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Holiday Bowl: Oregon vs. Oklahoma State Football Picks

Written December 28, 2008 by Jason Lowry

Oregon Oklahoma State Football

Two of the nations top teams are set to action this Tuesday in the Holiday Bowl, as the No. 13 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys take on the No.15 ranked Oregon Ducks. The Cowboys had one heck of a season, going 9-3 overall and 5-3 in the Big 12 South, and all 3 of their losses came against top 10 teams in Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. The Ducks also finished the season 9-3 but were 7-2 in Pac 10 play, and in their last game of the regular season they beat Oregon State to keep their instate rival out of the Rose Bowl. For those of you looking to do a little college football betting on the game this Tuesday, the oddsmakers have Oklahoma State 2.5 point favorites over Oregon at BetUS.com.

If you watched the Cowboys play this season you know that they are like many of the Big 12 teams with an offense that can light it up with the best of them. On the season the Cowboys scored nearly 42 points a game while gaining nearly 490 yards a game. While many of the Big 12 teams this season were great with the passing attack, the Cowboys got it done on the ground, rushing for 256 yards a game and a very impressive 5.6 yards per carry. The team had 35 rushing touchdowns this season, and the majority came from Kendall Hunter who had 1,518 yards and 14 scores. Now it wasn’t all run for this unit, as quarterback Zac Robinson completed 67% of his passes for 2,735 yards with 24 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions. The big playmaker on the outside for this team is Dez Bryant who let the way with 74 catches for 1,313 yards and tied for 2nd in the nation with 18 touchdown receptions.

As for the Cowboys defense it struggled to keep up with the play of the offense, as they let opposing teams score 27 points a game, and really struggled in its 3 losses allowing 48 points per contest. The team is much better at stopping the run than the pass, as teams scored 27 times through the air, and only 16 times on the ground. Where this team has really struggled is in the takeaway and sack categories, as they only had 11 interceptions and 13 sacks, numbers you normally won’t be able to win 9 games with. Had the defense actually been good its hard telling just how good this team could have been. Bet Oklahoma State Cowboys -2.5 at BetUS.com.

The Ducks are nearly a spitting image of the Cowboys, as they two have an explosive offense scoring nearly 42 points a game, they actually have ran the ball better than the Cowboys this season. The Ducks are averaging nearly 478 yards a game, with 278 coming on the ground. The Ducks have scored 42 times on the ground, and they have two big playmakers in the rushing game, as Jeremiah Johnson leads the way with 1,082 yards with 12 scores, LeGarrette Blount had 16 rushing touchdowns on 928 yards. The Ducks can also throw the football as well, as Jeremiah Masoli had 1,486 yards with 12 touchdown tosses to just 4 interceptions, and that wasn’t all Masoli did, as he ran for 612 yards and 7 more scores.

The Ducks defense also gives up a bunch of points as opponents are scoring 28 points a game, and while they are better against the run, they aren’t that much better. One thing you have to like about this defense that the Cowboys were unable to master, is the Ducks have forced 29 turnovers this season and even more impressively have sacked the opposing quarterback 38 times. The big reason for that is the play of Nik Reed who leads the Ducks with 13 sacks this season, and the Cowboys better make sure to have an eye on him at all times in this one. Bet Oregon Ducks +2.5 at BetUS.com.

Lowry’s Lean on the Game: Oregon +3
I understand that the majority of you out there think the Ducks are as good as dead in this one, but I think this one is going to come right down to the wire, and I am going with the team that is getting the points not giving. Look for the running duo of Blount and Johnson to cause a lot of problems for the Cowboys, as I see Oregon jumping out to an early lead, but expect the Cowboys to keep it close.

Predicted Score: Oregon 38 Oklahoma State 35

Check out the latest NCAA football spreads and get the best college football picks from the experts at Betfirms.

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