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Oklahoma St. Cowboys 2014 NCAA Football Gambling Odds & Predictions

2014-15 Football Previews – (Big 12) – Cowboys

This season will really test what Mike Gundy has been building in Stillwater. In three of the last 4 season they have won 10 or more games but there is a lot of turnover this year so the question is whether they have been recruiting the kind of depth that will let them reload instead of rebuild.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

  • Head Coach: Mike Gundy
  • 2013 Record: 10-3
  • Gambling Odds to win National Championship: 80/1
  • Gambling Odds to win (B12): 12/1

The one good thing is that they are set at the quarterback position. The opener against FSU could be a little ragged but don’t forget about these guys.

Strengths:

Junior QB J.W. Walsh stuck around and now the position is all his. He is neither a great thrower or a great runner but I like the way he combines both into a winning combination.

He put up good numbers last year and now that he has the position all to himself I expect him to continue to get better this season.

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The backfield should be strong because with Walsh will be senior RB Desmond Roland. He is a very powerful back and should build on the 800+ yards he had last season.

He is especially effective in the red zone where his toughness is an asset. They have had good backs recently at OSU but Roland is more of a bruiser.

Whether it is on a handoff or reception the Cowboys have to get the ball in the hands of Tyreek Hill. He is just a frosh but he enrolled in the spring and immediately won the B12 indoor 200 and was second in the 60.

If they can get him in space they may have a D’Anthony Thomas kind of player.

Weaknesses:

This is going to be a very young team this season – on both sides of the ball. 8 sophomores are projected to start including two offensive linemen and both safeties.

That is far from ideal and it might mean that this team could be really good in a year or two while 2014 might have some traditional growing pains.
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The Cowboys used to have an embarrassment of riches at QB with Walsh, Wes Lunt and Clint Chelf. Now there is just Walsh so any injury or lack of performance will be overly detrimental to this squad.

Sure QB are important all across the country but for OSU there is absolutely no margin for error.

Who is going to make the impact plays on defense. This team has had success of late creating turnovers, +15 last year, and making big plays when it matter most.

This year their best defensive player is going to be a plugger, James Castleman at nose tackle. They need those explosive plays to keep up with the better teams.

Gambling Prediction: 7-5

2014 OSU Schedule:

  • Aug 30 – Florida State (Arlington)
  • Sep 6 – Missouri State
  • Sep 13 – UTSA
  • Sep 25 – Texas Tech
  • Oct 4 – Iowa State
  • Oct 11 – @Kansas
  • Oct 18 – @TCU
  • Oct 25 – West Virginia
  • Nov 1 – @Kansas State
  • Nov 15 – Texas
  • Nov 22 – @Baylor
  • Dec 6 – @Oklahoma

The Cowboys better get all the wins they can early in the schedule because the final month is going to be brutal. I expect them to get hit pretty hard in the opener against FSU but don’t overreact.

This is a good but not great team facing a pretty tough slate.

Look for them in that Iowa State game in October. They are likely to be torched, win or lose, by Texas Tech. Against a much more pedestrian team like the Cyclones they will be able to get one of their largest margins of victory.

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By The Wiesguy

The Wiesguy is a newcomer to the handicapping scene. Hailing from Toronto, Canada he is always sweet on the underdogs and you can often find his thoughts, musings and picks at moneydogs.blogspot.com.