Orangebloods.com - Orangebloods.com Staff Predictions

October 30, 2009

Orangebloods Staff

Geoff Ketchum

I've played this game out in my mind a million times and every time I reach the same conclusion. If this were the Oklahoma State team of 2008, perhaps the Cowboys would stand a better chance in my mind. However, this team doesn't have Dez Bryant or Brandon Pettigrew and I'm not even sure that they'll truly have Kendall Hunter. In my mind this is a team that the Longhorns should beat and will beat decisively.

For all of those concerned about slow starts and a repetition of history, don't be. Not this time, not this year. The Longhorns will control this game with defense and as long as Colt McCoy limits his mistakes, the path to the national championship will be much clearer by 9:30 p.m. Saturday night.

Texas 34 - Oklahoma State 17

Chip Brown

Sometimes you just have a feeling. Sometimes you just sense that one team's biggest moment can result in falling through the trap door. Mack Brown had to feel it in 1997 when his North Carolina team entered its game at home against then-No. 2 Florida State ranked in the Top Five, only to lose 20-3. And I feel Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State are being set up the exact same way Mack Brown and his North Carolina Tar Heels were against Florida State in 1997.

There's a few reasons Mack Brown is the winningest coach in Division I-A football the last 14 years but only has one conference title in his 25 seasons as a head coach. One of those reasons was Bobby Bowden and a dominant Florida State program that played in five national title games from 1993 to 2001, winning in '93 and 1999. Consider Mike Gundy as Mack Brown in this equation and Mack Brown as Bobby Bowden. Eleven times Texas and OSU have met with Brown as coach at UT - 11 times Texas has won. UT has erased deficits against the Cowboys with more red ink than our national budget.

And yet Oklahoma State feels like this is its time. Boone Pickens Stadium is finally refurbished and expected to be sold out. QB Zac Robinson is breaking all of Mike Gundy's records. OSU has Bill Young as defensive coordinator, the same guy who nearly derailed Vince Young and Co. in 2004 as the DC at Kansas. The Law of Averages. But as many times as you try to simulate this game, you keep coming back to the Bill Belichick of college football (Coach Boom) against Mike Gundy's offense. Check to the Longhorns.

You keep coming back to Colt McCoy finally looking like The Real McCoy last week at Missouri, running the football, getting some protection from the line and finally using some play-action as UT scored touchdowns on five of its first six drives. And I keep coming back to the Oklahoma State secondary, which is ranked 106th nationally (giving up 253.1 yards passing per game). And this is the kind of matchup a Heisman Trophy-caliber QB wins on the road against a suspect secondary.

I think the Texas defense will shake the ball loose in a big way. I see a scoop and score among five turnovers forced by UT. The offense takes those gifts like candy in its trick-or-treat bag and moves on.

Texas 27 - Oklahoma State 6

Jason Suchomel

Last week, I said Texas could find itself in a trap game and I was completely off the mark, predicting a relatively close Longhorn win. Here we are a week later, and it's another game that has the makings of potential trap game. UT's on the road, against a riled up Oklahoma State team on national television, and the Horns are playing their third straight game away from Royal-Memorial Stadium. Throw in the fact that it's Halloween night and this one has some kooky possibilities.

All that being said, I'm not seeing it this week. Texas convinced me last week that it's ready to take care of business and cruise through the regular season without a hiccup. If the Horns can continue to run the ball well, and shut down Ok State's run, thus eliminating the Cowboys' play-action passing game, Texas wins by a couple scores.

Texas 31 - Oklahoma State 14

Sean Adams

The Texas Longhorns are on the road in Stillwater and I don't get all the hype about the Cowboys. The one question that will not leave my mind is, "What makes Oklahoma State different than the Missouri Tigers?" Oklahoma State has a better quarterback but Missouri had better receivers and better playmakers on defense.

I know the Longhorns will be fine with just getting out of Stillwater with a win but if they want to continue to make a statement and build confidence they need to play to the standard that Mack brown has talked about. I think they do it.

Texas 35 - Oklahoma State 17

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