Cowboys Visit Cougars After Dismal Showing
Oklahoma St vs Houston Preview: Cougars Have Faint Bowl Shot
It wasn’t entirely unexpected for Oklahoma State to have a bit of a letdown following the win over Oklahoma. The line of Oklahoma -3 against UCF was a bit of a giveaway. But few people could have expected such a dreadful showing by Oklahoma State, which suffered a 45-3 beatdown by the Knights. Now, the Cowboys have to regroup and play a Houston team that needs to win its two final games for a bowl berth. The Oklahoma St vs Houston preview shows the Cowboys are favored by 7.5 points. The total on the game is 59.5.
Oklahoma State Cowboys at Houston Cougars 
Day/Time: Saturday, November 14, 4:00 p.m. ET
Location: TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas
Line: Oklahoma State -7.5 | Total: 59.5
Streaming: ESPN2
Cowboys No Longer Control Destiny
Oklahoma State was in control of its fate prior to the UCF game. Now, the Cowboys are going to need some help in order to reach the Big 12 Championship game. Oklahoma State is tied for second place in the Big 12’s college football standings. But there are three other teams tied with them. The Cowboys have no excuse for last week. When you have three turnovers and three punts in your first six possessions, you aren’t going to win. It was the second head-scratcher Oklahoma State has turned in this NCAAF season. The first was a 33-7 loss to South Alabama.
Oklahoma State’s season statistics aren’t that impressive thanks to the two blowout losses. The Cowboys are outscoring foes 27.9 to 26.4 and are being outgained by 16.3 yards per game. That isn’t what you expect from the No. 15 team in the country. The Cowboys are a decent running team. Oklahoma State gains 5.2 yards per carry against teams allowing 4.3 yards. The passing game isn’t bad, gaining 251.6 yards per game. The Cowboys gain 6.4 yards per pass, which is a little lower than foes allow on the season.
Oklahoma State is allowing 436 yards per game and are below average against the run and the pass. The Cowboys allow 4.7 yards per carry to teams averaging 4.7 yards a rush. Oklahoma State has allowed 5.3 yards or more per carry in each of its last four games.
Houston Not as Bad as Stats Show
If they were in a different conference, the Houston Cougars would probably have a better record. But they’re in the Big 12 and are 4-6 straight-up and 5-5 against the college football betting lines. Houston is scoring 24.1 points against teams allowing 25.6 points. The Cougars aren’t bad at running the ball, but don’t really stick with it. Houston is averaging 4.1 yards per rush against teams allowing 4.2 yards per carry. So the Cougars are just below average there. But the Cougars are a little better passing the ball, so Houston is just below average offensively.
It’s more of the same on defense, where Houston allows 30.8 points. But their opponents average 29 points a game. So the Cougars are just below average in that regard. Houston has been pretty average defending the run and the pass. Houston doesn’t do anything particularly well. But they don’t have any real weaknesses either.
What to Expect
The Oklahoma St vs Houston preview wants to see Oklahoma State show it can bounce back before using the Cowboys as one of the NCAA football picks. The Cowboys lost to Iowa State the week after losing to South Alabama. But the Cowboys do have something to play for. But that was also the case last week and you can say the same for the Cougars.
Houston has to look at how poor the Cowboys have been against the run lately and make an effort to move the ball on the ground. The Cougars will still throw, but a few more runs than normal wouldn’t be a huge surprise.
Who to Bet On?
The Oklahoma St vs Houston preview believes the line of 7.5 points is a pretty strong number. The Cowboys are still ranked and are the better team. Their mental state is a bit of an unknown. But if they can’t regroup after last week, they have no business in the championship game.
The Cougars have a tall order ahead and one they’ll probably fall short in. But they should come to play in this one, which is the final home game of the season. If Houston can run the ball some, it might be able to stay within the spread. But the under 59.5 is the best value in this game.
For NCAAF betting news and odds analysis on NCAAF, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
