Big 12 Championship: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Iowa State Cyclones Odds and Game Pick (2020)
Unlike the Big Ten and certainly the Pac 12, the Big 12 had the foresight this season to start as early as possible, as most teams are entering bowl season with nine or more games on their resume. While the conference has largely flown under the radar with no team making a real push for the College Football Playoff (CFP), the play down the stretch has been strong, with maybe no two teams in the nation playing as well as these two.
When Iowa State and Oklahoma kickoff Saturday at Jerry World, the conference will be watching closely as a relative newcomer to these ranks, Iowa State, go for their first outright conference title in program history.
Let's take a closer look at this battle of emerging Big 10 powers.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Details
- Opening Lines: Iowa State +5, O/U 58.5
- Current Line: Iowa State +5.5
- O/U: 58
- Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
- Start Time: 12:00 pm ET
- Television: ABC
- Last Meeting: November 7, 2020- Oklahoma 30, Iowa State 37
Compare odds from all major sportsbooks for Oklahoma vs. Iowa State >>
Overview
As much as Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley is downplaying the narrative in the media this week, Oklahoma is a favorite despite the lower ranking and worse record, for good reason. A CFP participant for three straight seasons and Heisman Trophy holders for two of those three, Riley has built a giant in Norman that is custom made for these kinds of games.
If it not for a slow start, freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler could have very well competed for a Heisman of his own, as he’s tallied 2,512 yards, 24 touchdowns, and a QBR of 82.0 on the season. Improving throughout the season, Rattler has a touchdown to interception ratio of 6:1 over his last two, capping off a six-game win streak that put them in the conference title game by just half of a game.
For the #6 Cyclones, it’s not lost that Saturday’s game will mark the most important in program history as they go for their first conference championship game since the program’s start. Riding a five-game win streak of their own, quarterback Brock Purdy has improved throughout the season to turn into one of the best gunslingers in the conference.
Over his last three games, Purdy has thrown for 903 yards while racking up a touchdown to interception ratio of just 10:1. Over that stretch, the Cyclones defense has turned a corner well, with the team having won all three by a margin of 110-26.
- Oklahoma is 0-5 ATS in their last five vs. Iowa State
- The Over is 4-1 in the last five Iowa State-Oklahoma meetings
- Oklahoma is 5-12 ATS in their last 17 neutral site games
Bottom Line
While Oklahoma’s youth no doubt stifled them early in the season, starting off 0-2 in conference play as the critics pounced, their play over this back half of the season has been nothing short stellar. Unfortunately, two actionless weeks over their final three, however, I believe slowed the momentum they built of five straight wins scoring an average of 50.2 points.
For the Cyclones, fourth-year head coach Matt Campbell has the most bought-in team of his tenure, and with an outright win over Oklahoma already on their 2020 resume, should have all the confidence they need to keep this one close. It also doesn’t hurt to have the more stable, consistent quarterback in the backfield, as well.
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TJ Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.