Would the Oklahoma Sooners improve as a program once Lincoln Riley left town? After all, the explosive offense that Riley had brought to Norman could put up points in bunches, but once the Sooners hit elite competition in the College Football Playoff, their lack of defense led to rout after rout. After Riley left, the Sooners brought in Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, and many thought the program would take off. Instead, the Sooners have lost to Kansas State and TCU in consecutive weeks, and it was TCU that dealt the Sooners a 55-24 shellacking down in Fort Worth last week, the team’s worst loss since 2019, when Joe Burrow’s LSU team rolled, 63-28, in the College Football Playoff semifinal – a game that was not nearly as close as the final score. In Big 12 play, the Sooners had not lost that badly since 2014, when Baylor posted a 48-14 undressing. Now the Sooners are 0-2 in conference play for the firs time since 1998. Will things turn around this week? You can read our thoughts about some of the college football’s key online betting opportunities
NCAA News: Sure Losers for Week 6
Oklahoma Sooners (+6.5) vs Texas Longhorns
(in Dallas, 12:00 pm ET, ABC)
Both of these teams come in with two losses, as the Longhorns lost to Alabama at home and then lost at Texas Tech. The Longhorns bounced back from that overtime setback to the Red Raiders by taking down West Virginia at home last week, 38-20. The Sooners have not done a good job of sustaining drives, as they have an average time of possession of 25:22, which is 126th among the 131 FBS programs. Texas isn’t much better, though, averaging 26:11 (#123 in the nation). Ironically, the only game they held the ball longer than the opposition came against Alabama in Week 2, when the Crimson Tide needed a miraculous scramble from quarterback Bryce Young to sustain the drive and keep the win.
Texas should have quarterback Quinn Ewers back, and he should find plenty of targets down the field against a Sooner defense that is still porous, even with Venable coaching the team. Oklahoma has a four-game winning streak in this series, and the Longhorns would love to break that. Ewers was able to lead the Texas offense on sustained drives against Alabama before going down to injury, and he should be able to do that against Oklahoma. Linebacker Jaylen Ford has tackled at least 10 offensive opponents in each game so far, ranking 14th in the nation in total tackles, so he will need to bring that intensity against the Sooners.
Another reason to look to Texas in this game is Dillon Gabriel. The Oklahoma quarterback is likely to be negotiating the concussion protocol after he took a big hit in the loss to TCU. That leaves the Sooners a choice among Davis Beville, General Booty or Nick Evers; the last two have not started an FBS game. Losing Gabriel means cutting the playbook down significantly. On the defensive side of the ball, after Week 2, Oklahoma was tied for fourth in the nation in sacks, but they have not registered any sacks since then. With a backup quarterback, it makes sense to take the Longhorns before this line climbs even further. Texas to win and cover.
Texas Tech Red Raiders (+10) at #7 Oklahoma State Cowboys
(3:30 pm ET, FS1)
As always, Texas Tech brings a high-octane offense – and a high level of risk when they have the ball. Quarterback Donovan Smith led the Red Raiders to a thrilling overtime win over the Longhorns, but then he threw a pair of backbreaking interceptions at Kansas State last weekend, as the Wildcats would win by nine. When Smith makes solid decisions, the Texas Tech offense is hard to stop.
Another crucial player for Texas Tech is linebacker Tyree Wilson, who is one of the top pass rushers in the nation. He has five sacks through five games, tied for sixth in the nation, and he has also forced a fumble. He will need to generate pressure on Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders to slow down the Cowboys’ offense. However, Sanders has accounted for 15 total touchdowns and seems to have an even better handle on the offense than he did last year. Oklahoma State to win and cover.
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