College Football Picks: Central Michigan vs. Oklahoma State 9/10/16

CMU vs. Oklahoma State Pick

Will No. 22 Oklahoma State have any difficulty when it plays host to Central Michigan at Noon ET on FS1 today?

According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Oklahoma State is the clear favorite in this contest, as the Cowboys are getting odds of -21 points against the Chippewas. The over/under total for the game is listed at 61 points. These two met in the opener last season at CMU, with Oklahoma State getting a 24-13 win, but the Chippewas covering the spread.

Bet on Central Michigan vs. Oklahoma State

The Cowboys are coming off a 61-7 win over Southeastern Louisiana last week in which they had 397 yards of offense and forced four turnovers on defense while holding the Lions to just 203 yards. Mason Rudolph threw for a modest 191 yards and two touchdowns while the Cowboys spread the ball around in the backfield. In last year’s win at Central Michigan, Oklahoma State put up 420 total yards, including 266 through the air. Rudolph was an efficient 22 of 32 for 266 yards against a pretty good Central Michigan defense.

Central Michigan started its season with a 49-3 win over Presbyterian. The Chippewas held their opponent to just 126 total yards while posting 492 of their own. CMU was very effective on the ground, rushing for 255 yards and five scores as a team. Devon Spalding led the way with 135 yards on 15 carries. Cooper Rush threw for 237 yards and a score to start his senior campaign. He was also solid in last year’s game against Oklahoma State, going 28 of 41 for 225 yards while rushing for 51 yards and a score. As a team, CMU had just 78 rushing yards, which will need to improve this year if they hope to scare the Cowboys.

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Central Michigan is no team to sleep on. While it would be a major upset for CMU to win, it wouldn’t be a surprise for them to compete. They played well on the road last season, going 5-1 against the spread. On the flip side, Oklahoma State was just 3-4 ATS at home in 2015. With a veteran QB like Rush, don’t look for him to get rattled in this environment and make a lot of poor decisions, which should allow the Chippewas to stay within a few scores.

 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 2 PICK: CENTRAL MICHIGAN +21