How and what to watch for Tulsa vs. Oklahoma State

The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Tulsa Golden Hurricane will play their season opener a week later than expected. The two were supposed to match up on Saturday, Sept. 12 but postponed a week due to Tulsa not being able to practice much because of the coronavirus.

Oklahoma State comes into the 2020 season with a mix of hype and controversy throughout the offseason. On the field, Chuba Hubbard can make the case as the best running backs in the country after leading the nation in rushing last season with 2,094 yards. He also ran for 21 touchdowns in 2019. At quarterback, returning Big 12 Freshman of the Year Spencer Sanders is back for the Cowboys. He set a school record for a freshman with 2,065 yards last season but will need to take care of the ball better with 11 interceptions.

For Tulsa, Zach Smith is entering his second season with the Golden Hurricane after transferring from Baylor. The passing game improved dramatically with him under center, and he threw for 3,279 yards with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His completion percentage of 57.3% will need to improve, but he’s an effective quarterback with most of the team’s top play makers returning.

Tulsa and Oklahoma State played each other last season, a 40-21 win for the Cowboys in Tulsa. Oklahoma State won the last seven matchups between the two teams.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

Saturday’s game will start at noon ET at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The game will be aired on ESPN.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Tulsa (+21.5) vs. Oklahoma State
Point Total: O/U 65.5 (-110)
Money line: Tulsa (+1100), Oklahoma State (-2500)

• Tulsa finished 4-8 straight up last season.
• Oklahoma State finished 8-5 straight up last season with a loss to Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl.
• In 2019, the Cowboys finished 10-3 against the spread.
• Tulsa finished 7-5 against the spread in 2019.

The Best Bet

Tulsa was limited to just seven practices at the time last weekend’s game was postponed. Even with a few extra days to prepare, that’s not a whole lot of practice time, especially considering a very limited college football offseason. The advantage in practice time should favor Oklahoma State significantly as the Cowboys win in a blowout.

Pick: Oklahoma State -21.5

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