Oklahoma Sooners vs Texas Tech (11/26/2022 – 7:30 pm EDT)
Line: Oklahoma -2
O/U: 63.5
Oklahoma Sooners vs Texas Tech Red Raiders
With the college football season winding down to the end of the season, the Big 12 is deeply involved in the races with the Oklahoma Sooners heading into the state of Texas to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium for a Saturday night tilt. The Sooners are coming off a big 28-13 road win over in-state rival Oklahoma State while the Red Raiders pulled off a close 14-10 victory while visiting Iowa State.
Oklahoma Analysis
It’s been an odd year for Oklahoma, a team that began the season ranked ninth and now finds themselves unranked and trying to gain momentum to use for the 2023 season. Part of the issue was a lackluster start that included splitting their first six games of 2022, which set them back significantly and had the Sooners playing catch-up over the last few weeks. On the year, Oklahoma has gone 6-5 overall but their 3-5 record in the Big 12 is the more concerning part as it puts them in a tie for 8th, far out of contention for the conference title and putting themselves into a lower-tier bowl game. The Sooners have gone 4-7 against both the spread and the over/under so far.
So, why hasn’t Oklahoma lived up to expectations in 2022? It all starts with their fourth game of the season against a gritty Kansas State team. Before that point, the Sooners had opened up the season with a three-game winning streak and were ranked a season-high sixth overall before getting beat 34-27 by the Wildcats. One loss doesn’t make or break the season, but the losing didn’t stop there with the Sooners going on to lose their next contest 55-24 to TCU followed by a 59-0 shellacking at the hands of Texas. They would right the ship a little with two consecutive wins after that but that was followed up with two losses in a row until they beat Oklahoma State last Saturday to bring their record above .500.
While they have only won six games on the year, the Sooners have certainly been getting it done on offense despite five losses as they’re ranked 13th in the country in rushing yards with 217.2 per contest while their 454 yards of total offense a game is good for 22nd overall. Considering how many yards Oklahoma puts up, they’re only averaging 31.5 points a game, which is 46th in the nation while their six turnovers rank 54th. There isn’t much to write home about on the defensive side for the Sooners other than their 15 turnovers on the season, which is good for 9th overall in college football.
Texas Tech Analysis
For Texas Tech, the season has had a completely different outlook as they were expected to be one of the worst teams in the Big 12 only to find themselves one game above .500 at 6-5 going into the final game of their season. While Texas Tech may not have been a preseason Top 25 team, they were still thought of as a tough team to play in the Big 12 although that is not exactly how the season has played out over 11 games thus far. The Red Raiders find themselves at 4-4 in the conference, which puts them in a three-way tie for fourth place with Oklahoma State and Baylor. Texas Tech has gone 6-5 against the spread and 7-4 versus the over/under.
The Red Raiders started off the season on a high note by winning their first two games, including an exhilarating 33-30 victory over Houston, who was ranked 25th at the time. Following a loss to NC State the following week, it was their big win over Texas that showed that Tech may not be so bad after all. Texas Tech would run into a snag after that, however, with the Red Raiders losing four of their next five games all of which were conference games. On the bright side, they’ve now won two consecutive games with last week’s sixth victory making the Red Raiders bowl eligible.
While Texas Tech will never be known for great defenses, they are known for offensive firepower which is what they’ve relied on with a passing attack that puts up 295.4 yards a game, 15th in the country. Their 446.5 yards of total offense a game is 28th overall and they do a fantastic job securing the ball with only four turnovers on the year, good for 21st in college football while their 32 points a game rank 40th overall. With a defense that isn’t exactly suffocating, they have held their last two opponents (Kansas and Iowa St.) to an average of 19 points a game.
Free Pick – Over 63.5
This is a game for pride and also for each team to try to get into a better bowl game with a seventh victory. The issue here is strictly on the defensive side of the ball where both teams combine to allow opponents 445.5 yards of offense a game. With the way Oklahoma and Texas Tech can move the pigskin, it’s hard to pick a side when they’re going to move the ball and score points. In fact, the last four games between these two teams have amassed a staggering 331 points, which equates to a combined average of 82.8 points per game. That’s insane! While it may not get that high on Saturday night, it’s hard to trust two teams where the best defense between them is ranked 80th in the nation. We’re taking over 63.5.
