Oklahoma Opens as 7-Point Favorite vs Oklahoma State in Week 12 Bedlam

• Oklahoma is a 7-point favorite against Oklahoma State on Saturday
• The Sooners have won five straight in the series known as Bedlam
• Read below for a deeper look at this huge Big 12 rivalry

2020’s unpredictability has been far-reaching, and it’s fitting the game known as Bedlam will be played in unfamiliar circumstances this season. The hierarchy of the Big 12 has been disrupted, with Oklahoma State a game ahead of their in-state rival Sooners in the standings.

Oklahoma has rattled off four wins since a rough start, though, it’s why the Sooners are a seven-point favorite against Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Oklahoma State vs Oklahoma Opening Odds

Odds taken from FanDuel Nov. 15

Sooners Back on Track

After a rough 1-2 start for Oklahoma, it appeared that Lincoln Riley’s magic had finally run out. In the four games since then, all wins, those doubts have been greatly mitigated.

The latest win was a 62-9 route of Kansas, and there wasn’t much to take from that game. After one encouraging year at Kansas, it appears Les Miles will have the same sort of miserable tenure that has become common for Jayhawk football. No, for Oklahoma, the previous three wins were the really valuable wins.

In a 62-28 drubbing of Texas Tech, the Sooner offense was beautiful to watch, racking up 559 total yards and never turning the ball over. The week prior, it was the defense that stepped up in a workmanlike 33-14 win against TCU. It was also another game without a turnover.

This turnaround was sparked by the ultimate catalyst, a four-overtime win against arch-rival Texas. It was a win that came after two straight losses, and it was a massive fork in the road for the Sooners. They went the right way, and have been dominant since then.

Reality Check for the Cowboys?

Oklahoma State has put together a nice season in 2020, and the 4-1 conference record has them second in the Big 12 standings. It’s an encouraging start, but the back stretch of the season could bring it all down.

So far, the winning has been done against Tulsa, West Virginia, Kansas, Iowa State, and Kansas State last week. The games against the Cyclones and Wildcats were tight affairs, and the 16-7 Tulsa win was especially concerning.

Kansas State and Iowa State pulled off early wins over Oklahoma, but now that the Sooners have found their rhythm, the Cowboys will see a different team than the other two on Saturday.

The thing holding Oklahoma State back from “elite” status at the moment is quarterback play. Spencer Sanders has been inconsistent, and his 21.4 QBR against Kansas State would have come in a losing effort had the defense not picked up a fumble and taken it 85 yards for a score to stretch the Cowboys lead to eight in the fourth quarter.

Where Will the Line Move?

It wouldn’t be all that surprising to see this line move in Oklahoma’s direction, especially considering the narrative surrounding the two teams. The Cowboys are seen as a good team whose one-loss status is hanging on by a thread. The Sooners have elite talent and just took a few weeks to find their rhythm with so many young faces at key spots.

In a standard season, this game would have come much later, and we would have nine or ten games of evidence versus the six and seven we have for the two teams ahead of Saturday. The Cowboys would have likely suffered another loss or two on the way here, and Oklahoma would enter this game on an even longer hot streak. The value for Sooner backers is high at just seven points, and don’t expect it to stay there too long.