Saturday College Football Picks – Oklahoma St @ Texas Odds and Predictions – Week 7 NCAA Football Spreads and Odds

Week 7 Free College Football Picks and Spreads: Oklahoma State Cowboys @ Texas Longhorns 2011 NCAA Football Vegas Odds, Free Picks, and Expert Predictions on ABC Saturday 10/15/11: In years past, Oklahoma State has been relegated to the role of spoiler when it came to playing rival Texas. However, the roles are reversed this season as the sixth-ranked Cowboys (5-0) look to keep their national titles hopes alive when they head to Austin to play the 22nd-ranked Longhorns Saturday. However, the Longhorns boast an impressive 14-2 record against Oklahoma State at home, and they would love nothing more than to crush the championship aspirations of one of their conference rivals. Not to mention the fact that a victory by the Longhorns would certainly vault them back towards the top 10. The undefeated Cowboys are 7 ½-point favorites in this matchup.

The two rivals couldn’t be more different on the offensive side of the ball this season. Oklahoma State is leading the nation in scoring at more than 51 points a game, piling up more than 500 yards of offense per game thanks to a pass-happy spread attack. Meanwhile, the Longhorns have used a conservative, run-heavy approach on offense. Texas has even used wildcat formations at times, and as a team, the Longhorns are averaging just over 30 points a game.

Given the personnel for both sides, it is easy to understand the different styles of play. The Cowboys are led by veteran quarterback Brandon Weeden, who ranks second in the country in terms of passing yards per game. The fact that he has defending Biletnikoff award winner Justin Blackmon to throw to certainly helps the cause. On the flip side, Texas is alternating between two inexperienced players at the quarterback position. Case McCoy and David Ash have both had moments, but neither has emerged as definite leader of the offense. As a result Mack Brown has turned to Malcolm Brown, Fozzy Wittaker and the running game.

While the Texas ground game has been effective for the most part, the Longhorns have to be concerned about their secondary, following a blowout loss to rival Oklahoma. The Cowboys run a similar spread attack to the Sooners, and the Weeden to Blackmon combination might as well be a mirror image to the Landry Jones to Ryan Broyles combo for Oklahoma. In fact, Weeden and Blackmon might be even better. The Texas defense had no answers for the Sooners offense last weekend, and it could be another long day Saturday against an Oklahoma State offense that has been even more productive and explosive this season.

The odds certainly aren’t in Texas’ favor, but if the Longhorns are going to pull off an upset, they have to avoid turnovers. Brown’s team had five turnovers in last weekend’s loss, and the Cowboys defense has been opportunistic all season. Oklahoma State rallied past Texas A&M on the strength of its defense, and the unit has forced more than four turnovers per game for the last three games. With McCoy and Nash prone to making mistakes at this stage of their careers, the Cowboys’ defense could have several chances to add to their turnover total. The last thing Texas wants to do is give Weeden and company more opportunities to put points on the board.

There have been years when the Cowboys simply didn’t have the firepower to compete with the Longhorns. That isn’t the case this season. In fact, Oklahoma State probably has too many offensive weapons for Texas to handle. With the Longhorns relying essentially on a one-dimensional offense, it is going to take a terrible performance from Weeden and company for Texas to have a chance. The final score probably won’t be as lopsided as the Oklahoma-Texas game, but the Cowboys should have no trouble pulling out a comfortable victory.

Prediction: Oklahoma State Cowboys (-7 ½) Cover the Spread

Free College Football Picks and NCAAF Predictions: Oklahoma St -7.5 to cover the spread

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