Consider my surprise earlier this week. TCU is hosting Oklahoma on Saturday. The Horned Frogs started as a 1-point dog and the line spurted to 3.5 in favor of the Sooners. I was surprised. Oklahoma was not particularly competitive in either the Houston or Ohio State game. Even in TCU’s sole loss, the Horned Frogs had a strong 2nd half comeback, only to fall to Arkansas in an overtime classic. I definitely prefer Gary Patterson as a gameday coach to Bob Stoops. For the perennially loaded Sooners, am I the only one who thinks that Stoops has lost some games that he never should have? Two home losses stay with me. The 41-38 2011 Texas Tech pratfall to Tommy Tuberville as a 28-point favorite and the mismanaged Oklahoma State loss as a 21-point favorite in 2014 are tough to forget.
I would be even more bullish on TCU winning this game if not for 2 key injuries. KaVontae Turpin’s electric kick returns will be missed again. Perhaps more important, Center Austin Schlottmann will also be out. History dictates that the most underrated position on the team is center as the line calls can flow less easily when a change occurs. Oklahoma’s best attribute the past year is catching teams with key injuries. Last year, the Sooners barely held off a TCU team playing with a backup QB and a decimated defense.
Washington State is another undeserving home dog. This I understand better but I believe Vegas has it wrong. The Oregon team visiting Pullman is not one of the Chip Kelly or Mike Belotti vintage. Instead, the Ducks are saddled with an embarrassing defensive line that made the offenses of UC Davis and Virginia seem potent. Worse, they magically transformed a Colorado backup QB, Steven Montez, into a potential Heisman Trophy winner last week. The same Montez who went 0 for 7 in Ann Arbor seven days earlier. Is it strange that the last name of their new D coordinator, Hoke, rhymes with joke? Just asking.
Interesting to note that the biggest weakness of the Cougars is also their D line, both in terms of a lack of pass rush and depth. So, look for a lot of points and a game like last year’s in Eugene where WSU prevailed, 45-38, as a 16-point dog.
I think folks checked out on WSU after their 2 opening losses but context is needed. Both were 3-point losses to excellent teams in Eastern Washington and Boise. There seems to be collective amnesia that the Cougars were 9-4 last year and returned a lot including the sensational Luke Falk to Gabe Marks tandem.
While the right teams are favored in the Wisconsin and Wake Forest games, when was the last time we were a month into a season and two undefeated teams from Power 5 conferences were BOTH DDD’s (I am not talking cup size for the porn-oriented segment of our readership but Double Digit Dogs)? Never might be the correct answer. College Football Odyssey will not be surprised if one of these surprise teams remains undefeated Saturday night. Rick Rock