Oklahoma has won four consecutive Big 12 titles and is the home of the last two Heisman Trophy winners. Now, grad transfer and former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts wants to be next. The Sooners begin their quest for their fifth straight conference title when they host Houston Sunday night. But is Hurts even the best quarterback in this game?
Cougars signal caller D'Eriq King will attempt to announce his presence in front of a national audience and oddsmakers are expecting fireworks, with a total sitting at a huge 80. From the opening kickoff to the final whistle, we break down the best ways to wager this college football clash.
HOUSTON COUGARS AT OKLAHOMA SOONERS (-23, 80 @ 888 SPORT)
QUICK HITTER
Last year, people wondered how Lincoln Riley would deal with replacing Baker Mayfield with Kyler Murray. And well, we all know how that turned out. The Sooners didn’t skip a beat. In fact, they increased their production from 45.1 points per game with Mayfield to 48.4 with Murray. So, yeah. Riley will probably be able to get the most out of Hurts’ skill set.
And that is a talented skill set. People forget that Hurts was the SEC offensive player of the year as a freshman back in 2016 when he threw for close to 3,000 yards, ran for another 954 and had 36 total touchdowns.
Riley had Murray come out firing in his first game last season and you can expect he’ll do the same here. Take the first score of the game to be a Boomer Sooner touchdown.
Pick: First Score – Oklahoma Touchdown (+105)
FIRST HALF
Oklahoma has been known for flying out of the gates with Riley at the helm. In 2017, they led the country in first half points per game and they were third last season. This game should feature more of the same. The Sooners go up against a Houston defense that was one of the worst in the country and ranked 120th in opponent first half scoring at 20.6 per game.
Houston does have a new coach in Dana Holgorsen, but he was never really known for defense at West Virginia. Holgorsen’s focus will be on getting the most out of King. The senior quarterback quietly became one of only three quarterbacks in FBS history with at least 35 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns in a single season despite missing the last 2 1/2 games due to injury.
While Riley brought in Alex Grinch to re-vamp an Oklahoma defense that ranked dead last in the Big 12 in scoring and total yards, there is likely to be some growing pains.
Pick: Over 41.5 First Half Total
TEAM/PLAYER PROP
Despite his abbreviated campaign last year, King threw for 2,982 yards and ran for 674 more while also setting an American Athletic Conference single-season record with 50 touchdowns responsible for (36 pass, 14 rush), including at least one rushing score in each of his 11 games. And the only game they scored fewer than their team total for this one, was last year’s bowl game where they got run all over by Army. But, guess what. King didn’t play that game. Oh, and did we mention, Oklahoma didn’t play much defense last year?
Pick: Houston Over 28.5 Team Total
FULL GAME TOTAL
OK. So, the total for this one is a whopping 80. Last season there were five regular season games with a total of 80 or higher and the Over only cashed twice. You want to guess one of the teams involved in both of those Overs? You’re right it was Oklahoma.
The Sooners were also one of the best Over bets in the nation last season, going 11-3 O/U. Which was of course, thanks to their fantastic combination of electric offense and leaky defense. As we mentioned before, the Sooners averaged 48.4 ppg last season, while surrendering 33.3.
And guess what else! Houston is essentially Oklahoma Lite. The Cougars scored an impressive 41.8 ppg, but ranked 121st in the country yielding a massive 39.1 ppg. And their best defender, Ed Oliver is a Buffalo Bill.
Pick: Over 80
FULL GAME SIDE
Oklahoma wasn’t a great bet last season, at just 6-7-1 ATS. And it was even worse when favored by 20 or more points at just 2-4 ATS. That said, we really think Riley unleashes his new toy in this one, to the benefit of Sooners bettors.
Then, there is the matter of Holgorsen and his not being able to figure out Oklahoma. He never once beat the Sooners in his seven seasons as head coach at West Virginia, going 2-4-1 ATS and 0-4-1 in the last five years. The Mountaineers surrendered at least 44 points six times and 50 points four times over that span, including at least 56 in each of the last three meetings.
Houston’s offense led by King will keep them in this one for a while, but Oklahoma will pull away in the second half.
Pick: Oklahoma -23
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
21+. NJ only. Odds may vary. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
