The Sooner state showdown has been dominated by Oklahoma the past two seasons with it burying Tulsa 52-7 and 51-20 as a 24-point favorite each year. But Oklahoma is coming off its big, emotional double-overtime win at Tennessee, and this is not a good spot to support the Sooners at a huge price.
ODDS
Oklahoma is a 30.5 point favorite over Tulsa with a total of 71.5.
The Sooners opened as a 30 point favorite and the total was bet up sharply from the opener of 66 points.
KEY MISMATCH
Oklahoma’s passing attack against Tulsa’s secondary and defensive pressure:
The Sooners’ new offense looked very good with Baker Mayfield averaging 11.4 yards per pass play against Akron and then last week Oklahoma overcame a slow start falling behind 17-0. But Mayfield showed what he’s made of again rallying the Sooners to an overtime victory.
The Sooners now run a pass-heavy offense and Tulsa’s pass defense is one of the weaker units in the AAC and allowed Florida Atlantic to pass for 7.5 yards per play.
After facing New Mexico’s option offense last week, Tulsa now has to deal with Oklahoma’s air game and balance on the ground as well. Tulsa allowed 300 rushing yards against Florida Atlantic in its opening week 47-44 overtime win, and then allowed 224 rushing yards against New Mexico last week with both opponents rushing for nearly 5.0 yards per rush.
The Hurricane defensive front seven rates poorly in the AAC, and running back Samaje Perine is likely to break out this week.
KEY STAT
Tulsa surprised many last week when it racked up 600 yards of offense and rolled to a 40-21 road win at New Mexico as a 6.5-point underdog. Tulsa did benefit from seven personal foul penalties on New Mexico.
The Golden Hurricane also had over 600 yards offense in their opening week win against Florida Atlantic.
Oklahoma’s defensive front held Tennessee’s ground game to 129 yards at 2.9 yards per rush and just 6-for-18 on third down as they harassed Vols quarterback Joshua Dobbs into 13-of-31 passing for just 125 yards.
Oklahoma’s defense held Tennessee to 254 total yards at 3.3 yards per play and Akron to 226 at 3.2 yards per play.
BETTING ANGLE
Oklahoma has won eight-straight in this instate series by 38 points per game. The Sooners are 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings against Tulsa. The under is 4-0 in the Sooners last four non-conference games.
Oklahoma is 91-8 under Bob Stoops at Memorial Stadium.
Tulsa is 5-1 in its last six games against a team with a winning record.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
This game has letdown written all over it for Oklahoma, as the Sooners rallied back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to stun Tennessee and 100,000 Vols fans on the road last week.
The emotion and energy of that contest should show up with a letdown with less focus and effort this week against Tulsa.
But the Golden Hurricane should bring a spirited effort after last week’s confidence-building win. Zach Langer and D’Angelo Brewer each rushed for over 130 yards last week, and while the Golden Hurricane’s new spread offense will face the ultimate test against a swarming, athletic and dominant Sooners defense, they should have some level of success to sustain some drives.
Tulsa has already equaled last season’s win total of two, and while little is expected of them this week, you can’t discount their 600 yards of offense posted in each of their opening two games. Add in a monumental letdown spot for Oklahoma and the Hurricane should stay under this number easier than expected.
Oklahoma 41, Tulsa 20
The college football lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker and the Oklahoma Sooners were positioned as 30.5-point favorites with a total of 66. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Tulsa Golden Hurricanes and Oklahoma Sooners square off on Saturday, September 19, 2015, at 12:00 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium. The contest will be broadcast live on FS1.
