Boilermakers vs Cowboys NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
It is rather surprising to see a team like the 9-3 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs not playing in a bowl this season, while the .500 Purdue Boilermakers – sitting at 6-6 in a decidedly underwhelming Big Ten Conference – meet up with a Big 12 opponent on New Year’s Day in Dallas.
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Purdue Boilermakers (6-6) vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-5)
Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, Noon EST
Cotton Bowl, Dallas TX
Betting Information Courtesy Sportsbook.ag
Purdue +650, Ok. St. -900
Purdue +16.5, Ok. St. -16.5
Over/Under: 70
ATS Matchup Stats | Gambling Insight!
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Sadly for the West Lafayette faithful, the Boilers were average by most every standard in 2012. They were a measly 3-5 in conference play, and somehow made a bowl despite enduring a five-game losing streak in the middle of the season. Purdue is riding a three-game win streak, however; beating up on bad teams (the Big Ten seemed to have a bunch of them this year) such as Iowa, Illinois and the Hoosiers of Indiana University.
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Yet, Purdue should have a decent cheering section in Dallas, as the school is known for plucking some Texan players on the recruiting trail (most notably Drew Brees).
The Cotton Bowl venue is one notorious for snarling inner-city traffic, yet there’s certainly no slow moving in the Oklahoma State offense.
The Cowboys’ passing attack ranks 11th nationally (over 330 yards per contest) and OSU ranks fourth in points for (almost 45 per) and even in the Top 25 in rush yards. Despite a rather pedestrian 7-5 finish – disappointing for the level of play Cowboys fans has seen in recent years – Oklahoma State has shown it can score on everybody.
That doesn’t bode well for a Purdue defense that ranked 11th in the Big Ten, despite having star DT Kawann Short. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Oklahoma State QB combination of Clint Chelf and J.T. Walsh has been lethal, and they do the bulk of their damage throwing to sophomore WR Josh Stewart. The Texas native had 96 receptions for 1,154 yards and seven TDs.
Running back Joseph Randle often takes care of whatever’s left – the junior had a great year with 1,351 rush yards and 14 scores. The Cowboys run a quick, powerful attack (unlike Dallas’ NFL team of the same namesake, though that’s a different story) but consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Baylor to end the season really derailed their campaign.
The Heart of Dallas Bowl will likely be seen as a consolation prize, considering how high the expectations were in Stillwater to begin the year.
For whatever it is worth, Oklahoma State should finish the year with eight wins. Purdue school brass were unimpressed enough with their team’s year that they fired head coach Danny Hope.
The Boilers can’t play defense and they don’t score a ton either, so I don’t like their chances against the Cowboys (Oklahoma State, remember!) in Big D on January 1.
Score Prediction: Oklahoma State 48, Purdue 27
