Oklahoma football: Will Sooners be on upset alert vs. Houston in Week 1?

Three years after a tough loss in the season opener against the Cougars, Oklahoma football hosts Houston to kick off 2019.

After producing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks and reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals each of the past two years, Oklahoma has its sights set on another Big 12 title and a return to the four-team national championship bracket. If they hope to break through and make waves this year, though, they first need to get through a familiar foe to start the season.

Houston took down Oklahoma three years ago in a neutral-site showdown, as the Cougars threatened to become the first Group of Five team to reach the playoff. This year, they are adjusting to new head coach Dana Holgorsen. Oklahoma is intimately familiar with Holgorsen, who spent the past seven seasons in the Big 12 as the head coach at West Virginia.

Can Holgorsen get his new quarterback D’Eriq King to spring an upset bid on the Sooners? Or will Oklahoma crush their smaller opponent and launch another title bid? Here is how you can catch all the action from Norman on the eve of Labor Day.

Date: Sunday, Sept. 1
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Norman, Okla.
Venue: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: ESPN/FOX Sports/NBC Sports/CBS Sports | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Oklahoma is starting a transfer quarterback for the third straight season, as Alabama graduate transfer Jalen Hurts steps into the role vacated by Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Hurts needs to be careful with the ball against a ballhawking Cougars secondary, and he needs to make sound decisions on read-option plays. The Sooners defense, not the stoutest in the country, cannot let King have a big game for the Cougars.

For Houston to spring the upset as a massive underdog, they will need their defense to grow up in a hurry. A unit that ranked outside the top 100 last year, it is incumbent on this group to mature and slow down a high-powered Sooners attack. King needs to have a big game reminiscent of what Greg Ward Jr. did against Oklahoma three years ago if they are going to pull off the upset in Norman.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Point Spread: Oklahoma -23
Over/Under: 80

Prediction

While the betting line is probably too high, the Sooners are not going to take the Cougars lightly this time. Jalen Hurts is going to have a big game in his first game wearing the OU, and while Houston could keep up with Oklahoma in the first half it is likely that the home team is going to have an advantage at the intermission.

In the second half, as the Sooners pour on the points, Houston will struggle to keep up with their Power Five opponents. While King is going to have a big game against a weak Oklahoma defense, this shootout is going to end in favor of the Big 12 powerhouse.

Final Score: Houston 38, Oklahoma 48