Oklahoma Sooners Football: Week 12 Viewing Guide (Plus Gambling Picks)

Sooner fans, the moment has nearly arrived. Oklahoma has played middle-of-the-road teams at best in the Big 12 since the loss to Ohio State, but Saturday presents an opportunity to prove they can win a big game. Will it happen? I think so, but it’s definitely going to be an intriguing one.

There’s plenty of potential for drama in college football during the home stretch, but this week is light on high-profile matchups. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t enjoy watching football this weekend, especially if money is on the line. Here are the gambling picks for this weekend:

• Louisville (-15.5) at Houston - Remember how important we thought this game would be back in September? Well, Houston has turned out to be just another AAC squad. The talent is definitely there, but they’re definitely not as good as they looked against Oklahoma. However, if the Cougars were somehow able to pull off an upset in this one, it would help Oklahoma’s playoff hopes immensely. Oklahoma’s season-opening loss would be seen as a quality loss once again, and Louisville (currently ranked 5th) would be all but out of the picture. Gambling pick: Lamar Jackson takes the national stage once again this evening, and he’ll again captivate the masses. Louisville covers the spread with a 17-point win. WELP! Under 68.0 (At least I was right about this)
• Oklahoma State at TCU (-4.5) - The Sooners need Oklahoma State to come into Norman on Dec. 3 without an additional loss, but TCU could easily play the role of spoiler. Baylor has obviously dealt with some distractions, but the Frogs’ 62-22 win in Waco was extremely impressive. We all know TCU has the talent and the coaching to pull this one off, especially after seeing OSU narrowly escape an upset against Texas Tech in Stillwater. This will be a fun one to watch, and it’ll come down to the wire. Gambling pick: TCU makes a late-game defensive stand to preserve a seven-point lead, coving the spread in the process. Nope! Over 70.5
• Florida at LSU (-14.5) - I’ve said this on the blog and Twitter before and I’ll say it again — Florida is trash this season. Don’t let their 7-2 record fool you. Luke Del Rio is the Joe Hubener of the SEC, and their running game is nothing special. I watched the Gators go into Fayetteville and get mollywhopped two weeks ago, and I then saw LSU make that Arkansas team look terrible one week later. Gambling pick: Leonard Fournette will have a big performance it what will surely be his last game at Tiger Stadium, and LSU will cover the spread while holding UF to 10 points or less. Nope-er! Under 39.0
• Washington State at Colorado (-4.5) - Led by a high-powered offense and a surprisingly decent defense, Mike Leach’s boys are undefeated in conference play, but they’ll face the league’s top defense in Boulder on Saturday. A win in Boulder would finally bring WSU some respect, as they’re currently ranked 22nd with only two losses this season (which came in the opening two weeks). Gambling pick: Washington State will break through with some big plays on offense and do just enough on defense to pull off a huge win for the program while winning you some money in the process. Over 60.5

Oklahoma (-3.5) at West Virginia - I don’t see this one being a shootout, and that’s entirely because of West Virginia. Their defense is the only one in the Big 12 that seems capable of holding offenses to a low number, and the offense is decent, but not incredible. Don’t count on seeing a ton of deep balls in this one, largely due to the precipitation and cold temperatures in the forecast. It’s time for Optimus Perine to shine, y’all. Gambling pick: The Sooners will win and cover, but not by a wide margin. We’re in for a good one, and I think the final score will be 38-31 in favor of the Sooners.