Oklahoma State at Iowa State Odds

Written by Jack Jones

The second-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys put their BCS championship hopes on the line Friday when they visit the Iowa State Cyclones. The Cowboys must be sure they do not look ahead to the Oklahoma game, which should ultimately decide whether or not they play for a national title. Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 25-17-3 over the Cyclones while winning three of the last four. That includes a 34-8 road victory in their most recent meeting with Iowa State back in 2009.

According to the latest college football odds, Oklahoma State is a 26.5-point favorite over Iowa State and the total is set at 66.5 points.

Oklahoma State

The Cowboys have done an excellent job of keeping their focus all season, and as a result, they are in the midst of their best start in school history. Oklahoma State (10-0, 7-0) would clinch at least a share of the Big 12 title with a win Friday. They are also trying to match a school record with an 11th consecutive road win, which would equal the mark set by the Cowboys from 1943-45. With a match-up with the Sooners looming, this is not the time to lose their focus.

Oklahoma State is coming off a dominant 66-6 road victory over Texas Tech last Saturday in perhaps their most impressive performance of the season to date. Texas Tech’s only score came on a fumble return for a touchdown early in the third quarter after the Cowboys had already raced out to a 49-0 halftime lead. OSU racked up 637 total yards behind 423 passing yards and five touchdowns from Brandon Weeden. Joseph Randle rushed for 78 yards and three touchdowns as well. What was most impressive was an OSU defense that yielded only 270 total yards.

Despite a strong defensive effort against the Red Raiders, the Cowboys still rank just 98th in the country in total defense (442.2 yards/game). They have been winning behind the third-ranked unit in total offense (565.3 yards/game). Weeden is completing 73.1 percent of his passes for 3,635 yards with 31 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Randle has rushed for 993 yards and the third-most touchdowns in the country with 21 scores. All-American receiver Justin Blackmon has 93 receptions for 1,142 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he has found the end zone twice in each of his last three games.

Iowa State

The Cyclones are coming off a bye week, giving them an extra seven days to prepare for the Cowboys. Iowa State (5-4, 2-4 Big 12) could certainly use that extra preparation as they try to slow down this explosive Oklahoma State offense. They come into this game with some momentum after a two-game winning streak which has put them just one victory shy of becoming bowl eligible. After a stunning 41-7 road win at Texas Tech on October 29th, the Cyclones went on to top Kansas 13-10 at home on November 5th.

ISU should have put the Jayhawks away much sooner, but they committed three costly turnovers which allowed Kansas to keep it close. The Cyclones outgained the Jayhawks 426-301 for the game, and kicker Zach Guyer nailed a 42-yard field goal with 4:30 to play to give ISU the lead for good. Quarterback Jared Barnett went just 16 of 30 passing for 175 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, but he led the team with 125 rushing yards on 22 carries. After forcing a punt with 2:37 remaining, ISU was able to run out the clock thanks to four straight runs of 6 yards or more from backup running back Jeff Woody.

The Cyclones rank 58th in the country in total offense (392.6 yards/game) and 88th in total defense (420.3 yards/game). The good news for ISU is that their strength is a passing defense that gives up just 217.3 yards/game, ranking second in the Big 12 in that department. ISU has been able to get their running game going, compiling a total of 619 yards on the ground in their last two games. James White leads all rushers with 618 yards and seven touchdowns, while Barnett is second with 304 yards and a score. Darius Reynolds is ISU’s go-to receiver with 29 receptions for 529 yards and six touchdowns.

Betting Trends

The Cowboys are 20-6-1 ATS in their last 27 road games, 48-18-2 ATS in their last 68 games as a favorite, and 21-5-1 ATS in their last 27 games as a road favorite.

The Cyclones are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as a home underdog of 10.5 or greater, but only 2-6 ATS in their last 8 conference games.

The favorite is 6-0 ATS in the last 6 meetings, and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

If you want to cash in a wager on this game, then sign up with expert handicapper Jack Jones on Friday.

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