No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys at No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies
Saturday, 9/24/11, 3:30 PM EST, TV: ABC
Opening Point Spread: Texas A&M -3
Current Betting Line: Texas A&M -4.5
Opening Total: 63
Current Total: 69.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Oklahoma State will be meeting Texas A&M when the two teams are ranked in the AP Top 10 for the first time in series history Saturday. The Cowboys escaped with a 38-35 win last year as 2.5-point home favorites, as they were out-gained by a considerable 182-yard margin. One of the key things to watch for in this contest is the road team being sluggish, playing away from Stillwater for the second consecutive week, while finishing last week’s game at 3:35 a.m. due to weather delays. Oklahoma State did come out with a 59-33 win over Tulsa as 13.5-point road favorites. The program is 10-5 ATS versus Big 12 teams the last two years.
The Cowboys are 7-8 in Big 12 openers, including a 4-2 mark under current head coach Mike Gundy. Oklahoma State has one of the more potent offensive attacks in the country, led by quarterback Brandon Weeden, who sits atop the national rankings with 384.7 passing yards a game. He is 14-2 as a starter and a perfect 7-0 away from Boone Pickens Stadium. Wide receiver Justin Blackmon continues to be his main target, catching 129 passes over his last 15 games. Defensively, the team checks in at No. 92 nationally, allowing 413 yards a game.
Texas A&M leads this series, 17-9, but has dropped three consecutive games, which is the longest losing streak for the program against Oklahoma State. Running back Cyrus Gray figures to loom large in this game, looking to move his 100-yard rushing streak to 10 games, which would tie a school record. “In my heart, I really want to win this game,” commented Gray. The offensive line in front of him has been a major part of the team staring the season 3-0, failing to allow a sack, as the unit weights in at well over 300 pounds on average. Texas A&M is 3-1 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points and the ‘under’ is 3-1 in those contests.
The Aggies should be primed to break their losing streak in this series due to bringing back 18 of 22 starters from a year ago. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is really starting to take hold of the position, throwing for more than 300 yards for the second time in his career in the team’s 37-7 win over the Idaho Vandals last week, but failing to cover the 36-point spread. Since 1997, the last seven meetings have been decided by five points or less.
Bettors will likely back the Aggies due to their 6-0 ATS mark in conference play, while the Cowboys are 1-7 ATS as underdogs.
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