Daily Bullets (August 17) – Betting the Odds on OSU Football, OSU’s Big O-Line

Over or Under

Popular betting site Sportsline has a great feel for how the 2018 Cowboy Football season should turn out: they’ve got the line set it at 8.5 wins for the year.

Explosive running back Justice Hill will be the focal point of the offense, while reliable receiver Jalen McCleskey returns for his senior year. A soft early schedule makes a 6-0 start a real possibility. But the history of Gundy’s clubs usually winning and losing a game they shouldn’t are factors that cancel each other out. The Cowboys could conceivably lose at Kansas State, Oklahoma and TCU and still beat this generous total. Gundy’s teams tend to thrive amid lower expectations. Back the Over. [Sportsline]

I’ll hear seven wins but eight or nine seems to be the most logical picks for the 2018 season. In yesterday’s Bullets, a comment by Ian Boyd was highlighted that two dominant qualities for an offense have to be present to be successful. Justice Hill and the proven playmaking and production of Dillon Stoner and Jalen McCleskey feel like sure bets going into the season and that makes me lean towards the offense being successful. Leaning towards nine isn’t irrational.

Looking the Part

While this Cowboy offensive line’s strength appears to be its depth (more so than recent units), they compare well in size to Athlon’s top five offensive lines in college football as well.

But it’s still an interesting exercise to compare Oklahoma State’s line to the top five. Inspired by a radio segment in which OSU sideline reporter Robert Allen compared OSU’s line size to Wisconsin’s (Athlon’s No. 1 line, by the way), here’s how Oklahoma State’s 2018 starters compare to the Athlon top five — and to the Cowboy line of a few seasons ago.

One thing is clear: Weight-wise, Oklahoma State has caught back up.

School Average height Average weight
Oklahoma State (2018) 6-4 312.2
Wisconsin 6-5 314
Alabama 6-5 312.8
Georgia 6-5 321.6
Stanford 6-5 312.2
Washington 6-5 314.8
Oklahoma State (2014) 6-5 300 [TulsaWorld]

Can you imagine how much bigger Justice Hill’s offensive line probably looks than Barry’s crew from the 80’s?

We welcome the ? and the War Pigs back to Stilly to be grand marshals for 2018 Homecoming. #okstate #GoPokes @BarrySanders

➡ https://t.co/ZcBxPMEUkw pic.twitter.com/XyJCMDyjFh

— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) August 14, 2018

OSU and NCAA Notes

Enjoyed this piece on UCLA coach Chip Kelley getting back in the business….Hovland is playing to get to the semifinals of the US Amateur today….Rickie Fowler is skipping next weekend’s Northern Trust because of injury….Shippy nominated for NCAA Woman of the year

What a catch.

Whoa. ? pic.twitter.com/0VyVngy9qp

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 17, 2018

Pretty intense rainfall in Stillwater yesterday.

HAPPY WELCOME WEEK. GO POKES. #OKSTATE pic.twitter.com/P3lJ0g7ATV

— Winston (@winnywatkins) August 16, 2018

It sounds like yesterday’s meeting went well.

.@DezBryant was in Cleveland to meet with the @Browns today and was SIGNING BROWNS GEAR. ? pic.twitter.com/56MdJwrukV

— Rotoworld (@rotoworld) August 16, 2018

South Alabama or Boise State? Seems like a pretty easy choice to me.

2️⃣ weeks.

➡️ https://t.co/wBEbxuROIE #okstate #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/vPrIWSzNVP

— Oklahoma State (@OSUAthletics) August 16, 2018

I’d love for the Pokes to land a series like this. Can you imagine how fun an Art Briles vs. Gus Malzahn series would have been?

Auburn, Baylor add home/home series; 2025 at Baylor, 2026 at Auburn

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 16, 2018

Yesterday on PFB

• A five-star the Pokes were in on went to UNC
• Carson and Porter talk Rickie Fowler and the new defense in the latest pod
• Porter, Cox and Boone chat playmakers in a three-man weave
• See how the 2018 Pokes did in an NCAA Football simulation
• The new Cowboy defense could take some time to get used to

Stuff I’m Consuming

• How to work around your cognitive biases
• What happens when amateurs investigate a murder?