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Week two of the college football season is just a couple days away and one matchup to keep an eye on this weekend is between Arkansas football and Oklahoma State. An SEC vs. Big 12 clash. The Razorbacks will be hitting the road for this one as the Cowboys will have home-field advantage, and it is expected to be a close game despite both teams being viewed very differently. This is a big one as these marquee non-conference games can set the tone for the rest of the season. The winner of this one will be feeling good with conference play approaching.
This is especially a big game for the Oklahoma State football team as they are viewed as a contender in the Big 12 and for a College Football Playoff spot. However, on the flip side, this is a huge opportunity for Arkansas to show that they are better than people think. The Razorbacks are expected to be one of the worst teams in the SEC this season, but a win against the Cowboys could change people’s view on them.
With the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams, it is obviously much easier to qualify, and if you make it out of the non-conference slate alive with a good power four win, you’re sitting in a good spot. This is a big one.
Before we dive more into this matchup, let’s take a look at where Oklahoma State and Arkansas are at heading into week two of the college football season.
Oklahoma State is a contender in the Big 12
The Oklahoma State football looked pretty good in week one as they easily took down South Dakota State. The Cowboys played especially well on offense as veteran quarterback Alan Bowman looked good, and Ollie Gordon, one of the best running backs in the country, had a huge game.
Alan Bowman finished the game 24-33 for 245 yards and two touchdowns. Bowman is one of the most experienced QBs in all of college football, and having him is huge for this Cowboys team. If he can clean up the turnovers this year, he should be one of the best QBs in the Big 12. It was definitely good to see him take care of the football in week one, and that will be crucial in week two as well.
Ollie Gordon had a massive game, as everyone expected. Gordon finished the day with 28 carries for 126 yards and three touchdowns. He is one of the best RBs in the country, and if he keeps having performances like that, the Cowboys are going to be incredibly hard to beat.
Having Bowman at QB and Gordon at RB is big for Oklahoma State. Their offense shouldn’t have much trouble scoring points this season.
The Cowboys made it to the Big 12 title game a year ago, and they are hoping to do the same this year. However, this time around, they want to make sure to win it, and that would get the Cowboys a bye in the College Football Playoff. That is certainly in play for this talented team.
Arkansas football is expected to finish near the bottom in the SEC
This Arkansas team has a brutal schedule this season, and it is going to be incredibly difficult for them to find success in the SEC. The Razorbacks to play five ranked teams in SEC play: #14 Tennessee, #18 LSU, #6 Ole Miss, #3 Texas and #9 Missouri. That is tough.
One thing that might help the Razorbacks is a ranked road win against Oklahoma State. A win this week would go a long way for this team’s confidence, and it could change the way people look at this Arkansas football team. It’s going to be tough, but crazier things have happened in college football.
Arkansas did win in week one as they took down Arkansas Pine Bluff 70-0. It wasn’t a tough opponent, but you can’t really ask for a more sound performance than that.
This weekend’s game against Oklahoma State is going to be much more difficult. Arkansas will need to put together a great performance to come out on top. Here are three predictions for Saturday’s game:
Taylen Green will throw for under 200 yards
We are going to learn a lot about this Arkansas football team this weekend, and it's hard to imagine them going on the road and beating a ranked team. Taylen Green had a solid performance in week one as he finished the game 16-23 for 229 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. However, that was against Arkansas Pine Bluff. Finding success against the Cowboys on the road is going to be a lot more difficult.
Don't expect Green to have a big game this weekend. He doesn't have a ton experience and this is going to be a tough environment to go into. Oklahoma State's defense is going to make things difficult for him.
Arkansas will score less than 15 points
If Taylen Green doesn't have a good performance, than the Arkansas football offense likely isn't going to have a good day either. It's going to be tough sledding on Saturday for the Razorbacks. If they were at home in this one then they would maybe have a fighting chance, but at the end of the day, Oklahoma State is the better football team, and they are at home. That isn't a good recipe for Arkansas in terms of pulling off the upset. Their offense is going to have a tough time moving the ball and they aren't going to score a lot of points.
Arkansas football will lose by 14+
Arkansas might be able to hang around for a little bit in this one, but it should result in a comfortable win for the Oklahoma State football team. The Cowboys have more talent, more experience, and they are at home. They are going to cover the spread pretty easily this week and they will improve to 2-0.
Oklahoma State and Arkansas will kick things off at noon ET on Saturday from Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The game will be airing on ABC, and the Cowboys are currently favored by 7.5 points.
