College Football Week 8 - Kansas Jayhawks vs. Oklahoma Sooners
by Mike Rose
The eyes of the football betting world will all be turned to the Big XII on Saturday afternoon, as the conference puts on several huge betting match-ups that can change the race for the National Championship in a hurry. At 3:30 ET, the Kansas Jayhawks (5-1, 3-2 ATS) will be on display, as they attempt to march into Norman and upset the Oklahoma Sooners (5-1, 4-1 ATS).
The Sooners have had the recent success in this series, covering the spread in three straight games and winning four straight outright, but the Jayhawks have had laughs long-term, as they are 6-4 ATS in their L/10 match-ups.
If not for a dud finish against South Florida on primetime football a month ago, the Jayhawks would be drawing far more attention from the pollsters. They are ranked 16th in this week’s AP Poll after knocking off Colorado 30-14 last Saturday afternoon. It was a sweet 2nd half for Kansas bettors, as they turned a 9-7 halftime lead into a fairly easy cover down the stretch.
QB Todd Reesing completed 27-of-34 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown, but the day belonged to RB Jake Sharp, who rolled off 31 carries for 118 yards and three scores, including two TDs in a span of less than three minutes in the 4th quarter to send NCAA football betting aficionados with the Jayhawks on their ticket to the cashier’s window. WR Kerry Meier had another strong game in spite of battling nagging injuries, recording nine catches for 94 yards. He ranks 9th in the NCAA in receiving yards, with 605.
It wasn’t such a glorious day for the #1 team in the land, however. The Sooners were touchdown choices against their rivals, the Texas Longhorns on Saturday, and looked like the better team on the field for the majority of the game. They led by double-digits on two separate occasions in the 1st half, but couldn’t shut the door on Texas when it mattered most.
The Horns outscored the Sooners 25-14 in the 2nd half and beat OU 45-35 in the highest scoring game in the history of the “Red River Rivalry”. QB Sam Bradford improved his stock for the Heisman Trophy in spite of the defeat, but it didn’t matter any for Oklahoma bettors. The sophomore fired off 387 passing yards and five touchdowns in defeat.
The Sooners only dropped from #1 to #4 in this week’s AP Poll, but an outright loss to Kansas would be crippling to their 2008-09 season.
The Jayhawks may be one of the most underrated teams in college football, and it shows with the lack of respect they’re getting in this match-up. Oddsmakers have made the Sooners whopping 19.5-point choices. The ‘total’ is set at XX. In spite of the offensive outburst for Oklahoma last weekend, consider adding the ‘under’ to your football betting card this week. The Sooners have gone 14-5-1 for ‘under’ bettors in their L/20 games, while Kansas has played six of its L/8 games ‘under’ the closing ‘total’.BetUS Sportsbook has all of the great NCAA football betting action from the opening kick until the final gun. Don’t miss your chance to boost your bankroll once again in this great B12 match-up!
