Big 12 Championship Game Prediction
The Texas Longhorns could ruin the Oklahoma Sooners’ playoff hopes with an upset win in the Big 12 Championship at 12:00 p.m. ET. Will Tom Herman’s squad at least cover the spread if they can’t pull off another outright upset of Lincoln Riley’s program?
Game Snapshot
311 Texas Longhorns vs. 312 Oklahoma Sooners
12:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, December 1, 2018
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Sooners are 8-point favorites to beat the Longhorns. The total, meanwhile, sits at 78 points. As of this writing, 58% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Longhorns.
Texas Longhorns
Texas sophomore QB Sam Ehlinger (shoulder) is expected to be a full-go for Saturday’s Big 12 Championship Game showdown with Oklahoma. No real surprise on this one, as Ehlinger came back from a shoulder injury to throw for 154 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against Kansas on Black Friday. Shane Buechele will be waiting in the wings should Ehlinger run into further issues on the health front.
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma redshirt junior QB Kyler Murray was named the Big 12 Offensive player of the Year. West Virginia’s David Long was named the defensive player of the year. This couldn’t be less of a surprise. Murray was dominant in his first — and probably last — year as the starting quarterback, and he’s the first player to average 300 yards passing and 60 yards rushing while helping Oklahoma to an 11-1 record. We’ll see Murray play at least two more games, and if they beat Texas in Saturday’s conference championship game, there could be even more to play for.
Betting Trends
Texas
The Longhorns are 5-1 against the spread in their last six neutral site games and are 13-5-2 ATS in their last 20 games when facing an opponent with a winning record.
Oklahoma
The Sooners are 0-3-1 against the spread in their last four games overall and are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Prediction
The Longhorns have been a profitable play win this series, covering in six straight meetings between these two teams. The Sooners have allowed 189 points in their last four weeks, including 40 points to lowly Kansas. If the Longhorns can shorten possessions using their ball-control offense, they’ll keep Kyler Murray on the sidelines enough times to keep this game close. Regardless, OU’s defense is one of the worst in the nation and it wouldn’t be shocking to see this game come down to the wire yet again.
Big 12 Championship Game Prediction: Texas Longhorns +8