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NCAA Football

Mississippi St. Bulldogs vs. Oklahoma St. Cowboys Gambling Predictions & Week 1 Preview

MSU vs OSU NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

The No. 13 Oklahoma State Cowboys will open their 2013 season as the top-ranked team in the Big 12 in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls.

Mississippi State (0-0) vs. (13) Oklahoma State (0-0)
Date: Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013
Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Reliant Stadium
City: Houston
O/U Odds: 60
Spread: Oklahoma State -12 1/2
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It will be OSU’s first game in Reliant Stadium since the 2002 Houston Bowl, and they will aim to stay on top of the heap with an early win over an unranked Mississippi State Bulldogs team that has a lot of question marks heading into the new season.

MSU got off to a quick 7-0 start and appeared to be in contention for the Southeastern Conference title in 2012, but the wheels fell off the bus as the Bulldogs limped home with a 7-6 record.

One bright spot for the MSU last season however, was running back LaDarius Perkin, who became just the ninth player in the school’s history to rush for 1,000 yards or more.

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In 2012, the then-junior rushed 205 times for 1,024 yards with eight touchdowns, on his way to becoming the 12th-leading rusher in MSU history.

He figures to get a lot of carries this season, especially against an Oklahoma State defense that was anemic in their five defeats last season, giving up 47.2 points per game in those losses. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

It will be interesting to see if they will have much success against a veteran Bulldogs’ o-line.

Meanwhile, OSU finished the 2102 season, 8-5, and will get back the conference’s top receiver Josh Stewart, who recorded 101 receptions and 1,210 yards to go along with his seven touchdowns a year ago.

Stewart alone could wreck havoc on Mississippi State, but mix in Tracy Moore and freshman Ra’Shaad Samples, and that adds up to a triple threat for a defense that has major questions in its secondary after losing Thorpe Award Winner Jonathan Banks and Darius Slay.

Matt’s free prediction:

The Cowboys look like the better team here, and this will be a tough test for an inexperience Bulldogs’ defensive backfield, as they try to contain Stewart.

However, if the Mississippi State defense can force some turnovers and hold Oklahoma State to fewer than 28 points, as well as get fifth-year senior quarterback Tyler Russell, who set school passing records last year, to establish some chemistry with a host of inexperienced receivers, they can win this game.

Which in my opinion would be a major upset.

But that’s a lot of ifs.

Oklahoma State 31 – Mississippi State 24

By Matt Martz

Matt has returned to CappersPicks.com. The pull was too great. He missed providing his free picks and insider sports gambling analysis to his loyal readers. Please take it easy on him till he gets back into his groove. Cheers!