College Football ATS Picks - UTEP at Oklahoma Preview

Bob Stoops led the Oklahoma Sooners to great heights in his storied coaching career with the team. Now that he’s retired, new coach Lincoln Riley hopes to keep the program rolling. Riley, the team’s former offensive coordinator, is only 33 years old so this is a huge year for him to see if Oklahoma is in good hands.

He gets an easy start as the Sooners are huge favorites in their season opener against the Texas El-Paso Miners. UTEP is playing the sacrificial lamb for a nice paycheck in this one, and a victory would be simply hanging around by halftime.

Eventually Oklahoma’s superior talent is assured to win out, but if the Miners can keep it close, those who chose them on the spread will be happy, and it will be a good sign for things to come when UTEP plays teams more its style.

Kickoff for this regular season Week 1 game is set for Saturday, September 2, 2017 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium.

NCAA Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu

UTEP +43
Oklahoma -43
Over/Under 62

Odds Analysis

Oklahoma has little room for error to cover in this one with such a large spread, and more than 65 percent of the early money is heading to the Miners because of it. The Sooners have a great quarterback but are working in new skill players, and if there are any early stumbles, the spread will be hard to reach.

The scoring total isn’t super high since UTEP could have trouble scoring in this one, and the wagers have been almost perfectly evenly split on both the “over” and the “under” so it seems to be in a good place.

Letdown Alert

Oklahoma should be ready to roll since this is the season opener, but there is also a gargantuan game waiting for it right around the corner. The Sooners will face off against the Ohio State Buckeyes one week later in a game that features two of the best programs in the country.

Since this is their new coach’s debut, the Sooners will aim to put on a show to take away any unease within the fanbase. However, there is always the following week to consider. Oklahoma is likely to run out to a big lead, and if that happens, it would be wise to keep the stars out of harm’s way if possible.

If the Sooners pull their starters early in the second half, that could have a big effect on both the spread and the scoring total in this matchup.

Player To Watch

Baker Mayfield -- The Sooners lose all sorts of skill talent, including talented running backs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine as well as wide receiver Dede Westbrook. However, few are fretting because there is talent waiting in the wings and there is a star signal-caller ready to deliver the ball.

Mayfield finished last season 254-of-358 passing for 3,965 yards with 40 touchdowns against only eight interceptions. He returns for another stint and may even be able to surpass those numbers if the skill guys can help him out.

Oklahoma has a really good team, but if the offense takes a step back after the loss of many stars, it will hurt its national title chances. However, Mayfield is intent on keeping things rolling in Norman.

Free ATS Pick

UTEP is clearly not going to be able to stack up in this one. The Miners are a small program with little talent compared to Oklahoma and will be outclassed. But the spread will likely come down to how many game-altering turnovers the Miners give up and if they can get into the end zone once or twice.

If UTEP makes a couple of big plays and doesn’t completely self-destruct with mistakes, it has the capacity to stay close enough to cover this spread.

College Football Odds: Oklahoma 51, UTEP 13

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