No. 19 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Texas: Best Bets For Big-12 Championship

Oklahoma State vs. Texas: Best Bets For Big-12 Championship

Conference championship week is here in college football, so the end of the season is getting closer and closer. It's the money-making season here at BetQL, and we are going to continue to crush it. This week features several marquee matchups, and one of those is Oklahoma State vs. Texas.

The Texas Longhorns are -14 favorites over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big 12 championship game, which will be broadcast on ABC at 12 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

BetQL has you covered for everything college football, so let's dive right into this contest.

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#19 Oklahoma State at #7 Texas: Live Odds

Oklahoma State Cowboys Outlook

The Cowboys started their season off slow, but they had a surge in the middle of the year that helped carry them to the Big 12 title game. However, they have been playing somewhat poorly again over the last three games. A 45-3 blowout loss to unranked UCF really threw them off the mark after a huge upset win over their in-state rival Oklahoma, and they haven't played the same since. They concluded the year with a 9-3 record and also went 7-5 ATS, including 4-1 as an underdog. Still, this is going to be a very difficult matchup with the Longhorns.

OK State's offense has been mostly productive on the season, ranking 50th in the FBS in yards per play. That isn't elite by any means, but it also isn't bad, just more of a middling team. One thing that they have been great at is protecting their QB, as the Cowboys rank ninth in sacks allowed, giving up just 1.0 per game on average. It's allowed them to have a successful passing attack that ranks 36th in the nation, and they will need to lean on that here. It won't be a walk in the park, as Texas has a pretty good pass rush, but they should be able to hold their own up front.

The Cowboys have really struggled on defense, however. They are a terrible 116th in the country in yards per play allowed, and have been giving up a ton of explosive plays down the field. I don't expect that to change much here against an offense like the Longhorns have, and I expect them to give up a lot of points in this one.

Texas Longhorns Outlook

Are the Longhorns back? This Longhorns team makes it feel like that is actually true. Sitting at 11-1 on the season, they have looked fantastic for much of this season. They managed to defeat Alabama, and have closed out their year with five straight wins. Texas destroyed Texas Tech in their final game, 57-7, wiping the floor with them in preparation for this contest with the Cowboys. This is officially a neutral-site game, but it takes place in Dallas, so I have a feeling it will be much more like a home game for the Longhorns.

Texas owns a very efficient and reliable offense that has been consistent for much of the year. They rank 24th in yards per play, demonstrating their ability to make explosive plays down the field, which they should against this Oklahoma State secondary. QB Quinn Ewers hasn't been a superstar like Caleb Williams or Bo Nix, but he has been very effective in this Longhorn attack. He's usually pretty safe with the football, and they are great at moving the chains, but he's also not afraid to bomb away when there is an opportunity.

For how successful they have been on offense, the defense has been just as good. In fact, they rank 24th as well in yards per play allowed, showing the consistency between their offense and defense. Still, that isn't what makes them so good. Texas is the No. 1 defense in the nation in the red zone, allowing opponents to score on just 68.8% of drives down there. They are also ranked No. 1 in the country on third downs, allowing opponents to convert just 26.3% of attempts. Obviously, when you are the best in those two key stats, that is a massive plus for the team's future.

Oklahoma State vs. Texas Best Bet

My Pick: Texas team total o34.5 (-117, BetRivers)

I feel like the Longhorns are going to be able to score a lot of points in this one with how bad the Oklahoma State secondary is. They should be able to generate a ton of explosive plays, and I certainly could see them scoring five touchdowns in the game.