Kansas State enters this matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners looking to capture their third straight win over Oklahoma in the past three seasons. Oklahoma has managed to beat every team in the Big 12 over the past two seasons aside from Kansas State, and they will definitely be trying to change that narrative come Saturday.
The game will be played at 3:30 PM EST time from Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Kansas and will be televised by FOX.
Oklahoma Sooners Overview
While Oklahoma enters this game as the #6 team in the country, many expected them to look a lot stronger through these first four weeks. Much of the blame has been put on highly touted NFL prospect and preseason Heisman favorite Spencer Rattler.
Under his leadership, The Sooners are averaging 38.8 points per game so far this year, which to the naked eye would look phenomenal, and it is nearing their 2020 average of 43.
However, they’ve scored 23 and 16 in the last two contests against Nebraska and West Virginia, respectively, and much of their average comes from a 76-0 blowout of Western Carolina University.
Last season, the offense looked great at all points in the season, and Head Coach Lincoln Riley is optimistic that they can find that rhythm again with Rattler under center.
With the offense regressing from last season, the defense has had to step up in a big way.
The team ranks 11th nationally in yards allowed per rush and have been forcing teams to try to beat them downfield.
Kansas State Wildcats Overview
Two weeks ago, Veteran Starter for the Wildcats Skylar Thompson went down with a leg injury that has forced him to miss the last two weeks, and most likely this upcoming matchup versus the Sooners.
Sooner Fans can breathe a sigh of relief as he has torched them the past two seasons, which led to Kansas State’s unlikely victories.
The injury bug didn’t stop there, as backup QB Will Howard left last week’s game versus Oklahoma State with an injury,t putting his availability up in the air this week.
If Howard can’t go, it leaves third-stringer Jaren Lewis as the next option.
Either way, the bulk of the offensive workload will likely fall on running back Deuce Vaughn, but as mentioned earlier, that may not be a great formula against a stout Oklahoma rushing defense.
Defensively, Kansas State has been playing phenomenal football. The Wildcats are allowing 19.5 points per game and just five yards per play. They did show some weaknesses in their scheme last week in a 31-20 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, mainly in the passing game.
OSU passed the ball with ease as Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns.
Prediction
I think this is the game that we see Oklahoma wake up.
They have headed into nearly every matchup this season as heavy, heavy favorites, and in this game, they are favored strongly by 11.5 points.
Many fans and bettors alike will likely ride the wave of Kansas State for the value that they pose against Oklahoma as a potential upset, but I still see Rattler as a true talent at QB, and talented quarterbacks will find a way to breakthrough.
Along with that, the quarterback injuries to Kansas State have me worrisome about their ability to move the ball against the Oklahoma defense.
I’ll take Oklahoma to prove their worth this week.
Betting Pick: Oklahoma -11.5 (-110)
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