BYU v. Oklahoma Football Betting Odds & Predictions

No. 20 BYU takes on No. 3 ranked Oklahoma Saturday, September 5th, at 7:00 p.m. EST at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game is also being broadcast on ESPN. This many be a battle of two ranked teams, but football odds makers are still expecting a rout. Oklahoma is listed as the 22-point favorite with the total set at 67.5.

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BYU enters the 2009 season off a 10-win campaign, but it certainly figures to have its work cut out for itself against a legit BCS title contender. The Sooners won the Big 12 title and played Florida in the BCS Championship Game a season ago. The history of this matchup is not very extensive. BYU has won the only meeting, defeating the Sooners 31-6 in the 1994 Copper Bowl.

We have heard plenty about Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford over the last year, but BYU signal caller Max Hall deserves some praise as well. Hall has led the Mountain West Conference in passing each of the last two seasons, throwing for 3,957 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2008. We know what Hall is capable of, but the question is if he will have enough help. The Cougars only return four starters on the offense. Luckily for Hall, BYU returns one of his favorite targets, tight end Dennis Pitta. Highly regarded as the best tight end in the league, Pitta has caught 159 passes for 2,072 yards and 13 scores in his career. Pitta will likely have to carry an even bigger load this season after losing talented wideout Austin Collie. Joining Hall and Pitta is running back Harvey Unga, who rushed for 1,132 yards and 11 scores last season and also caught 42 passes for another 309 yards and four scores.

For BYU to have a shot against Oklahoma, its defense, which normally takes a back seat to the offense, will have to come up big. The defense should show improvement this year with eight starters back, including All-American candidate Jan Jorgensen up front. The massive tackle was a 1st-Team All-MWC pick in 2008, leading the Cougars with five sacks. And Matt Bauman and Coleby Clawson are a pair of good looking linebackers.  But the real question is if a secondary with only one returning starter can defend Oklahoma’s air assault. If you think the books are giving the Cougars too many points, bet BYU at +22 at BetUS and get a $500 match bonus.

Just how special is Sam Bradford you ask? He became only the second sophomore all-time to win the Heisman Trophy. Bradford is coming off a season in which he threw for 4,750 yards and 50 touchdowns. Like BYU, Oklahoma’s most talented receiver is also a tight end. Expect Jermaine Gresham, who caught 66 passes for 950 yards and 14 scores in 2008 to continue to create matchup problems. A strong running game with two backs (Chris Brown, DeMarco Murray) who broke the 1,000 yard mark last season will keep teams honest.

If Oklahoma had a weakness a year ago, it was on the defensive side of the football, but the defense is expected to be a strength in 2009 with a solid group returning. The Sooners were susceptible to the big play at times last season, but their gambles also paid off quite often. In fact, Oklahoma led the nation in turnover margin at +23. All-American tackle Gerald McCoy is back to clog the middle and Travis Lewis leads the linebacker unit. The secondary should be in good shape as well with both corners, Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson, back. If you think the Sooners will be too good too often on this day, bet Oklahoma at -22 at BetUS.

Note: Check out Jimmy Boyd’s expert football picks this weekend, including his 5 Star 2009 Non-Conference Game of the Year Saturday.

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• 2009 Oklahoma State Football Predictions

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