Oklahoma football is a legitimate title contender, but there will certainly be roadblocks along the way. Will Kansas State be one of them?
Oklahoma entered the 2020 season as one of the hottest topics in the sport. Despite losing droves of talent from last year’s team, the Sooners got off to a hot start, dominating Missouri State 48-0 in their opener.
The same can’t be said about Kansas State. In the Wildcats’ opener, they struggled with Arkansas State, ultimately losing in a close finish. This is not to discredit Arkansas State, as Blake Anderson has truly built something special in Jonesboro. That being said, losing to a Sun Belt team was not exactly how Kansas State would’ve liked to kick things off in 2020.
The last time that the Sooners and the Wildcats met was just last season, and it ended up being one of the best games of 2019. Kansas State shockingly dominated Lincoln Riley’s squad early on, but this didn’t last forever. The Sooners rallied back behind now-Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. In a wild ending, the Wildcats would ultimately prevail.
This year sees many new faces take the field in Norman, but the Sooners should be just as electric as ever. Highly-touted former five-star quarterback recruit Spencer Rattler now has the reigns of this offense, and it seems that he is fitting in just nicely. It’s safe to say that this offense is in good hands, which could spell trouble from a K-State defense coming off of a rough opening loss.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 26
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Norman, Okla.
Venue: Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
TV: FOX
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go
Keys to Victory
Oklahoma football comes into this one as a heavy favorite and should win this game. That was also the case with this matchup last season, and we saw how that turned out. However, you better believe that Kansas State has had this one circled on their calendar as one of its biggest games of the season.
The Wildcats shouldn’t lose because of a lack of motivation, that’s for sure.
The Sooners are entering 2020 facing a lot of the same difficulties they faced last year. The main one that sticks out to me is the presence of a new quarterback after losing star receivers. While OU’s defense has been lackluster (to say the least) in recent years, they looked really good in their opening win. Granted, this was against an FCS opponent, so it’s safe to assume that this unit will face tougher challenges down the road.
To win this game, Kansas State will likely have to play a flawless football game. Unfortunately, that’s not very likely to happen. In their blunder of an opener against Arkansas State, the Red Wolves went after K-State’s corners, and often made them look inept. If this secondary can’t perform better, Rattler is going to have a field day.
The Wildcats offense is going to have to put up points if they want any shot at leaving Norman with a win. Quarterback Skylar Thompson showed promise, throwing two touchdowns against Arkansas State.
Another unlikely star in 5-foot-5 running back Deuce Vaughn burst onto the scene in the opener, scoring a touchdown. Seeing that The K-State defense is gonna have their hands full, this offense must have a prolific game in order to keep it close.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of The Action Network
Point Spread: Oklahoma -28.5
Over/Under: 59.5
Prediction
Let’s be honest, Oklahoma is a four-touchdown favorite for a reason. While everyone loves an upset, this isn’t going to be one of those. Kansas State has some clear issues that need to be worked out, and a road trip to Norman isn’t exactly the best time for that.
Don’t get me wrong, the Wildcats will likely put some points on the board, but I just can’t see them outdoing Oklahoma at what Oklahoma does best: scoring.
We will get to see Rattler in his first Big 12 showing and luckily for him, it should be a good one. Look for the Sooners to give up some points, but ultimately win comfortably in their conference opener.
Final Score: Oklahoma 45, Kansas State 24