#12 Utah vs #14 Oklahoma State: NCAA Football Predictions, Odds & Best Bets (9/21)

The Utah Utes take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys this Saturday in Stillwater as Big 12 conference play begins with a Top 15 showdown. We are in for quite the treat as the #14 Cowboys host the #12 Utes as two of the oldest QBs in college football face off. Cam Rising and Alan Bowman lead their squads in this conference battle.

Both teams come into this game 3-0. The Utes absolutely annihilated Southern Utah 49-0 in Week 1, took care of Baylor 23-12 in Week 2, and then went on the road and beat the Utah State Aggies 38-21 last Saturday. The Oklahoma State Cowboys are also undefeated, but they had a much bigger scare. After beating South Dakota State 44-20, they hosted Arkansas and squeaked out an 8 point win in double overtime to stay unbeaten. Then last weekend, they went on the road to beat Tulsa 45-10, moving to 3-0 on the season.

Now one of these undefeated teams will take a loss this Saturday, but who is it going to be? Cam Rising didn’t play last weekend, although he is rumored to be good to go. Even without him, freshman Isaac Wilson has stepped up and threw for 239 yards and 3 TDs against Utah State. Regardless of who starts for the Utes, they will have a tough time stopping Ollie Gordon III. The RB for the Cowboys is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry this year, but he’s been an absolute workhorse. He has 62 carries and 4 TDs, along with 44 receiving yards, carrying the ball at least 17 times in all 3 contests. I’m sure he gets plenty of touches this weekend, but will it be enough to get past the Utes rushing defense?

Let’s dive into this game and find our best bets as Oklahoma State hosts Utah!

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#12 Utah vs #14 Oklahoma State: Big 12 Conference Matchup

Matchup Information – Utah vs Oklahoma State

• Venue & Location: Boone Pickens Stadium (Stillwater, OK)
• Date: Saturday, September 21st, 2024
• Kick Off: 4:00pm Eastern
• Broadcast: FOX

Betting Odds

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Spread

• Utah +2.5 (-105)
• Oklahoma State -2.5 (-115)

Money Line

• Utah +118
• Oklahoma State -138

Total

• Over 52.5 (-110)
• Under 52.5 (-110)

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Battle of the Big 12 Giants

The Cowboys are going to rely heavily on Ollie Gordon III, just like they’ve done all season. However, it will be tough against this Utah Utes defense. Utah is allowing just 124 rushing yards per game and less than 3.5 yards per carry. Even with his heavy workload, I don’t think Gordon will have much success. The Utes know running is the Oklahoma State offense’s strength, so of course, they are going to stack the box and force the Cowboys to beat them with Bowman’s arm.

It’s not an arm that I trust.

While Bowman has a 67% completion rate and and 8-2 TD-INT ration, his pass catchers are limited. There are 3 Oklahoma State WR that account for 65% of all catches this year, and Gordon has exactly 62% of all carries. If the Utes can slow down Gordon and focus on stopping the pass, it could be a long day for Oklahoma State offensively. Even at home, I see the pressure of the Utes defense getting to Bowman, stopping Gordon’s rushes, and ultimately disrupting the entire Cowboy’s attack. This will be the toughest defense Oklahoma State has seen this year BY FAR, so I expect some sluggish series the first couple times on the field before they possibly make some adjustments.

As for the Utes, even if Cam Rising gets knocked out of the game, I trust backup Isaac Wilson after what he’s shown this season. The Utes also have a very balanced rushing attack, taking pressure off of whomever is taking the snaps this weekend. Senior RB Micah Bernard is putting up over 6 yards per carry and has added 2 TDs in the process. He has 36 carries and 241 yards over the past two games, and I expect him to eat on Saturday.

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Utah Utes vs Oklahoma State Cowboys Best Bets

Utah vs Oklahoma State Prediction: Utah Wins, Under 52.5

Best Bets: Oklahoma State TT Under 27.5 (-125) Bovada

I am hopefully not getting cute again going with a TT instead of the full game under. In Week 1, we took Notre Dame’s TT Under against Texas A&M despite really liking the full game under. Of course, our bet lost, the full game would’ve cashed and we moved on. This weekend we are not learning from our lesson, and we are backing the Utah defense. I’m not even going to worry about Cam Rising and how he may or may not play, I’ll just back Bowman to suck.

I am very impressed with Utah’s defense, and without Rising they stepped up as a group to lead this team. With a banged up QB, Utah will rely more on their defense to make stops in order to take pressure off of their offense. I have full faith that they get this done, considering they can stop the run and limit Bowman’s weapons out wide. Give me the Cowboys to have a tough time moving the ball at home against this Utes defense.

Bonus Bets: Micah Bernard Over 80.5 Rushing Yards (-114) BetOnline

Now, this line is not out yet on BetOnline, however tomorrow I expect them to post this line. Like I said above, He’s had 38 carries in his past two games, totaling nearly 250 rushing yards. To take pressure off of whomever is playing QB for the Utes, give me Bernard to feast and have tons of touches. This Oklahoma State defense is allowing 175 rushing yards per game and over 4.4 per carry. With Bernard running for 6.7 yards per attempt this season, I have no problem backing this inflated line. I see him getting plenty of touches and finding some green grass on Saturday.

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