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BetOnline.com offered its Oklahoma State betting odds preview for 2011, noting that head coach Mike Gundy has won at least nine games in each of the past three seasons and he finished two of those years in the top 20. Last year, OSU won 11 games. Returning to the field this year will be All-Big 12 First Team quarterback Brandon Weeden and All-American wide receiver Justin Blackmon. Likewise, they return 10 total starters from an offense that finished second in the nation in passing and 29th in rushing last year.
OSU will likely see a drop in production with the departure of offensive coordinator Dana Hogorsen, BetOnline.com’s Blake Frazier points out. He does suggest the impact should not be substantial.
The Cowboys defense will return six starters. Their defense did give up 51 and 47 points, respectively, at home. They must improve in this area if they with to have any impact in 2011/2012.
Oklahoma State betting odds in terms of winning the BCS Championship were listed at 25/1 or +2500 at BetOnline.com. They were at 3/1 odds of winning the Big 12 Conference behind Oklahoma at -200 odds.
Interestingly enough, the Cowboys’ first test of the season will be in week two when they play Arizona in Stillwater. That’s the same Arizona squad which was torched by Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl. Road trips to Texas A&M, Texas, and Missouri will be difficult tasks as well. The Big 12 title may very well come down to the final week of the season when the Cowboys take on heated rival Oklahoma in the Bedlam Series. If things go as planned for Oklahoma State, there would be no better way to put the program on a higher plane than by defeating Oklahoma to win the league. With that said, the Bedlam game might obviously receive more publicity than any other contest on Oklahoma State’s schedule, but the ability to win every other Big 12 game will define the successfulness of this season. A strong second-place showing behind Oklahoma with an 11-1 record is a realistic goal OSU fans should have in mind. A properly-calibrated sport bet would ultimately settle on 10-2 as the ultimate landing point for this team in 2011.
The best bet for Oklahoma State would be on the regular season win total, which Frazier suggests will be 10. The OVER 8.5 was listed with a reasonable line of -125.
- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
