| Oklahoma State Cowboys College Football Picks 2009 |
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| Written by Steve Hastings | |||||||
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Friday, 04 September 2009
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Oklahoma State Cowboys College Football Picks 2009: After finishing fourth in the South Division of the Big 12 in 2008, many people would consider that as a bad year. But playing in a stacked division with teams like Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech that didn’t lose more than one in-conference game all season, it’s not as bad as it looks. Even better for Oklahoma State is the fact that eight starters are returning on offense at skill positions. The OSU offense is going to be one of the most dynamic in college football in 2009, and will help the Cowboys in pursuit of a Big 12 championship. The college football picks experts at online sportsbook SBG Global has the Oklahoma State Cowboys listed at +2700 odds to win the 2010 BCS National Championship Title. #18 OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY2008 Final Record: 9-4 2008 Final Rank: 18 Returning Starters on Offense: 8 Returning Starters on Defense: 7 Pros: The offense is almost at full strength with the exception of tight end Brandon Pettigrew who will be missed. But once key loss is little to cry over with so many other key players returning. Quarterback Zak Robinson threw for over 3,000 yards and tossed 25 touchdowns for his second consecutive impressive season behind center. Robinson is a very established QB, not only with his arm, but with his legs. Robinson rushed for over 60 yards in four games last season, including a 90 yard rushing day against rival Oklahoma on Nov. 29. Robinson also has a lot of help in the rushing department. Leading rusher Kendell Hunter who ran for 1,555 yards and 16 touchdowns is back in 2009, along with running mate Keith Totson and his 6.7 ypc and nine touchdowns. Perhaps even more impressive is the target that Robinson gets to throw to again this season. Receiver Dez Bryant had a breakout 2008 season with 87 receptions for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns, and will once again cause problems for Big 12 defenses. Linebacker Andre Sexton is a big pro on the defensive side after gathering 100 tackles in 2008. Sexton will anchor a defense that did not fair too well last season and has rebuilding to do in its secondary, so big season from him and the front 7 is essential. Cons: The secondary of the cowboys returns only one starter in cornerback Perrish Cox. For a team that did not do well in getting pressure on the quarterback by finishing lasting the conference in sacks, it leaves a lot of responsibility on the secondary. The Big 12 is a pass happy conference, and Oklahoma State will have to improve drastically on making opposing quarterbacks rush throws, or else OSU is in big trouble. Last season the Cowboys ranked 109th in passing defense in the country and 93rd in total defense. They did not get much help from the run stoppage either, allowing over 137 yards rushing per game, bad enough to place them sixth in the Big 12. Oklahoma State better find some way to either get to the quarterback or knock down some passes, because if they can’t do either, they also can’t win. The college football picks odds makers at SBG Global have the Oklahoma State Cowboys +800 odds favorites to win the Big East Conference Title. Overall Outlook: It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see how OSU games are going to look. There are going to be a lot of points scored, both on other teams and on themselves. The Cowboys have an outstanding offense and a suspect defense. Unfortunately Oklahoma State plays in the better division of the Big 12 and is not going to be facing many conservative offenses that the defense can sit back on. This team does have the talent on offense to give any team trouble, but the defense is the big mystery. If the Cowboys can get good play from the front seven and play decent in the secondary by eliminating too many big plays, OSU definitely has a shot at a Big 12 championship. Keys to Success: Score, score, score. The Big 12 is full of high flying offenses that will put a lot of points on the board. The Cowboys have the offense to compete with all of them, and the key to a championship season is going to be outscoring all of them. The defense is unpredictable and is a liability. But defense doesn’t always win championship, and for Oklahoma State’s sake, that better be true. Players like defensive end Jamie Blatnick and other Cowboys on the front line will definitely be key in helping the team’s chances by getting to opposing quarterbacks, but it’s still all about the offense. If for some reason Robinson, Hunter, or Bryant fall off in 2009, the team will fall right behind them. OSU finished Top 10 in the nation in rushing, scoring, and total offense in 2008. OSU went 1-4 vs. ranked opponents in 2008. OSU was outscored 117-61 vs. Oklahoma and Texas Tech in 2008. OSU is returning its leading passer, rusher, receiver and tackler from last season. Online Sportsbook SBG Global has posted the following odds to win the 2010 BCS National Championship: Alabama +2200 Arizona St +7000 Arkansas +7000 Auburn +9000 Boston College +7500 California +2200 Cincinnati +8500 Clemson +7500 Colorado +8500 Florida +150 Florida St +4000 Georgia +7500 Georgia Tech +1200 Illinois +4500 Iowa +8500 Kansas +4500 Kansas St +8500 Kentucky +8500 Louisville +8500 LSU +3200 Miami FL +3200 Michigan +8500 Michigan St +1700 Missouri +8500 Nebraska +4500 Notre Dame +1200 Ohio St +800 Oklahoma +650 Oklahoma St +2700 Oregon +4500 Penn St +1500 Rutgers +4500 South Carolina +8500 South Florida+5000 Southern Cal +600 Tennessee +8500 Texas +650 Texas A&M +8500 Texas Tech +6500 UCLA +8500 Virginia Tech +1700 Wake Forest +8500 North Carolina +4500 West Virginia +6000 Wisconsin +6500 Field (All Others) +1200                        |
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