In a display of two schools that like running the football, Head Coach Bill Snyder and the Kansas State Wildcats (+6.5) are set to play host to their Big 12 foe No. 25 Oklahoma State Cowboys (-6.5) at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The daytime game starts at 12:00 p.m. ET and ESPNU is scheduled to televise the action.
Betting Preview: Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State enters this Big 12 game as the underdog and is currently getting 6.5 points. The Cowboys are also receiving -270 moneyline odds while the Wildcats are +210. If one program can create a bunch of points early, it will probably produce a reasonable in-game betting opportunity.
The game’s opening line was 8, but sharp bettors are siding with the Wildcats.
The disappointing Cowboys have lost 9.5 units so far in 2018 and are 3-3 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 3-2.
The Wildcats are down 3.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 3-3 ATS and have an O/U record of 2-3.
The Cowboys have gone 4-2 straight up (SU), including 1-2 SU against conference opponents. The Wildcats are 2-4 SU overall and are also 0-3 SU in conference play.
The Cowboys dropped one to Iowa State 48-42 in a contest where the defense allowed the Cyclones to pass for 325 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 140 yards and two scores. Tarique Milton had a good day for the opposition in that one with 98 yards and a score on four catches. On the offensive side of the ball, Taylor Cornelius completed 19 passes for 289 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Justice Hill (66 rushing yards on 24 attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Cornelius (46 yards on 14 carries, one TD) spearheaded the ground attack. Landon Wolf (six receptions, 63 yards, one TD) and Tylan Wallace (five catches, 82 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Kansas State narrowly lost a 37-34 game to Baylor. The defense let the Bears rush for 261 yards on 48 attempts, including three rush TDs. Jalen Hurd was on a different level for Baylor, putting up 56 rushing yards and a score on eight attempts, along with 135 yards and a score on 11 catches. For Kansas State, Skylar Thompson completed 15-of-26 passes for 149 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Alex Barnes (250 rushing yards on 22 attempts, three TDs) and the signal-caller Thompson (50 yards on nine carries, one TD) led the running game as Isaiah Zuber (seven receptions, 56 yards) and Dalton Schoen (two catches, 30 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Oklahoma State has run the ball on 55.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Kansas State has an overall rush percentage of 61.5 percent. The Cowboys have produced 213.5 rush yards per game (including 170.0 per game against Big 12 opponents) and have 15 scores on the ground this year. The Wildcats are logging 175.0 rushing yards per game (172.3 in conference) and have eight total rush TDs.
Based on the results so far, it appears the Cowboys might hold an edge when it comes to efficiency in the ground game. Their backfield has generated 5.1 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.2 to opponents. The Wildcats have tallied 4.4 yards per carry and given up 5.3 YPC to opponents.
The Cowboys offense has logged 309.8 yards per contest in the air overall (286.3 per game against conference opposition) and has 17 passing TDs so far. The Wildcats have recorded 170.5 pass yards per game (162 against Big 12 competition) and have six total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Oklahoma State has allowed 117.8 rush yards and 272.5 pass yards per game. The Kansas State defense has allowed 241.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 180.7 yards per game on the ground. The Wildcats are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.55 to opponents, while the Cowboys have allowed a 6.41 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Cornelius has amassed 1,518 yards this year. He’s completed 102-of-172 attempts with 12 passing scores and five interceptions. Cornelius has a 7.52 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 10.43 over the last two games.
Justice Hill (454 rushing yards, six rush TDs on the year), Tylan Wallace (524 receiving yards, three receiving TDs) and Landon Wolf (104 receiving yards, one TD) have each played big roles recently.
Skylar Thompson has managed to complete 54-of-92 passes for 654 yards, five TDs and three INTs for Kansas State. His ANY/A stands at 5.42 for the season and 2.92 across his last two games.
Alex Barnes, Dalton Schoen and Isaiah Zuber have combined to account for 538 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns the last two games.
When these two schools faced one another a year ago, Kansas State got the victory 45-40.
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Kansas State Wildcats Bedding Prediction
SU Winner: Oklahoma State, ATS Winner: Oklahoma State
Team Betting Notes
- The Cowboys offense has tallied seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Wildcats have put up three such plays.
- The Oklahoma State defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Kansas State has given up two such plays.
- The Oklahoma State offense has created 15 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Kansas State has created 11 such runs.
- The Cowboys defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Wildcats have given up 10 such runs.
- The Oklahoma State defense has more than three times as many sacks as Kansas State this year (28 to nine).
- As a team, Oklahoma State has averaged 4.51327433628319 yards per carry over its past three outings and 4.3 over its last two.
- Kansas State has averaged 4.7 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 5.8 over its past two.
- Over its last three matches, Kansas State is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Oklahoma State was favored by 10 points in its previous game and the Over/Under was set at 55.5. The over cashed and Oklahoma State failed to cover in the 48-42 defeat to Iowa State.
- In its last three matches, Oklahoma State is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- Kansas State was favored by 4 points in its last matchup and the Over/Under going into it was 54.5. The over cashed and Kansas State failed to cover in that 37-34 defeat to Baylor.
- Kansas State has dropped five of its last six games SU, with a 24-point victory over UTSA on September 15th accounting for its lone win over that stretch.
