Bet Sooners In Red River Shootout!
This game will prove to be everything that the USC-OSU letdown wasn’t. Both teams are itching to prove themselves, despite some defensive lapses. The Sooners are the best team in the country, and Sam Bradford is out to prove that he is Heisman worthy. The one thing standing in their way is Texas’s Colt McCoy and his road warrior Longhorns.
For as long as the Red River Shootout has been an integral part of college football, the game has never been a disappointment. These two teams have flipped and flopped wins and losses through the past decade, and this year will be no different.
The Texas Longhorns have the sixth best offense in the league, raking in 47.2 points per game on 272 passing yards and 145.5 rushing yards. The betting community has been skeptical because Colt McCoy has been a gunslinger, who has been prone to chancing risks…and losing. Everyone betting on Texas football this weekend are crossing their fingers that the two picks he gave up last week were an aberration, and not a return to the McCoy has letdown Texas fans all these years.
Last season, everyone was quick to doubt Sam Bradford’s freshman debut in to the storied rivalry against Texas. They thought he was too raw, far too lucky and not ready for the big stage. When he posted a massive performance that saw the Sooners rise to a 28-21 victory, all of those critics shut the hell up.
Now the two pigskin pushers get to prove their doubters wrong again. The only problem is that there can only be one winner. Either McCoy is simply not a winner, or Bradford isn’t nearly as polished as the Heisman voters seem to think.
NCAA Football Betting Trends
-Texas is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games
-Texas is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games
-Texas is 19-2 SU in their last 21 games on the road
-Oklahoma is 22-2 SU in their last 24 games at home
-Oklahoma is 5-5 ATS in last 10 meetings with Texas
The crazy thing about Bradford is that he’s just getting started. His measurables were pretty solid, which is why a team like Oklahoma recruited him out of high school. What nobody imagined was that he’d mature so quickly. Physically, he’s almost ideal for a quarterback (6-foot-4, 218 pounds) with a rocket arm. Mentally, however, he’s as tough as nails and doesn’t get rattled easily.
I wish we could say the same about McCoy, but betting against an erratic senior over a rock-solid sophomore seems kind of moronic to me. I’m just saying.
Texas Longhorns (5-0) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (5-0)
Saturday, October 11th — Memorial Stadium, Oklahoma — 12:00pm EST
NCAAF betting Line: Oklahoma -6.5 (56)
Neither of these defenses has been truly tested. Oklahoma is 15th overall with 13.8 points against per game, and Texas is fourth with 11.4 points against. The glaring stat here is passing defense. The Texans allow 242.0 yards against. The Sooners? About 90-yards less. While Bradford will be the spotlight hog, the Sooners defense is going to prove that it can hold its end of the deal up as well.
