Lincoln Riley’s Sooners are trying to get into championship form as they look to break a streak against the Kansas State Wildcats.
The meat-and-potatoes, mistake-free identity of the Kansas State Wildcats seems to have been underscored by Chris Klieman, and it has unfortunately left Lincoln Riley without a win in two matchups against Bill Snyder’s successor. A clean performance should flip the script for the Oklahoma Sooners, who are trying to finally look like a championship-caliber team in their first road contest of the season.
Take it away, Toby.
The road… do you revel in it? Do you attack the opportunity with a warrior’s swagger? We’re about to find out.@LandersChevyOK Scene Setter ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/K9O7TjqlRr
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 2, 2021
Time & TV: Saturday, Oct. 2 at 2:30 p.m. CT on FOX
Commentary: Aaron Goldsmith and Brock Huard
Streaming: FoxSportsGO
Line: Oklahoma -11.5 (as of Saturday at 9 a.m. CT)
O/U: 52.5
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Week Five Gambling Picks from Allen
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My Gambling Picks
Arkansas +16.5 at Georgia
Texas -4 at TCU
Michigan +2 at Wisconsin
Wake Forest -7 vs. Louisville
Notre Dame +2 vs. Cincinnati
West Virginia -7 vs. Texas Tech
Alabama -14.5 vs. Ole Miss
Oklahoma State -4 vs. Baylor
Indiana +12.5 at Penn State
Clemson -15 vs. Boston College
LSU -3 vs. Auburn
UCLA -3 vs. Arizona State
Final Thoughts
Oklahoma being in the SEC by 2023 seems like the best bet, so this could be the last time the Sooners visit the Little Apple for the foreseeable future. While Bill Snyder Family Stadium’s size pales in comparison to the behemoths of OU’s future conference, this venue’s pound-for-pound electricity will always leave me impressed. Losing in that place only once in the 21st century will always be noteworthy, so let’s hope it stays that way.
The recent history of this series has essentially come down to the turnover battle. In K-State’s last four wins against the Sooners (2012, 2014, 2019, 2020), the Wildcats hold a combined 11-0 advantage in this department. In the 2021 tussle, the OU offensive line will need to win in the trenches in order to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. A clean pocket and a reliable run game should alleviate some of Spencer Rattler’s issues and lower the frequency of unnecessary risks.
On the other end, will we see Skylar Thompson today? ‘Unlikely’ has been the word of the week, but ‘out’ has not. The closer we get to kickoff, the more improbable an appearance seems, but I don’t think it will surprise people if he tries to give it a go. What we do know is that we’ll see plenty of dynamic playmaker Deuce Vaughn, whose similarities to Darren Sproles will always give OU fans some anxiety.
As much as we’d like to see a dominant performance today, I think we’d all settle for a W. I’m expecting a nail-biter, but if Bill Bedenbaugh’s group can assert itself to any extent, I like OU’s chances. Breaking even in the turnover battle wouldn’t hurt, either.
Prediction
Oklahoma 31, Kansas State 21