Oklahoma Getting 69% of Sharp Money in Big 12 Title Game; Public Backing Baylor (65% of Bets)

• Oddsmakers report that sharp bettors are on Oklahoma in the 2019 Big 12 title game
• The advanced metrics say Oklahoma is clearly a better team Baylor
• Oklahoma rallied from 25 points down to beat Baylor 34-31 in the regular season

The sharp money is on Oklahoma, but the public money is going to Baylor as they get set to meet in the Big 12 Championship Game at 12 PM ET on Saturday (Dec. 7) at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Oklahoma is getting 54 percent of the total handle. However, 69 percent of the sharp money is going on the Sooners. Conversely, 65 percent of the public money is being bet on the Bears in the Baylor vs Oklahoma odds.

Odds taken Dec. 6

Not Such An Even Matchup

On the surface, the teams appeared evenly matched. Both have 11-1 records. Oklahoma is ranked No. 7 and Baylor is right behind the Sooners at No. 8. When the teams met on Nov. 16 in Waco, Oklahoma won by just three points, 34-31.

So why is Oklahoma a nine-point favorite? Well, various power ratings all show that the Sooners are the superior team.

The sharps also know the disparity between the two teams and have accordingly put their money on Oklahoma. The public, though, sees that Baylor lost by only three to Sooners in the regular season and feels the Bears are a bargain getting more than a touchdown.

Oklahoma’s Comeback for The Ages

The final score of the regular season meeting also doesn’t tell the full story. Baylor broke out to a 28-3 lead early in the second quarter, but Oklahoma responded by pulling off the biggest comeback in the program’s storied history.

The Sooners were especially dominant in the second half. Down 31-10 at halftime, they scored on four consecutive drives – all consisting of at least 11 pays – to tie the game. Oklahoma then won it on Gabe Brkic’s 31-year field goal with 1:45 remaining.

Jalen Hurts was masterful over the final 30 minutes as he led the comeback with three touchdowns passes. Oklahoma’s offense was just dominant that Baylor ran just 16 plays in the second half and had the ball for less than six minutes.

Oklahoma was clearly the dominant team when it counted most and that’s why the smart money thinks the Sooners will beat Baylor for the second time in four weeks and do so handily.

No One Can Stop Hurts

Both teams won their final two regular-season games. Oklahoma held off TCU 28-14 and handled Oklahoma State 34-16. Baylor beat Texas 24-10 and routed Kansas 61-6.

The defenses on both sides played well in those two games. Oklahoma allowed an average of 269.5 total yards and Baylor surrendered a total of 16 points.

While Baylor has a quality quarterback in Charlie Brewer, he cannot take over a game like Hurts. The graduate transfer has passed for 3,347 yards and 31 touchdown and rushed for a team-high 1,217 yards and 18 TDs.

If Jalen Hurts maintains his average yards per game against Baylor, he will move into 4th place all-time for total offense in a season by a single player at OU.

He would be behind, respectively, Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.

Jalen is an all-time great Sooner.

— Tanner Brodess (@Tannerbrodess) December 6, 2019

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow seems certain to win the Heisman Trophy, but Hurts could very well finish second. That, too, helps put the odds very much in Oklahoma’s favor, even if the public can’t resist backing the underdog in this case.