The Oklahoma football Sooners are heavy favorites against the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday, and they will be expected to play as such to hold on to their top-three ranking in the national polls.
A single-digit winning margin, as has been the case in five other Oklahoma games this season, won’t be near good enough in this one.
The Sooners are averaging 42.7 points per game and Kansas averages 16.7. That should be all you need to know about the expectations for this game. The record will show that Kansas has beaten better Oklahoma teams. But those were also better Kansas teams, as well.
The one thing we can say, with relative certainty, is that the Sooners will win this game. In the two percent chance that Oklahoma does not survive its trip to Lawrence, Kansas, this weekend, it will go down as the biggest upset of the 2021 college football season.
Here are several other not-so-bold predictions that have a good chance of coming out of this game:
Caleb Williams will throw for over 350 yards, run for a TD and throw for 4 more
In six quarters as the Oklahoma starting quarterback, Caleb Williams has thrown for 507 yards and six touchdowns. Those passing numbers should continue to go up against a Kansas defense that isn’t that good. Williams and the talented group of Oklahoma receivers should have a field day on Saturday.
The true freshman OU QB will torch the Jayhawk secondary for at least 350 yards through the air and four touchdown passes to three different receivers. That number would be even higher except that Williams won’t play in the fourth quarter. And that’s not all: He will run for a fifth touchdown.
The Sooner defense will hold Kansas to 10 points or less
This game will be the opportunity for the Sooner defense to make an emphatic statement. The Jayhawks aren’t going to be able to run against the OU front seven. Any yards and points Kansas is able to salvage will be through the air. Oklahoma will hold the Jayhawks to 10 or fewer points. That would be the second fewest points they have scored all season. They scored seven in a 59-7 loss at Iowa State two weeks ago.
Spencer Rattler will play 4th quarter and throw a TD pass
With the exception of a two-point conversion try late in the game with Texas, Spencer Rattler has not played since he was removed from the game against Texas midway through the second quarter. He will see action against Kansas, and he will take out his frustration with at least one touchdown pass, adding to the Sooner score total.
OU will get at least three takeaways against Kansas
Oklahoma has 11 takeaways through seven games this season and have recorded at least one takeaway in 13 consecutive games. It wasn’t that many years ago — two, to be exact — that was the total for the entire season. The Sooner defense will be aggressive against Kansas and come away with as many as three turnovers.
Score prediction: Oklahoma 59, Kansas 10