The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Kansas State Wildcats both had games from hell this past Saturday. If one team had a bad game and the other team had a great game, it would be a lot easier to say that the odds would even out for the teams the following weekend, which would make it realistic to lean toward one side in this matchup. However, since both teams struggled on Oct. 31, it makes it a lot more challenging to determine what squad is going to fix its problems enough to win on Nov. 7. Take a look at the NCAAF lines.
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Kansas State Wildcats
College Football Odds: Oklahoma State -12.5
Sportsbook Over/Under: 47
Location: Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas
Start Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Last Meeting: Oklahoma State 26, Kansas State 13 (9/28/19)
Overview
Oklahoma State outplayed Texas for most of the game on Halloween. The Cowboys racked up 530 yards compared to 287 for Texas. Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders threw for 400 yards, compared to 169 yards for Sam Ehlinger of Texas. Oklahoma State gained 32 first downs while Texas gained 17, roughly half as much. Yet, Oklahoma State lost and lost for one main reason: huge mistakes. The Cowboys committed five turnovers while Texas committed none. Oklahoma State also allowed a kick return for a touchdown precisely when it was on the verge of taking control. The Cowboys drowned in a sea of untimely errors, but the more precise point is that the untimely errors were huge ones, not small ones. The Cowboys were ranked No. 6 in the country and were the first-place team in the Big 12 entering that game against Texas, but they certainly didn’t play like it, and now they have to figure out how to bounce back.
Kansas State also had a day plagued by huge turnovers. The Wildcats threw three interceptions at West Virginia, one of them being returned for a pick-six. The other interceptions set up the Mountaineers for points, and Kansas State never really gained rhythm on offense. The game turned into a bloodbath, as Kansas State wasn’t able to complete the 21-point, second-half comeback it managed to pull off a month earlier against Oklahoma. Are the Wildcats a good team that had a bad day against West Virginia, or does the fact that they also fell behind Oklahoma by a huge margin mean that they’re simply not as strong as they seemed to be and that the Oklahoma comeback was a mirage? We might get a better answer to that question against Oklahoma State.
Bottom Line
These teams both committed tons of turnovers the previous week. Oklahoma State hasn’t played a particularly important game on the road, however, and while fan attendance is limited, this game could still catch the Cowboys off guard. Kansas State will definitely cover the online betting spread, and it will probably win outright.
Prediction: Kansas State 27, Oklahoma State 23
