The No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) travel to Provo, Utah to take on the BYU Cougars (5-5, 2-5 Big 12) on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. (CT).
The Sooners got some much-needed help in the Big 12 race last Saturday when the Kansas Jayhawks fell at home to the Texas Tech Raiders, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys suffered a loss at Central Florida. It will make these next two weeks very interesting and after the whole “clarification” ordeal this week, Oklahoma needs just one of these three scenarios to happen to make the conference championship (assuming OU wins out):
- Texas loses to Iowa State
- Texas loses to Texas Tech, Kansas State loses to Iowa State
- Oklahoma State loses to Houston or BYU
The Sooners need a little bit of help, but they are not sitting in a bad spot.
First, Oklahoma needs to take care of business against the Cougars.
What to watch for
How will OU perform in hostile environment?
Oklahoma hasn’t played particularly well in their last two road games, especially on the offensive side. The crowd has definitely been a factor, causing the Sooner offense to commit too many penalties and mistakes.
Yes, LaVell Edwards Stadium is a tough place to play, but this BYU squad ranks last in the Big 12 in total offense and 13th in total defense. If the Sooners can play anywhere close to the way they did against West Virginia, I don’t expect it to be close.
Danny Stutsman and Kip Lewis both on the field
When Stutsman returned to action against West Virginia, he took the majority of his snaps at MIKE linebacker rather than his typical position at WILL linebacker, allowing him and redshirt freshman Lewis to get their first start together.
The duo combined for 15 tackles and three tackles for loss, and they give this Oklahoma defense a whole new look. It will be interesting to see if they keep it that way going forward.
Prediction
45-14 Oklahoma
