The Oklahoma Sooners and Iowa State Cyclones duel Saturday in the Big 12 championship game – and one marquee matchup will be the focal point for fans and bettors alike. Running back Breece Hall brings a sensational resume for Iowa State (8-2 SU, 6-4 ATS) into a title game showdown with a Sooners team (7-2 SU, 6-3 ATS) boasting one of the nation’s top run defenses.
- Date/Time: December 19, 12 noon ET
- Stadium: AT&T Stadium
- TV Coverage: ABC
- Sportsbook Odds: Oklahoma -4 | O/U 60.5 (Line History)
- Oklahoma vs Iowa State Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Sooners kicked off the betting as a 4-point favorite, but the line has climbed to -6 at the majority of sportsbooks. The total has moved in the opposite direction, down to 58 in most spots after Sportsbook at 60.5.
Oklahoma News & Notes
Only three FBS teams were stingier against the run than the Sooners, who limited opponents to just 88.1 yards per game on the ground – but even they didn’t have an answer for Hall. The sensational sophomore gashed them for 139 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns in the previous meeting between the teams, a 37-30 Iowa State upset win back on October 3.
With the Cyclones capable of putting up points against just about any defense, the Oklahoma offense will need to be on point in Saturday’s conference championship. That means a big game from quarterback Spencer Rattler, who threw for more than 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns this season. He had 300 yards and two scores in the first meeting between the teams.
Iowa State News & Notes
The Sooners could hardly be blamed for watching Hall run all over them – after all, he did that to everyone. Hall rushed for 90 or more yards and at least one touchdown in every game this season, while adding 144 yards and a pair of scores through the air. He averaged a ridiculous 6.1 yards per carry this season against teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25.
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The question is will Hall get enough help from the rest of the Cyclones offense? Brock Purdy comes in having thrown for seven touchdowns with zero interceptions over his past three games, while completing nearly 80 percent of his passes over that span. He’ll need that momentum after completing just 12 of 24 passes for 254 yards and one score against the Sooners back in October.
Betting Pick: Iowa State +6 (-110)
It took a crazy fourth-quarter comeback for the Cyclones to pull out the win in October, but there really isn’t much separating these sides in terms of talent level. On neutral ground, we’ll happily take Iowa State and the points.
- Oklahoma is 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games.
- Iowa State is 2-6 ATS in its past 8 December games.
- The OVER is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings between the teams.
