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Colorado at Oklahoma State Football Predictions & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd on November 17, 2009

The 3-7 Colorado Buffaloes take on the 8-2 Oklahoma State Cowboys in a Thursday night Big 12 showdown on ESPN at Boone Pickens Stadium. The Buffaloes continue to struggle, having lost three of their last four with Saturday’s 17-10 loss to Iowa State. The Buffs have now lost 11 straight on the road and are being outscored by an average of 14.4 points in five road losses this season. The Cowboys defeated Texas Tech 24-7 Saturday for its second victory since losing to Texas on Halloween, and NCAA football odds makers are confident the Cowboys will make it three straight, listing Oklahoma State as a 16.5-point favorite.

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The Cowboys have already lost star wide receiver Dez Bryant to a suspension so they definitely couldn’t afford to lose star QB Zac Robinson, who left the field of play after a collision with a Texas Tech player last game. As now, Robinson is listed as probably for the Thursday nighter and the No. 12 Cowboys desperately hope he can go. Otherwise, they’ll be forced to throw backup Alex Cate, who has never started a college game, to the wolves.

Robinson can win you football games with his arm and his legs. Last week, he helped the Cowboys defeat Texas Tech with his legs. He was just 9 of 21 for 90 yards through the air, but he rushed for a team-high 99 yards on the ground. Texas Tech versus Oklahoma State did not produce the shootout many expected. Instead, every yard was hard earned and Oklahoma State ended up getting just a few more. The Cowboys outgained the Red Raiders 357 to 333 and they came up with three takeaways for the second straight game. Robinson threw 23 touchdown strikes against just nine interceptions in 2007 and he came back with 25 touchdown passes against 10 interceptions in 2008. Right now he has 15 touchdown strikes and seven interceptions, but with two games left, those numbers could end up looking pretty good again.

Robinson threw for 217 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in a 30-17 win over Colorado last season. It is worth noting that the Cowboys are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games as a home favorite. If you like the Cowboys to win big Thursday, bet Oklahoma State at -16.5 at Sportsbook.com.

This season has been another disappointing one for the Buffaloes, who are yet to win on the road. The goal at this point has to be to get to .500 in Big 12 play and that’s going to take wins in their last two games. It will be no easy task either as Nebraska will be waiting if the Buffaloes can get past Oklahoma State.

As I already mentioned, Colorado has lost 11 in a row on the road. Looking back further, the Buffaloes are just 3-21 in their last 24 road contests. It’s been a struggle for the program ever since it was hit with sexual assault allegations while under former coach Gary Barnett. Such bad publicity makes it hard to recruit and was actually one of the reasons why Zac Robinson chose Oklahoma State over Colorado.

For Colorado to compete Thursday, the offense is going to have to find ways to get some points on the board. The Buffaloes have been held to just 30 total points in their last three road games. QB Tyler Hansen has given the Buffaloes their best chance to win. He led them to an upset over then No. 17 Kansas for the team’s first Big 12 victory and has played pretty solidly since. Last week, he was 18 of 38 for 258 yards and a touchdown and interception against Iowa State. Hansen has thrown three touchdown passes against four interceptions since taking over as starter. He’ll have to avoid any costly turnovers this week against an Oklahoma State defense which has come up with six takeaways in the last two games to have a chance. It is worth noting that the Buffaloes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as an underdog of 10.5 or more points. If you think odds makers are spotting the Buffs too many, bet Colorado at +16.5 at Sportsbook.com.

Bring home the bacon Thursday night with expert football picks from World Champion Handicapper Jimmy Boyd!

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