NCAA Football Betting Lines
- Oklahoma State 2007 Preview
Betus Pressbox
Articles
Offense: The Cowboys may have the most complete
set of gifted skill position players in the country.
Good news for their college football betting
investors. At quarterback, junior Bobby Reid
(6-3, 235) puts his large athletic frame under
center yet again. He spent all spring working
on his familiarity with the scheme and making
good decisions in order to expand his passing
skills. Given his 55.4% completion rate last
year, that was important (though his TD/INT ratio
of 24/11 was nothing to be embarrassed about).
He was sub-50% in the spring game so he still
has some work to do to achieve the kind of reliable
consistency he and the staff are looking for.
OSU entered ’06 with 2005 Big 12 Offensive
Newcomer of the Year, Mike Hamilton, as the anticipated
starter at tailback. By the end of the year,
however, he was the team’s fourth-leading
rusher and he transferred to Georgia Southern
after the season. OSU had the luxury of losing
Hamilton because of the amazing emergence of
two ridiculously talented newcomers.
JUCO-transfer Dantrell
Savage (5-9, 195; 4.3 40) ended ’06 with 820 yds (6.5 ypc) and
8 TD’s despite starting only 5 games. His
most impressive performances were: 117 yds vs.
Nebraska, 134 yds vs. Texas A&M and his 112
yds vs. Alabama. Sophomore Keith Toston (6-1,
210) brings great size to the backfield and is
a great change-of-pace back. He scored six times
on the ground (631 yds) and twice through the
air (out of only 10 receptions). In short yardage
situations, Senior Julius Crosslin (6-0, 235)
is a great option (29-71, 3 TD’s in ‘06).
However, pass-catching
is where the Cowboy personnel is utterly gifted.
Adarius Bowman (6-4, 220) is special. He had
60 catches last year for 1,181 yds and 12 TD’s (though 466 yds and 5 TD’s
were in only two games – Houston [70th-ranked
pass-defense] and Kansas [the nation’s
worst {119th} pass-defense]).
Sophomore Artrell
woods (6-1, 185; 10.5 100) is a true burner
and finished with four catches and 111 yards
in the spring game. However, he injured his
back this Summer and underwent emergency decompression.
He will miss the entire season while rehabbing.
His loss may be sophomore Jeremy Broadway’s
gain. Broadway (6-0, 195) showed big-play potential
in the spring game with four receptions for
73 yards and a score.
Tight end Brandon Pettigrew (6-6, 260) gives
Reid an enormous additional target. Pettigrew
averaged 12.9 ypc and scored four times off of
the 24 passes he pulled in last year.
Four players with
starting experience lie in the two-deep OL
roster. However, several of them are playing
new positions. For example, last year’s RT for the final eight games of
the season, Russell Okung (6-5, 290), will start
at LT this year. David Koenig (6-5, 290) will
move to RT in ’07 though he was the team’s
LG last year. Fortunately, David Washington (6-3,
305), who started 13 games at center in 2006,
will return to his familiar position this season.
Former reserves Steve Denning and Andrew Lewis
will move in with the ones at guard this year.
Defense: This is where
OSU’s chances could
deflate next year. Contrast is the word for the
status of the three levels. While all seven linebackers
and defensive backs are back for 2007, not one
of last year’s starters on the line returns.
Injuries slowed down
senior DE Nathan Peterson (6-2, 240) at the
end of ’04 and all of ’05.
He had three starts last year but still produced
eight sacks and made the honorable mention All
Big-12 list. Marque Fountain had 4.5 sacks last
year as a reserve at the other end spot and he
will be Peterson’s bookend for 2007. Jeremy
Chatham (6-3, 280) is the only interior lineman
from last year’s two-deep and, at that,
he saw little action while backing-up Ryan McBean
at DT. This year, he is the team’s starting
nose guard though JUCO-transfer Tonga Tea will
push him for snaps.
True freshman Patrick
Lavine (6-3, 220) collected 70 tackles in just
9 starts last year at SLB while MLB Rodrick
Johnson returns after making 69 tackles last
year. Johnson performed big in big games last
year, logging 7 tackles and 3.5 TFL’s against Texas A&M, 8 tackles
against Texas and 9 more against OU. OLB Chris
Collins had 31 tackles in six games before suffering
a season-ending knee injury last year. He’s
back for 2007.
Martel Van Zant (6-1,
210), Jacob Lacey (5-11, 175) and return-specialist,
Perrish Cox (6-1, 185) are three very talented
players who will each see volumes of snaps
next year at the cornerback spots. Strong safety
Andre Sexton (6-1, 210; 4.38-40) started every
game last year as a true freshman and finished
as the team’s leading
tackler (79 tackles; 8.5 TFL’s). Donovan
Woods (6-2, 225) is a safety in a linebacker’s
body and receivers certainly know where he is
every down. This group of defenders is solid
and will not be the reason for sub-par defensive
efforts next year.
Special
Teams: Jason
Ricks made ten of twelve FG’s a year
ago (perfect inside-40). Punter Matt Fodge
was second-team All Big-12 with a nearly 45-yard
average (44.9). As a true freshman last year,
Perrish Cox made the biggest dent as a kick-returner
(12.8 ypr-punt; 23.8 ypr-kickoffs). Senior
Grant . Jones had a better average on kickoffs
last year but his graduation will let Cox shine
by himself in 2007.
2007
OUTLOOK: The
Cowboys’ college football
odds of winning the Big 12 South is a mere +1000,
behind Texas (+125), Oklahoma (+200) and Texas
A&M (+650). No odds have been given OSU to
win the national championship.
The offense will be
special this season. There is simply too much
experienced talent to predict anything different.
Woods’ presence would
have been a certain boon but the team can certainly
score, often, without him.
The utterly inexperienced
defensive line is the team’s Achilles
heel. The defensive backfield is a strength.
However, no backfield can hold coverage forever
and, barring the unexpected emergence of a
star or two on the young line, this one may
often be put in the position to try to do just
that next season. The linebackers are all skilled
veterans and it should be no surprise to see
OSU blitz to stress offenses and compensate
for its puppies on the line.
The Cowboys open up
on the road in an upset-special against Georgia
in Athens. That is just the kind of challenge
Gundy & Company need to get
them fired up early in ’07. They will have
relative breathers again Sun Belt foes Florida
Atlantic and Troy before hosting division-mates
Texas Tech in Stillwater. It is noteworthy that
Troy uses a Texas Tech style attack so the game
plan will not be alien to the Cowboys as they
take the field this year against the Red Raiders.
Sam Houston State follows and OSU gets both Kansas
teams at home while spending one road trip going
to a very winnable game against Baylor (who beat
them 34-44 the last time in Waco).
The stadium and facilities are not all that
are new in Stillwater. OSU will wear a previously
unseen coat of confidence on every field they
play this season. A nine-win season and an upset
over at least one of the division teams ranked
higher than them this year is in the cards for
2007.
With NCAA football just a couple months away,
the BetUS sportsbook already has tons of college
football Futures betting available for those
of us who can't wait. Bet on the Heisman winner,
Conference and Divisional winners and, of course,
the 2008 BCS National Championship winner. Bet
NCAA Football Futures in our sportsbook today
in the Future / props section!
Posted on 7/26/2007 7:58:14 PM
NCAA College Football Betting Lines - Oklahoma State Cowboys 2007 Preview
By Brock Murphy
| More
2007 College Football Previews |
|
USE
THESE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEWS TO HELP YOU
WITH YOUR COLLEGE handicapping AT OUR SPORTSBOOKS
ONLINE this SEASON
|
