College Football Game of the Week – #20 Oklahoma vs. #3 Texas

Oklahoma Sooners (3-2 SU, 1-3 ATS) vs. Texas Longhorns (5-0, 1-4 ATS) at Dallas

Saturday, October 17: 12:00 p.m. at the Cotton Bowl in Texas

College Football Betting Odds: Texas -4 ½, Total Points 50 ½

Here are some of the BetuS NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

• Oklahoma: 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games
• Oklahoma: 6-1 SU in their last 7 road games
• Oklahoma: The total has gone OVER in 5 of last 6 road games
• Texas: 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games
• Texas: The total has gone under in 6 of their last 8 home games
• Texas: Texas is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games

One of college football’s greatest rivalries will add a new chapter Saturday when the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns take the field in the Red River Shootout.

Last year’s game lived up to the hype as Texas, which was ranked No. 5 in the country at the time, shocked the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl. This time it’s the Longhorns who come in higher ranked and with a target on their back.

For Oklahoma, the key in this one will be the return of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford was the Sooners announced starter just a day before last week’s matchup with Baylor, after missing several games with a right shoulder injury. While he was a bit rusty, Bradford still managed to throw for over 300 yards and a touchdown against Baylor. With a week of practice under his belt, it will be curious to see how the junior responds.

Defensively, the Sooners are one of college football’s elite. The defensive line in particular is as good as any, with future NFL superstars Auston English and Gerald McCoy leading the way. On the season, Oklahoma is giving up just eight points per game, good for third in college football in scoring defense. Their rushing defense is also ranked third, giving up 53 yards per game. Forcing Texas quarterback Colt McCoy out of the pocket will be a key in this one.

As for Texas, they come into this game undefeated, but hardly playing their best football. They are 5-0, but were actually booed at home last weekend, after trailing lowly Colorado 14-10 at halftime. The Longhorns recovered to win the game 38-14, but the performance still left a lot to be desired. Coming into this game, a key may be the health of an already depleted rushing attack. Tre Newton and Vondrell McGee each left Texas’ game Saturday with injuries. Both are listed as day-to-day going into Saturday.

Offensively, Texas will put the ball in the hands of McCoy, last year’s Heisman runner-up to Bradford. Although he isn’t having quite the season he did in 2008, McCoy has still been as good as any quarterback in college football, completing 73 percent of his passes for 1400 yards. In the last two games- wins over UTEP and Colorado- McCoy has completed a staggering 81 percent of his balls.

As for the defense, the unit isn’t quite as good as a year ago, but has hardly been disappointing. Despite losing 1st Round NFL Draft pick Brian Orakpo as well as Roy Miller off the defensive line, they are still leading college football giving up just 48 yards rushing per game. The 235 yards the defense gives up a contest is also good for fourth in college football.

For those fans expecting the high-scoring shootout we saw a year ago, you might want to avoid tuning into this one. It is going to a low-scoring, defensive struggle from the moment the ball is kicked off. With Bradford back, expect Oklahoma to keep this game close enough to cover the college football point spread of 4 ½.

Aaron’s Pick: Oklahoma +4 ½