Oklahoma Sooners: College Football TV Schedule & Gambling Picks - Week 3

Happy Friday, Sooner fans. I just happen to be 11-3 against the spread through two weeks, and I’m sure a regression to the mean isn’t just around the corner or anything. On second thought, you might want to just do the opposite of what I predict this week...

As usual, you can find the TV schedule and streaming info down at the bottom.

Washington State (-9.5) at Houston (NRG Stadium) - WSU is still a bit of a mystery at this point due to the fact that their two wins have come against New Mexico State and Northern Colorado. In those two games, new starting QB Anthony Gordon has been superb, going 60-74 for 884 yards and nine touchdowns. His first true test won’t come this week against UH, as the Cougars are absolutely horrific defensively.

When Houston has the ball, they’ll face a WSU defense that is expected to be solid against the pass (aided by a good pass rush and some experienced DBs) but weak against the run. Gambling pick: King puts on a show with his wheels, but Washington State’s defense makes enough plays to cover the spread in a shootout. Over 73.5

Kansas State at Mississippi State (-7.0) - Through two games, many — myself included — are beginning to admit that they underestimated Chris Klieman and his Wildcats. Bowling Green obviously isn’t a world-beater, but K-State looked like a well-oiled machine on both sides of the ball this past Saturday. It’s apparent that it hasn’t taken long for the North Dakota State culture to rub off on Klieman’s new program.

Meanwhile, Mississippi State hasn’t exactly impressed in wins over Louisiana and Southern Miss. The Ragin’ Cajuns actually accrued 430 yards of total offense in the Bulldogs’ season opener, and MSU barely outgained the Eagles last weekend. Gambling pick: Kansas State beats the spread and wins the game. Over 52

Alabama (-25.5) at South Carolina - This is Alabama’s first trip to Columbia since Alshon Jeffery and the Gamecocks upset the Tide in 2010, but South Carolina isn’t all that much of a threat this time around. UofSC is currently without the services of starting QB Jake Bentley, who was lost for the season with a foot injury. Freshman Ryan Hilinski looked good in his first start against Charleston Southern, but Alabama will present a slightly different test. Saturday probably won’t be a ton of fun for the kid. Gambling pick: Alabama covers. Over 61

Iowa (-1.5) at Iowa State - The 1-0 Cyclones’ sample size is pretty small at the moment, but their near brush with defeat to Northern Iowa did raise a few eyebrows across the country. Having said that, UNI is always one of the better programs at the FCS level and has frequently given ISU trouble through the years. Additionally, Iowa State heavily outgained the Panthers and probably should’ve won in regulation by at least a few scores.

The Cyclones are going to be playing in front of what should be the most rambunctious crowd in the history of Jack Trice Stadium, and that kind of environment can send things in either direction. Iowa State could come out firing on all cylinders, or the nerves could get in the way of a sound performance. One thing that does seem certain, however, is that Iowa isn’t particularly likely to be influenced by the atmosphere. Ball-control offenses like theirs rarely depend on their quarterbacks to make a ton of plays, and that lowers the likelihood of someone like Nathan Stanley getting rattled and committing a catastrophic mistake. Stanley is also an experienced starter who is no stranger to big moments, so the Hawkeyes are in steady hands. Gambling pick: Iowa covers and prevents Iowa State from breaking through in this rivalry. Under 42

Florida (-8.5) at Kentucky - Oklahoma City native Terry Wilson is out for Kentucky, so Troy grad transfer Sawyer Smith is handed the reins. Smith doesn’t quite have the mobility of Wilson, but there shouldn’t be much of a drop-off (if any) as far as the passing game is concerned. After he took over as the starter mid-season at Troy in 2018, Smith completed 63 percent of his passes while throwing 14 TD passes and six INTs. Gambling pick: Kentucky beats the spread and loses a close one. Under 47.5

Florida State at Virginia (-7.5) - I recently spoke with a former co-worker from my sports information days regarding the current state of the FSU football program. His feeling was that Willie Taggart is a good coach but might not be around long enough to reap the rewards of his own rebuilding project. THAT’S HOW BAD JIMBO FISHER’S MESS WAS. Have fun with that, Aggies!

Anyway, Virginia is headed in the right direction under Bronco Mendenhall and has a great chance to win its division for the first time. Gambling pick: FSU’s offensive line doesn’t do its job (again), the defense continues to be a sieve and Virginia covers the spread. Over 57.5

Oklahoma (-23.5) at UCLA - We spoke with Bruins Nation’s Dimitri Dorlis earlier this week, and he believes that the Oklahoma Sooners will have the crowd advantage in spite of the fact that UCLA is giving away free tickets to this game. When combining that with the fact that UCLA’s offensive line is beyond terrible, signs point to the Sooners handling the Bruins. Having said that, OU’s offensive line is still in the process of gelling and will be going up against a pretty solid UCLA front seven. Because of this, playing the under might be a decent call here. Gambling pick: Oklahoma covers and is feeling good heading into its bye week. Under 72 (I actually picked a 55-17 OU win, which would make it a push. However, I’m not going to predict a push because that would just be silly.)