Oklahoma State at Tulsa (Saturday – 3:45pm ET)
This is one of those rare Week 1 matchups with a Power-4 squad visiting a G6 team. You could make the argument Oklahoma State practically is a G6 roster as well. After bottoming out with a 1-11 season, the Cowboys brought in Eric Morris from North Texas. Morris led the Mean Green to a 12-2 record, and brings a ton of his top talent from the roster with him. Regardless, we know Tulsa will be up for a home game against a Big 12 school.
Tulsa actually got a road win at Oklahoma State last year as a nine-point underdog, but we can toss out the revenge angle, as the Cowboys have an entirely new roster. North Texas averaged about 45 points per game last season, and with the bulk of that offense transferring over, I think we can safely project another strong season there. However, the defense is a complete rebuilding project, and is not yet fixed.
The Golden Hurricane had some growing pains in their first season under Tre Lamb, but three of their losses were by one possession. The win over the Cowboys was actually one of three outright upsets that Tulsa pulled as the underdog. Tulsa has a much more experienced team this season, with 15 starters returning. I expect the Golden Hurricane to be a scrappy home dog here in Week 1.
CFB Pick: Tulsa +14 (-110)
