No. 6 Oklahoma looks to maintain its undefeated season when it heads to Kansas for Big 12 action on Saturday. The Shorters are in complete control of the Big 12 now thanks to a Red River Rivalry win over Texas a few weeks ago. OU is the only undefeated team in the conference and should be the favorite in the remaining regular season games.
However, Oklahoma has aspirations beyond just a Big 12 championship College football The playoff race is still wide open. If Oklahoma can finish the regular season undefeated and capture the conference title, it will be difficult to keep the Sooners out of the playoff field.
But Oklahoma could face a tough test on Saturday. Kansas has undergone a complete transformation under coach Lance Leipold. The Jayhawks no longer struggle to beat FCS teams, and their 11-9 record over the past two seasons is the program’s best since 2006-07.
However, Oklahoma is riding an 18-game winning streak against Kansas. The Jayhawks haven’t beaten the Sooners since 1997. Eleven of OU’s wins during its current streak have come by at least 20 points. Kansas State has closed that gap recently, averaging a point differential of -11 over the past two years.
How to watch the Oklahoma vs. Kansas game live
date: Saturday 28 October | time: 12 noon Eastern time
location: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium – Lawrence, Kansas
television: Fox | Live broadcast: Fubo (Try for free)
Oklahoma vs. Kansas: Need to know
All eyes on Jason Bean: Kansas is still awaiting the return of star quarterback Jalon Daniels, who missed significant time with a back injury before the start of the season. The preseason top-12 offensive player sat out the season opener against Missouri State, started the next three games to help the Jayhawks to a 4-0 start but has missed every game since. Without Daniels to lead the way, Kansas is 2-2 and 1-2 in Big 12 play. Leipold said this week that Benn will start again against the Sooners while Daniels continues to nurse his injury.
Get the right play for Oklahoma’s rushing attack: Oklahoma’s ground game has been somewhat hit or miss this season. The Sooners have two games in which they rushed for over 200 yards and two that barely exceeded 100 yards. In their narrow Week 8 win over UCF, they had a respectable 189 points but struggled to move the ball consistently, averaging just over four yards per carry. Oklahoma was without leading edge rusher Tawie Walker, who was serving a one-game suspension. He should be back on Saturday against a Kansas defense weak against rushing attacks. The Jayhawks ranked No. 12 in the Big 12 with 161.1 yards rushing allowed per game. Opposing linebackers are getting nearly five yards per touch against Kansas.
Can Gabriel keep up the Heisman pace? The Heisman Trophy race is wide open this year. Neither player emerged as a favorite, which is extremely rare this late in the season. Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel is right in the thick of the competition. The former UCF transfer leads the Big 12 in both passing yards (2,131 – No. 13 nationally) and touchdowns (19 – T6 nationally). He has thrown for at least 250 yards in six of Oklahoma’s seven games. He has a chance to boost his season stats significantly against a particularly weak Kansas defense.
Oklahoma vs. Kansas predictions, picks
Odds via SportsLine Consensus
The Jayhawks will sorely miss Jalon Daniels’ playmaking abilities. The Sooners’ defense allowed more than 20 points only twice all season, but both teams had starting quarterbacks, including last week’s UCF squad that brought back John Rhys Plumlee from injury. Meanwhile, Kansas’ defense isn’t good enough to limit Oklahoma’s offense, especially if the Sooners can get the game going again. Kansas State has the potential to keep this game close for a while, but eventually Oklahoma’s depth on both sides of the ball will take over and the Sooners will pull away. Pick: Oklahoma -10
What college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 9, and who are the underdogs that will win outright? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread – All from a proven computer model that has generated over $2,000 in profits over the past seven seasons – and find out.
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