Oklahoma State is hosting Tulsa on the Friday night of Week 4. The game will take place at 7:30 P.M. ET in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys are looking to keep their season on the rails after getting demolished by Oregon in their last game.
The Cowboys are 11.5-point home favorites in this game on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 54.5 points. This is a preview, prediction and pick for this Oklahoma State-Tulsa non-conference matchup.
Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa Preview
Oklahoma State Preview
It has been another disastrous start to a season for Oklahoma State. In 2024, they went 3-9 and were winless in Big 12 play. That broke Mike Gundy’s incredible streak of 18 consecutive seasons with a bowl game. It was the first time since his first season with the program that the Cowboys didn’t make a bowl game. They didn’t make any real changes to improve their roster during the offseason, and that showed in the 69-3 trouncing they took against Oregon in their last game. Oklahoma State desperately needs to play well and win in this matchup against Tulsa to try to get some positive momentum going before conference play begins.
Tulsa Preview
Tulsa has not had a good start to its season either. The Golden Hurricane have lost to Navy and New Mexico State already this season. They made a quarterback change from Kirk Francis to freshman Baylor Hayes during the New Mexico State game after Francis got injured. Hayes was unable to lead them back to a victory, but he provided an extra element as a more mobile option. He started again against Navy, and while that was another loss, the defense was more at fault in that game. Hayes played solidly against Navy, and if he isn’t afraid of the bright lights of Stillwater, he could move the ball for Tulsa against Oklahoma State. However, there is a chance that Kirk Francis returns for this game as well. Tre Lamb had indicated that both quarterbacks could play in this game.
Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa Pick
My best bet for this game is the over 54.5 points. These are two dreadful defenses and this could turn into a track meet. Tulsa ranks 89th in the nation in defensive EPA/play, and Oklahoma State ranks 116th. Oklahoma State is hoping that freshman quarterback Zane Flores is the future of the program. While he got dominated by Oregon, Mike Gundy is hopeful that this game will be a chance for him to gain some confidence. These two defenses rank 119th and 132nd in third and fourth-down success rate. Both offenses should be able to keep the chains moving, leading this game to get over the total.
