NCAAF: BETTORS RIDING THE RED RAIDERS
Sportsbook.com members love the second-ranked team in the nation in an underdog role on Saturday night.
A healthy 70% of the action for Saturday’s Big 12 collision between the #2 Texas Tech Red Raiders and #5 Oklahoma Sooners is on the visiting Raiders as these two powerhouses meet in an epic battle with conference and national title implications.
Kickoff is set for 8 pm ET Saturday night on ABC and bettors have embraced Texas Tech the seven-point underdogs in one of the country’s toughest environments.
Note that the Total is 75.5 points. That’s certainly inviting with the two schools a combined 14-3 OVER this season.
Texas Tech can end some of the drama by taking down once-beaten Oklahoma and essentially winning the Big 12 South, with just Baylor at home left and holding all the tie-breakers.
Oklahoma can screw up the Big 12 big time by roughing up the unbeaten Red Raiders and if they win by 10 or more points at Oklahoma State next week, they would probably gather enough support to play in the conference championship game. That’s even though Texas has beaten the Sooners and they would have the same 11-1 record.
Senior signal caller Graham Harrell has had a special season and as opposed to other Texas Tech quarterbacks under coach Mike Leach, looks to have real NFL ability, needing to just add some weight.
Being able to throw to receivers like Michael Crabtree makes his job easier, nonetheless a formerly underrated offensive line allows all the routes to develop and a trio of running backs with different skills makes them go.
For the first time in Leach’s nine year tenure, he has a defense that makes stops and can prevent the other team from scoring. The Red Raiders are 5-4 ATS on the road versus ranked teams the last decade.
The Oklahoma offense has been boiling hot. In their last three games, they have averaged 47.3 points per game in the first half! Since losing to Texas, the Sooners offense has gone into another gear led by Sam Bradford.
The Oklahoma defense has been quite vulnerable to the pass (95th in the country), yet still ranks ahead of Texas Tech (99th) and Texas (112th) in the quarterback controlled conference. The Sooners are 20-12 ATS in home finales at Norman.
Oklahoma is 7-3 ATS against ranked teams and the running game has been the difference for the increase in offensive production. Since netting 48 yards rushing against Texas, a very good Sooners offensive line has opened up holes that Oklahoma running backs have sauntered through for 250 yards per game.
Bob Stoops’ secondary may be lousy, but he will make sure to keep Harrell busy with a solid pass rush, something neither Oklahoma State nor Texas could do.
Texas Tech beat Oklahoma 34-27 at Lubbock last season, ending their BCS title hopes and will face a team looking for payback.
However, Oklahoma has surrendered over 327 yards passing through the air against a bunch of average Big 12 teams. A big reason why Oklahoma has looked so formidable of late is they have forced 15 turnovers in the last four contests, but have Harrell be careful passing the pigskin and yards and points should be plentiful.
The Red Raiders are well aware of the Sooners prowess in moving the ball on the ground; however Oklahoma is 8-22 ATS after gaining 275 or more rushing yards in their last game.
The visiting team is 5-3 ATS, though these encounters and they have not necessarily been close with the victor having a margin of 10+ points seven of the last nine.
Texas Tech covers
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