ranked 10th in the nation in scoring offense at 38.9 points per game. OU got back into the win column with a win against Iowa State, winning 28-21. The Sooners are 5-3 in Bedlam when the Cowboys are ranked higher, and the Sooners haven’t lost Bedlam since 2014.
Keys for the Cowboys:
Rattle Caleb Williams early
This is something that could really put the game in OSU’s favor. As we saw in the Baylor game, Williams was rattled early in the game and never really recovered from it. Baylor’s defense did a great job of confusing him, causing him to throw two interceptions, which completely changed the momentum of the game. If the Cowboys are able to force Williams to commit a turnover or two early, it could be an uphill battle for the Sooners.
Good decision-making from Spencer Sanders
The Sooners will most likely sellout to stop the Cowboys’ running game and force Sanders to beat them with his arm. Sanders will need to be solid and mistake-free to give the Cowboys a good chance to win this game.
Keys for the Sooners:
Start fast
The atmosphere at Boone Pickens Stadium is going to be wild, and this could very well be the last Bedlam game played in Stillwater for the foreseeable future. If the Sooners’ offense can go in and score a couple touchdowns early, combined with some stops from the defense, it could really set the tone and take the crowd out of it. It would make OSU start thinking “Oh no, it’s happening again!”
Control the game at the line of scrimmage
It’s going to be a tough task against that solid Cowboy defensive line, but the Sooners are going to need to win at the line of scrimmage and be able to effectively run the football. They are going to need to force the Cowboys to respect the rushing attack, which could ultimately open up the passing game for Caleb Williams.
Predictions:
Tanner Johnson: 27-24 OU.
Addam Francisco: 24-21 OSU.
Jonathan Goudeau: 31-28 OU.
