The 113th edition of the Bedlam Series between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners kicks off Saturday afternoon at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners are 18-point favorites for this game, the largest spread in the series since their 19.5 in 2014, a game that Oklahoma State won SU 38-35.
- Oklahoma is 8-0 SU in its last eight games at home (avg. winning margin: 27.75).
- Oklahoma State is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games vs Oklahoma.
- The total has gone OVER in eight of Oklahoma’s last 10 games (avg. combined score: 79.5).
Oklahoma State vs Oklahoma Game Center
Murray Leads FBS in QB Rating
For a guy who’s likely to retire from football after this season, Kyler Murray is sure going out on top of his game. Just months after agreeing to a $5-million contract with the Oakland A’s, Murray is leading the FBS in QB rating (216.6) – yes, even ahead of Tua Tagovailoa (215.2).
Murray is also tops in passing yards per attempt (12.3), No. 2 in passing TDs (31) and sits sixth in the nation in completion percentage (70.6). It’s no surprise, then, that Oklahoma is second in the FBS in yards per game, third in points per game and 12th in passing yards per game.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys, not to be outdone, are holding their own offensively with an average of 497 yards per game and 38.3 points.
Defense – Not Their Forte
Keeping points off the board hasn’t been the M.O. of either team this season. The Sooners are tied with the USC Trojans for 74th in the country with 27.9 points allowed per game. Oklahoma State is tied with Western Kentucky for 83rd in the FBS at 29.9 points surrendered per game.
Likewise, the teams are close to each other in yards allowed per game. The Sooners defense has been victimized for 391 points per game while the Cowboys are five yards worse at 396.
My Pick for This Game
Two teams with offenses that love to ball out and defenses that haven’t been overly effective at stopping the opposition? Yeah, this game screams OVER, even if the total is approaching 80. Oklahoma has topped the 76.5 mark four times in its last five games and that was against teams that didn’t necessarily have the same firepower as this week’s opposition.
Both teams are in the top 20 in passing yards, Oklahoma leads the country in yards per play and the Cowboys are 15th in the FBS in the number of offensive plays this year. Buckle up and let’s hope the workers at the stadium have extra light bulbs for the scoreboard.
