Oklahoma State vs. Texas Prediction: Can the Cowboys Compete With the Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship?
Texas has a chance to make the college football playoff with a win but there are a few scenarios where they do not control their own destiny and could even be left out if they win this game. How will that affect them in the Big 12 Championship against Oklahoma State? Let's break it down.
Joey Ruiz - December 2, 2023, 10:30 AM EST
5 minOklahoma State vs. Texas Prediction: Can the Cowboys Compete With the Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship?
Texas enters this matchup with a record of 11-1 and they are coming off an absolute blowout victory of Texas Tech as they defeated the Red Raiders by a very impressive score of 57-7. While this was a very impressive performance, they had not been playing their best ball over the last month and a half.
Oklahoma State vs. Texas Date, Start Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: December 2, 2023
- Game Time: 12:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ABC
Oklahoma State vs. Texas Prediction
Texas was only able to score 26 points against ISU in a 26-16 victory and nearly lost on the road to TCU in the week prior to that against a Horned Frogs team who is having an extremely down season. They nearly blew a 2+ touchdown lead to Kansas State prior to the TCU game and even before that contest, they were in a dog fight with a 4-8 Houston team as the Cougars actually outgained Texas 392 to 360 in that game.
While Texas has taken care of business in all of the games they were supposed to win (minus a last second loss at home to Oklahoma), they have been a Jekyll and Hyde type team in that you never know what type of effort they are going to give you. They could come out guns blazing like they did against Texas Tech and win by 50 or they could come out flat and play flat the whole game like they did against Houston where they only won by seven points as a 24-point favorite.
Their opponent in this Big 12 championship, Oklahoma State, has thrived in the role of an underdog this season which could spell some trouble for the Longhorns. Since Oklahoma State's bye week in Week 5, they are 4-0 ATS in conference as an underdog and won all four of those games straight up. These four games came against Kansas State (+11.5), Kansas (+3), West Virginia (+3), and Oklahoma (+6). And it is not only that they won these games straight up but how they won them as well. Oklahoma State blew out West Virginia by 14 and actually outgained Kansas State, Kansas and West Virginia and nearly outgained Oklahoma as well but the Sooners edged them out by just 12 yards.
The Pokes have owned the fourth quarter in this resurgence in the second half of their season. In their nine wins this season, Oklahoma State has outscored their opponents by an average of 8.88 points per game in the fourth quarter and OT alone. We all know the fourth quarter is crunch time and this Cowboys squad has proven that they come up clutch when it matters late in the game.
Texas on the other hand has struggled a bit in the fourth quarter of games. The Longhorns were outscored 20-3 in the fourth against TCU, 16-3 in the fourth against Kansas State, and tied the second hald with Houston at 10-10. This inability to finish games and put games away may hurt them against an Oklahoma State team who has showed that they never quit. With that being said, I am rolling with Oklahoma State +15.5 at -102 for 1.5U as one of my most confident College Football plays of the day for Championship weekend as I think the Cowboys give the Longhorns a game.
Oklahoma State vs. Texas Pick
1.5U Oklahoma State +15.5 -102 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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