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

Happy bye week, Sooner fans! This couldn’t possibly come at a better time. Aren’t you just ready to sit back and watch college football without having a game to be paranoid about? It’s kind of nice, isn’t it?

Here are my thoughts on some of this week’s matchups:

• Clemson (-9.5) at Georgia Tech - Tonight’s game piques my interest largely due to the fact that I worked at GT last school year. By far the biggest highlight of my experience came last October when what is known on The Flats as “The Miracle on Techwood Drive” occurred. The entire press box ERUPTED for about 1.5 seconds before the media members sat back down silent and started typing again, knowing they had f***ed up. It was hilarious. Because of that (and many other Atlanta experiences), the Jackets will always hold a special place in my heart. Also, I think we can all agree that Dabo and the Clemson fans need to be taken down a peg. Gambling pick: Georgia Tech, but Clemson wins a close game.
• Wisconsin at Michigan State (-5.5) - This one won’t be pretty, but it’s an absolute shame that this one is on the Big Ten Network. Many of you won’t be able to watch it, honestly. Gambling pick: Michigan State covers.
• Georgia at Ole Miss (-7): OU fans would be wise to keep an eye on these two squads, because the winner has a very good chance to face OU in the Sugar Bowl if the Sooners can get their shit together. Also, this is a matchup between (possibly) a pair of future NFL starters at quarterback (I don’t mean Greyson Lambert). Gambling pick: Dawgs straight up. Ole Miss is has to be worn down at this point.
• Florida at Tennessee (-6.5): Like the matchup mentioned above, the winner of this will likely be a Sugar Bowl candidate down the line. If Butch Jones isn’t able to come away with this one and end Tennessee’s drought against a backup quarterback, he may be in some serious trouble. Gambling pick: Vols cover.
• Oklahoma State at Baylor (-8.5): This one’s gonna be a high-scoring affair, obviously. Baylor hasn’t looked overly impressive in games that should’ve been (and eventually were) cakewalks, and Oklahoma State’s defense has been poor. OSU will be doomed by their lack of a running game in this one and won’t be able to keep up. Gambling pick: Baylor covers.
• Arkansas vs. Texas A&M (-6) at Jerryworld: This is a fun one to attend. Hog and Aggie fans have all day to tailgate for a game that starts at 8 p.m. CENTRAL. Trevor Knight has been up-and-down (but good enough) for an A&M team that finally plays defense, and the Hogs barely skated by. Going back to the topic of the crowd and environment, I give the Hog fans a tailgating and drinking advantage, and I believe they lead the team to a victory. Gambling pick: Hogs straight up.