OSU Favored by 17 Points Over Tulsa in Season-Opener

When Tulsa comes to Stillwater next Thursday, the Golden Hurricane will be doing so as heavy underdogs against the 10th-ranked Cowboys. That much we all could’ve guessed. But Vegas has now acknowledged as much, setting the betting line for the game as OSU -17 at both Bovada and Vegas Insiders.

The over/under line is set at 72 at Vegas Insiders.

So should you take OSU as the favorite? If 2016 told us anything, it’s that OSU — outside of, well, a game we won’t speak of — did very well against the spread. In fact, the Pokes went 8-5 against the spread in the season, ranking among the top 25 teams in the country according to TeamRankings.com.

Here are the numbers from last season on how each team fared both in the regular season and in non-conference play.

By the looks of it, the line at 72 is a gift from above. But against elite level competition like Ohio State last season, TU managed just 3 points and barely escaped Columbus without a goose egg.

If OSU is the elite level team I think most people expect them to be, I would guess their point total next Thursday will look closer to 3 than the 41.2 average they put up throughout their entire 2016 season. So from that, here’s my advice: Take the under on the line (72), and take OSU -17. It’s going to be a rout in favor of the Cowboys.