Oklahoma State Cowboys vs BYU Cougars Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 10/18/24

At some point, we have to hit the bottom of the market on Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have been extremely disappointing this season, having dropped 3 consecutive games in conference play, with 2 of those losses coming in blowout fashion at home. It doesn’t get any easier this week, as Oklahoma State will head to Provo, Utah for a night game against a BYU team that is still undefeated following a commanding victory over Arizona a week ago. Historically, this is a strong spot to back Mike Gundy, as the longtime Cowboys coach has been tremendous as an underdog in his career, particularly in conference play. This team limped into the bye week, but it did come at an ideal time, as they’ve had a week away from game action to halt that negative momentum a bit. We also should see a quarterback change in this one, as Alan Bowman will likely give way to Garret Rangel, who was 4-of-5 for 75 yards and a touchdown in relief of Bowman just two weeks ago. While Gundy is still recovering from a recent injury he suffered on his ranch, I do expect a maximum effort from this Oklahoma State team coming out of the bye and with the goal of reaching a bowl game still in front of them.

BYU has certainly impressed me at multiple points this season, but this is still a team that I’ll be looking to fade down the stretch. After all, the Cougars have been outgained in each of their 3 conference wins on the season, and they were also gifted a couple of crucial turnovers by SMU in the meeting in Dallas back in September. BYU’s offense is 83rd in success rate, 102nd in rushing success rate and 59th in points per drive, so this isn’t exactly an elite unit on a consistent basis. That’s key in this game, as while Oklahoma State’s defense is below average on a down-to-down basis, the Cowboys are 20th in opponent points per quality possession, meaning that this defensive unit does well when the opponent is in scoring position. On the other side, the Cowboys should look to lean on Ollie Gordon, who showed flashes of his old, explosive self in recent games against Kansas State and West Virginia. If the Cowboys can shorten the game via their ground attack, this one should stay within single digits for the duration of the contest.

Oklahoma State vs BYU prediction: Oklahoma State +10 available at time of publishing. Playable to 9.5

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