Oklahoma State vs. TCU Prediction, Game Preview


Oklahoma State vs. TCU prediction and game preview. Projecting who wins the game between the Cowboys and Horned Frogs.


Oklahoma State vs. TCU Game Preview

When: Saturday, November 19 – 12:00 p.m. ET
Where: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Broadcast: FS1

With two more wins, Oklahoma State will be the outright Big 12 champion. But if the Cowboys are going to add hardware to the trophy case, they’ll have to do so outside of Stillwater. The rising Pokes played their final home game last, narrowly escaping Texas Tech for a sixth straight win. This weekend, Mike Gundy will travel to Fort Worth to face a 5-4 TCU team that hopes to have turned the corner in November. The inconsistent Frogs started the month by obliterating Baylor, 62-22, in Waco and then made the most of last week’s final bye week of 2016. TCU can’t win the Big 12, but it can spoil OSU’s aspirations.

What To Know About Oklahoma State

Think Texas Tech … but considerably better. The Cowboys were a missed extra point last week from potentially being dragged into overtime by the Red Raiders, which sort of makes sense. Oklahoma State’s identity is closely tied to a Mason Rudolph-led offense putting up 41 points per game. And while the defense is a few rungs higher than the one in Lubbock, the Cowboys are beatable on the ground and over the top, and have given up 81 points in the last two wins. Okie State has lived dangerously this month, but lived to tell about it.

What to Know About TCU

If the Horned Frogs truly turned the corner two weeks ago in Waco, the world will know it this Saturday afternoon. TCU has been a hard-to-figure mixed bag all year, bottoming out in October with a blowout loss at West Virginia and an inexcusable home defeat to Texas Tech a week later. But talent isn’t a problem in Fort Worth. Running back Kyle Hicks is coming off a career-best game. Playmaking wideout KaVontae Turpin is healthy again. And Patterson’s defense is terrific at the point of attack, headlined by defensive tackle Aaron Curry and ends James McFarland, Josh Carraway and Mat Boesen.

Advantages

Offense: Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have the more consistent attack, aided by the dangerous receiving tandem of James Washington and Jalen McCleskey.

Defense: TCU. The results have been sketchy, for sure, but the Frogs have better all-around personnel and are consistently tougher at the line of scrimmage.

Special Teams: Oklahoma State. One of the overlooked components of the Cowboys’ success this season has been the kicking of Ben Grogan and the punting of Zach Sinor.

Coaching: Push. The matchup between the defensive-minded Patterson and Gundy, an offensive whiz, will be outstanding.

Intangibles: TCU. It’s very close, but the Horned Frogs have the luxury of being home and being healthier following the bye week.

Matchup To Watch

Hicks vs. DT Vincent Taylor and the rest of the Oklahoma State front seven

To win, TCU must run the ball successfully, especially since Kenny Hill has been up-and-down all season. And springing Hicks, who exploded for 192 of the Frogs’ 431 rushing yards two weeks ago, requires someone in purple to get a consistent hat on Taylor, easily Oklahoma State’s most disruptive individual defender.

Oklahoma State vs. TCU Betting Odds

Spread: TCU -4.5
Over/Under: 68.5

Oklahoma State vs. TCU Prediction

All signs point to TCU snapping Oklahoma State’s winning streak this weekend. The Horned Frogs are coming off their best win of the year, and with two weeks to prepare, Patterson will have defensive wrinkles to slow down the Cowboy offense. Rudolph will have success through the air, taking advantage of his receivers versus the average TCU defensive backs. But Hicks and the Frog defensive linemen will vie for game MVP honors, propelling their team to bowl-eligibility in a thriller that’ll be decided in the waning moments.

Oklahoma State vs. TCU Score Prediction: TCU 37, Oklahoma State 35

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