An Oklahoma team is in the Big 12 Championship, but it’s the Oklahoma State Cowboys taking on Dave Aranda and Baylor. It’s been a weird year all-around college football, but Oklahoma State and Baylor have proven that they are the two best teams in the Big 12. It will surely be a great college football betting matchup on Saturday.
In a change of pace, the Oklahoma State defense is one of the best defensive units in the country. They rank third nationally in total defense, only allowing about 280 yards per game to their opponent. However, Baylor and head coach Dave Aranda aren’t ready to concede the conference championship game quite yet. Aranda has done a spectacular job turning around the Baylor program after the Art Briles years. It should be a great college football game, and it seems the Big 12 is just fine going forward without Oklahoma and Texas.
The following Oklahoma State vs Baylor college football betting preview will give you the current odds, betting trends, and a prediction for the Big 12 Championship Game.
Oklahoma State vs Baylor College Football Betting Preview
2021 Big 12 Championship Game
Oklahoma State (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) vs Baylor (10-2, 7-2 Big 12)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 4th, 2021
Time: Noon EST
Venue: AT&T Stadium — Arlington, TX
Coverage: ABC
Oklahoma State Football Preview
The Cowboys sure flipped the script on the season, having one of the best defenses in the country. However, their offense still has plenty of firepower behind quarterback Spencer Sanders. The junior quarterback has had an up and down season but is the clear emotional and on-field leader for the Cowboy offense. He’s thrown for over 2,200 yards this season with 16 touchdown tosses. However, he has been a bit turnover-prone, throwing eight interceptions on the year.
Senior running back Jaylen Warren has been a great tailback this season. He’s rushed for over 1,130 yards on 237 attempts. He’s also found the end zone 11 times. Out wide for Oklahoma State is the duo of Tay Martin and Brennan Presley. They’ve combined to score 12 touchdowns and total over 1,300 receiving yards.
The defensive side of the ball is where the Cowboys make their money. Senior linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez has been a playmaker all over the field this season. He has 106 tackles thus far, while also racking up three sacks on the season. Oddly enough, the Cowboys don’t force a ton of turnovers, but when they get one, it’s usually Jason Taylor II picking off passes. He has two interceptions on the year, with one of them being returned for a touchdown, while in the other he came close to scoring as well.
The Cowboys are giving up just over 90 rushing yards per game, which is crazy good. However, versus the pass, they are also stellar, giving up less than 190 passing yards per game. Last week’s Bedlam game got out of hand for the Cowboy defense, but I expect them to look much better versus a balanced team such as Baylor.
Baylor Football Preview
Dave Aranda, the defensive coordinator for LSU’s national title in 2019, has done a great job at Baylor after only two years. Last year was a struggle when they finished 2-7, but the COVID-plagued 2020 season saw many normally strong teams falter. Now, this year, Aranda has the Baylor Bears on a great track. The Bears lost a close game, 24-14, against Oklahoma State earlier in the season, but they would love to take advantage of their second chance.
On offense, quarterback Gerry Bohanon has been great this year. He’s passed for over 2,000 yards while throwing 16 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. In the ground game, Abram Smith is a workhorse. He’s rushed for over 1,300 yards and found the end zone 12 times. However, when Smith needs a quick break, senior running back Trestan Ebner has been good. He’s rushed for nearly 750 yards. Out wide, Tyquan Thorton and R.J Sneed are Bohanon’s favorite targets. However, when they get to the red zone, watch out for tight end Ben Sims, who’s caught five touchdowns this season.
On defense is where Aranda sets up shop. Senior linebacker Terrel Bernard is the leader. He has 76 tackles this season to go along with five sacks. Junior linebacker Dillon Doyle is also a leader on defense. He’s racked up 72 tackles and has a sack. Defensive linemen TJ Franklin and Siaki Ika have combined for seven sacks. However, be on the lookout for safety Jalen Pitre, as he has 2.5 sacks as well. Pitre’s partner in the defensive backfield, safety JT Woods, has three interceptions this season, while Pitre also has two. This defense is incredibly well-rounded and they come at you from every angle. Sanders needs to keep his eyes up and aware if he wants to get out of this matchup unscathed.
Oklahoma State vs Baylor Betting Odds
College football betting odds for Oklahoma State vs Baylor are taken from BetMGM Sportsbook.
Moneyline: OSU:(-225) | BAY: (+180)
Spread: OSU: -5.5 (-110) | BAY: +5.5 (-110)
Total: 46.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Public (Spread) Betting via Action Network: OSU: (58%) | BAY: (42%)
Oklahoma State College Football Betting Trends
- Oklahoma State is 9-1-0 against the spread (ATS) this year.
- The Cowboys have been favored by 5.5 points or more five times this season and are 4-1 ATS in those contests.
- When Oklahoma State piles up over 349.8 yards, the team is 6-0 ATS and 8-0 overall.
Baylor College Football Betting Trends
- Baylor has played 12 games, with eight wins ATS.
- The Bears have been underdogs by 5.5 points or more once this year and covered the spread.
- Baylor is 8-3 ATS and 10-1 overall when the team puts up more than 16.4 points.
- The Bears have turned the ball over 12 times, four fewer times than the Cowboys have forced turnovers (16).
Oklahoma State vs Baylor Prediction
This Oklahoma State vs Baylor college football betting prediction uses the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI). It gives Oklahoma State a 63.7% to win the Big 12 Championship.
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