UTEP Miners vs. Oklahoma Sooners Betting Preview
Where: Memorial Stadium — Norman, Oklahoma
When: Saturday, September 2, 2017 – 3:30 PM ET
Line: UTEP Miners (+43) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (-43) – total: 62.5 – view all NCAA Football odds and lines
TV Broadcast:
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Betting on the UTEP Miners (+43)
The Miners are again coming off an awful campaign. Through ranking 82nd in points (26.3 PPG) and 105th in points allowed (34.9 PPG), they stumbled to 4-8 record in 2016. It was the 79th time in the school’s 80-year history in Division I football where the team failed to tally 10 or more wins in a season.
We may see these boys from El Paso continue the unflattering trend, as they are on a usual state. Although the quarterback position is steady with Ryan Metz, who has showed improvement in accuracy and had a 14-4 touchdown-interception ratio a year ago, his backfield weapon will be a big unknown.
The school’s all-time leading rusher, Aaron Jones (1,773 yards on 7.7 YPC in 2016), has moved on, and no one is yet to step up to the plate. Prized freshman Josh Fields is their best bet and he certainly has a good potential, but his inexperience is sure to eventually be evident.
Metz’s receiving corps will be intact, and it’s a plus that he now has chemistry with them. The challenge, though, is to develop a new reliable target, since last year’s key pass-catcher, tight end Hayden Plinke, is now out of the fold.
The defense’s strength, meanwhile, will remain in the secondary, as led by Devin Cockrell and three other experienced starters, one of which is the returning Michael Lewis, who redshirted last year. Little is expected from the pass-rushers and linebackers, since they are usually unable to provide damage (1.1 sacks per game in 2016) and their best player, Alvin Jones, is already gone.
Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners (-43)
The Sooners are another team that’s facing a transitional period. A bulk of the starters will still be there, but they lost a trio of prolific men – Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine, and Dede Westbrook – that gave them over 4,600 all-purpose yards last season.
Baker Mayfield, who completed 70.9 percent of his passes and posted a 40-8 TD-INT ratio in 2016, is obviously gaining an even bigger spotlight because of that. This may be his tallest task to date, and it is basically the latest leg of his audition for the NFL scouts.
The QB could be looking to have tight end Mark Andrews as his new number one target. The explosive TE was able to chip in 489 yards (15.8 yards per reception) and seven TDs this past year while lining up in the slot.
Identifying Mixon and Perine’s replacements won’t be as easy, and the search among their six running backs could go on for the whole season. Whoever’s on the backfield, though, could benefit from Oklahoma’s solid offensive line, with all five starters being well-experienced.
Over on defense, there’s potential from top to bottom, and it should be headlined by three men – Jordan Thomas and Steven Parker, two of the best defensive backs in the Big 12, and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, who had team-leading numbers of nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss last season.
Writer’s Prediction
Oklahoma (-43) will dominate, but the spread may prove to be too deep.
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