Oklahoma State Cowboys at Texas Tech Red Raiders
Saturday, 10/16/10, 3:30 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread:  Oklahoma State -1
Current Betting Line:  Texas Tech -3
Opening Total:  71
Current Total:  69
Current Moneyline:  Texas Tech -150 / Oklahoma St +130

Oklahoma State returns to Big 12 Conference play and heads to Lubbock, Texas to tackle the Red Raiders.  The Cowboys are 5-0 for the second time in three years, averaging 52.6 points and ranking fourth in the nation with 526.2 yards of total offense per game.  “I like where our football team is right now,” head coach Mike Gundy said.  “They have played together as a group.  We have had a number of young players that have gotten better over the past five weeks.”  Gundy’s squad is one of just 13 unbeaten teams and will look to end a nine-game losing streak at Texas Tech that dates back to 1944.  Oklahoma State is 7-1 ATS in October and 9-1 ATS in weeks five through nine of the season.

The Cowboys potent attack is led by quarterback Brandon Weeden, who went 29-of-47 for 351 yards and five touchdowns in the 54-28 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette last week.  He has thrown for 1,610 yards and a conference-leading 18 touchdowns this year, as the team ranks second nationally in passing.  Oklahoma State knows that the level of competition is about to be raised in hosting Nebraska next week at home.  “Not that the first five weren’t big, but yeah, they’re going to get bigger,” Weeden said.  “They’re going to get tougher.”  The Cowboys overcame a 10-7 halftime deficit for an eventual 24-17 victory in Stillwater last year, marking the second time since 1998 that neither team reached the 30-point mark in the series.

Texas Tech is set to play its only home game of October in welcoming in the 18th-ranked Cowboys and coming off an exciting 45-38 win over Baylor last week.  The Red Raiders passed for 462 yards and rushed for 173 yards in the victory and received praise from their first-year head coach.  “I told the players on Monday in our team meeting that one thing I noticed offensively was we looked a lot more consistent and a lot more physical,” Tuberville said.  “We were very good on third down and that was the difference in the game.”  It was a surprising effort mainly because the rushing attack averaged just 85.3 yards in the first four games.  The team is a fantastic 49-28 ATS in October over the last 77 chances.

The Red Raiders offense still goes through its aerial attack and is led by senior quarterback Taylor Potts.  He went 42 of 59 for 462 yards and four touchdowns last week in helping the program avoid its first 0-3 start in Big 12 play.  Texas Tech has a good chance of picking up its second conference victory due to a 12-2-3 all-time mark against Oklahoma State in Lubbock.  Since 2002, the series has been dominated by the home team, as Texas Tech is 4-0 at Jones AT&T Stadium and the Cowboys are 4-0 at Boone Pickens Stadium.  In order to knock off Saturday’s foe, the defense must improve upon its numbers, allowing 114 points and an average of 422.7 yards total offense in its first three conference games.

Bettors will definitely take note that the Cowboys are 0-6 in their last six games as an underdog and the home team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.  Texas Tech is difficult to back with a 0-4 ATS mark following an ATS win.  With conflicting trends like this we have to side with what team we feel like has the most value and at +3.5 the Cowboys look like a decent play this Saturday.  We do have 7 stronger picks lined up for our members and you can get those on the Saturday college football picks page.