Oklahoma State Favored to Beat Texas Tech, Remain in Big 12 Title Hunt

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STILLWATER — Oklahoma State is a 3.5-point favorite over No. 10 Texas Tech, according to FanDuel. With an over-under of 72.5 points, that means the sportsbook is suggesting the Cowboys win by something like 38-35.

The Cowboys have scored 49-plus points in each of their past three games and have only given up 35-plus points twice this season, both in road losses at Houston and Iowa State.

For what it’s worth, a win this weekend would likely put the Cowboys back in the AP Top 25 given OSU’s current place as the unofficial 28th team.

Although FanDuel has a certain amount of faith in Oklahoma State this week, the oddsmaker isn’t backing the team long term when it comes to the Big 12 Championship.

Utah is a prohibitive favorite at -1,100 odds. The Red Raiders are second (+145), followed by Houston (+290), BYU (+350), with Arizona (+650) and the Cowboys (+650) tied ahead of the final 2-loss team, Baylor (+950).

If Oklahoma State loses this weekend, it almost certainly watches its longshot dreams of making the trip to Arlington go up in smoke. However, even with a win, the Cowboys will need some help.

A multi-team tiebreaker gets messy, and the Cowboys almost certainly need Houston to lose another game this season regardless.

Here’s who Oklahoma State is rooting for elsewhere in the Big 12 this week and how much it matters. OSU’s preferred winner is bolded, and all lines are according to FanDuel.

Friday

Houston (-10.5) at Colorado: Critical. Houston is THE problem when going to tiebreakers.

Saturday

Utah (-2.5) at Arizona: Major, Utah losing twice would make it easier for OSU to get to Arlington, but with only three conference games left, that feels like a tall task. If Utah is going either way, it would help if the Utes knocked Arizona out of the two-loss club this weekend.

Cincinnati at Iowa State (-2.5): Major

Kansas State at TCU (-9.5): Major

Arizona State at UCF (-3.5): Important, but probably not major.

Kansas at West Virginia (-2.5): Important, but not major.

Baylor at BYU (-7.5): Matters ever so slightly. Although this will eliminate a two-loss team from contention, barring absolute craziness in the conference.