OKLAHOMA ST vs MIAMI
When: 12/29/2020 5:30 PM
Where:

TV: 5:30 PM
LINE: 2.5
PREDICTION: MIAMI , OKLAHOMA ST

Oddsmakers currently have the MIAMI listed as 2.5 point favorites versus the OKLAHOMA ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 58.5.

Perhaps the Miami Hurricanes have caught a break.

Or maybe not.

The 18th-ranked Hurricanes (8-2) will play the No. 21 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-3) in the Cheez-It Bowl on Dec. 29 in Orlando, Fla.

Oklahoma State is 2-2 against ranked teams this season and Miami is 1-2. The Hurricanes are coming off an embarrassing 62-26 home loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels, who had 554 yards rushing and 778 yards in total offense.

“Our kids have a bad taste in our mouths after that game,” Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz said.

The break that Miami might have caught is that Cowboys star running back Chuba Hubbard earlier this month opted to skip the rest of the season to prepare for the NFL draft.

Hubbard was a unanimous All-America selection last season, when he rushed for 2,094 yards, a 6.4-yard average and 21 touchdowns.

This year, Hubbard managed just 625 yards, a 4.7 average and five TDs. He hasn’t played since Nov. 21 due to an ankle injury, and his backups have done very well.

Meanwhile, Miami has been weakened on defense as both of their star defensive ends — Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche — are skipping the bowl game to prepare for the draft. Phillips and Roche combined this season for 30 tackles for losses, 12.5 sacks, four passes defensed, three fumble recoveries and one interception.

Redshirt freshmen Jahfari Harvey and Cam Williams are Miami’s new starting defensive ends, and they combined for 3.5 tackles for losses this season, albeit in few snaps.

The Cowboys, who have alternated a loss with a win for their past six games, are coming off an impressive 42-3 victory over Baylor on Dec. 12.

With Hubbard out, the Cowboys have had a 100-yard rusher in each of their past three games. The streak started when Dezmon Jackson rushed for 235 yards (6.5 average) and three touchdowns in a 50-44 win over Texas Tech.

“All week, I was running so hard to get myself in shape because this was my first start,” Jackson said after that game. “Practice translates to the field, and I wasn’t really tired in the game.”

Jackson then had 118 yards (4.1 average) in a 29-22 loss to Texas Christian.

Against Baylor, Dominic Richardson ran for 169 yards (7.3 average) and three touchdowns.

Oklahoma State’s passing game, led by Spencer Sanders, also is dangerous. Sanders, a second-year starter, has passed for 26 touchdowns and 3,767 yards in the past two years. But he also has been intercepted 19 times in 19 games.

Cowboys wide receiver Tylan Wallace, a third-year starter, has 53 catches for 877 yards and six TDs. But when he went down with a leg injury against Baylor, OSU’s Dillon Stoner had a huge game, grabbing eight passes for 247 yards and three scores.

Oklahoma State’s ability to find new stars on the fly has to concern a shaken Hurricanes defense, especially without their star linemen. Miami starting cornerback Al Blades also is out, due to myocarditis, a heart condition.

Offensively, Miami is led by D’Eriq King, who has passed for 2,573 yards, 22 TDs and just five interceptions this year. He has also rushed for 520 yards and four touchdowns.

Wide receiver Mike Harley (49 catches, 730 yards, six TDs) is King’s biggest playmaker.

Tight ends Brevin Jordan and Will Mallory — both NFL prospects — have combined this season for 48 catches, 742 yards and nine touchdowns.

The post Cheez-It Bowl: Oklahoma St vs. Miami 12/29/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

BOISE ST vs OKLAHOMA ST
When: 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 15, 2018
Where: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, Oklahoma

TV: 3:30 PM
LINE: -3
PREDICTION: OKLAHOMA ST , BOISE ST

Oddsmakers currently have the OKLAHOMA ST listed as -3 point favorites versus the BOISE ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 64.

No. 17 Boise State needs a marquee victory to aid its hope of landing in a New Year’s Six bowl, and the opportunity is presented when it visits No. 19 Oklahoma State on Saturday in Stillwater. The contest figures to be a high-scoring affair as the Broncos have averaged 59 points in their two victories, while the Cowboys are clicking at 56.5 per game.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is very concerned about a veteran Boise State team and is expecting a supreme test for his own squad. “This is, in my opinion, a very good year for them,” Gundy said of the Broncos at a press conference. “They’ve got a lot of players back, the quarterback is experienced, mature and they’re top 10 or so offensively and probably top 10 defensively. Hopefully we can play the very best that we can and we’re going to need to play at a high level in order for us to give ourselves a chance to win.” Broncos coach Bryan Harsin isn’t buying into the national narrative that the matchup is crucial because it is Group of 5 (Boise State) versus Power 5 (Oklahoma State). “That’s not the way we think about it,” Harsin told reporters. “Our mentality is regardless of the logo they have on the side of their helmet, we’ve got to go figure out a way to play to the best of our ability.”

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Oklahoma State -2.5

ABOUT BOISE STATE (2-0): Senior quarterback Brett Rypien is off a terrific start by passing for 667 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception and he helped the Broncos roll up a school-record 818 yards in last Saturday’s 62-3 trouncing of Connecticut. “It felt amazing to see our offense click and to be out there having fun,” junior running back Alexander Mattison (team-best 171 rushing yards) told reporters. “We pride ourselves on going out there and executing whether that’s in the run game or the passing game. We went out and were able to make some big plays which felt really good.” The defense is allowing an average of 13.5 points and will have senior defensive tackle David Moa (undisclosed injury) on the field for the first time this season.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (2-0): Senior quarterback Taylor Cornelius has passed for 728 yards in his two career starts and has six touchdown passes against three interceptions. “He has been here so long, and he wants to play as good of a game as he can, mentally,” Gundy told reporters. “We run 80 plays a game. We play fast. Lots on the quarterback. There’s going to be mistakes. He has a high level of really quiet confidence in my opinion.” Sophomore linebacker Calvin Bundage has a team-best 14 tackles for a defense allowing 15 points per game, while redshirt freshman Devin Harper contributed a 24-yard interception return in last Saturday’s 55-13 romp over South Alabama.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The teams are meeting for the first time, although Oklahoma State is slated to visit Boise State in 2021.

2. Cowboys freshman WR Tylan Wallace (team-best 14 catches for 214 yards) established career highs of 10 receptions and 166 yards versus South Alabama.

3. Rypien has 16 career 300-yard passing performances, tying Kellen Moore (2008-11) for most in school history.

PREDICTION: Boise State 34, Oklahoma State 31

The post BOISE ST vs. OKLAHOMA ST 9/15/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

S ALABAMA vs OKLAHOMA ST
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 8, 2018
Where: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, Oklahoma

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: OKLAHOMA ST , S ALABAMA

Oddsmakers currently have the OKLAHOMA ST listed as point favorites versus the S ALABAMA, while the game’s total is sitting at .

Despite a prolific performance by the offense in a Week 1 rout of Missouri State – including five touchdown passes by its new leader Taylor Cornelius – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy wants to see more from his senior signal-caller. Cornelius, who led an offense that gained 732 yards against the Bears – the third-highest total in school history – will start again Saturday and continue fine-tuning his game for Big 12 Conference play when the 23rd-ranked Cowboys host South Alabama.

Cornelius, who spent his entire career behind 2018 third-round NFL Draft pick Mason Rudolph, completed 24-of-34 passes for 300 yards and added a 32-yard run in about three quarters of play last weekend. “I thought that Taylor was average at best,” Gundy told reporters after the game. “I just thought he missed too many throws. In my head, I think he missed six throws. His mental part was good, he just missed some throws.” Certainly not average was junior Justice Hill (led the Big 12 in rushing last season with 1,467 yards), who ran for 122 yards on 10 carries, including a 93-yard run that was the fourth-longest in school history, and Jalen McCleskey (tasked with replacing the production of departed wideouts James Washington and Marcell Ateman), who caught two touchdown passes and ran for a score. South Alabama got three touchdowns from Kawaan Baker and backup quarterback Evan Orth led the Jaguars on a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives, but it was not enough to overcome a double-digit halftime deficit in a 30-26 loss to Louisiana Tech last weekend.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN Plus. LINE: Oklahoma State -32.

ABOUT SOUTH ALABAMA (0-1): Orth completed 4-of-6 passes for 44 yards and added runs of 59 and 15 yards on his two carries after being the third quarterback to enter the game. Fellow senior Cole Garvin started but completed only 7-of-16 passes for 47 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Baker scored two TDs on the ground, including a 28-yard scamper, and one on a 3-yard reception.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (1-0): The Cowboys rushed for 431 yards, good for an average of eight yards per carry as LD Brown added 110 yards on nine carries, while J.D. King and Chuba Hubbard combined for 94 yards on 15 carries. The Cowboys’ defense under new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles gave up just 260 total yards – 150 passing and 110 rushing – and recorded five sacks and two fumble recoveries. “Defensively, we played pretty good and got out of our gap twice and gave up two really long runs,” Gundy said referring to 29- and 58-yard runs by Missouri State quarterback Peyton Huslig. “We’ve had some issues over the years with (giving up big plays) and we need to try to minimize (those) the best we can.”

EXTRA POINTS

1. Hubbard took home Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Week accolades, leading the Cowboys with 149 all-purpose yards on 11 total touches. He finished the game with 65 receiving yards, 42 rushing yards, 42 return yards and a receiving touchdown.

2. Oklahoma State beat South Alabama 44-7 last season in the first-ever meeting, holding the Jaguars to a season-low 175 yards. South Alabama is 1-10 against Power Five teams, with its only win coming at Mississippi State in 2012.

3. Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, Oklahoma State is 46-4 at home versus non-conference teams.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma State 47, South Alabama 10

The post S ALABAMA vs. OKLAHOMA ST 9/8/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.