It was a game to forget for Oklahoma football fans as the Sooners were routed 49-0 in the Cotton Bowl by longtime archrival Texas.
Now, the Sooners welcome in Kansas, which has been the most surprising team this season and ranked No. 19 in the country. Oklahoma comes in as a 9-point favorite against the Jayhawks, and should have its signal caller back, Dillon Gabriel. Here’s our score predictions and game breakdown from the StorminInNorman crew:
Connor Pasby
Score: OU 40 – Kansas 30
I’ts been a disaster defensively for Oklahoma, giving up a total of 146 points in three games. It feels like this is the game where the Sooners will get back on track. The Sooners have a chance to turn this season around starting today, but they’re going to have to be a lot better defensively and eliminate the big plays. It’s not an easy task against a much-improved Jayhawk team, though.
The starting quarterback for Kansas will be Jason Bean, who the Sooners know pretty well. Bean was the starter, when the Sooners escaped the Jayhawks in Lawrence last season. The Sooners will have to get pressure on Bean and force him to make mistakes. Offensively, Oklahoma will most likely have Dillon Gabriel back, which changes the perspective of the offense. The Sooners should put up some points in Norman today.
Timothy Bailey
Score: OU 35 – Kansas 21
Oklahoma gets their signal caller back, simplifies some things on defense and covers the 9.5-point spread. Sooners get to the bye week above .500, in time to get healthy for a tough slate on the back half.
Chip Rouse
Score: OU 38 – Kansas 27
As some of you might know, I am a Kansas alum, but I have ALWAYS been an Oklahoma Sooners fan. This is a giant role reversal for OU football, with Kansas coming in as a Top-25 team and the Sooners unranked. The last time the Jayhawks faced Oklahoma as a ranked team was in 2009. No. 25 OU beat No. 24 Kansas 35-13 that year. Oklahoma has a 17-game winning streak over Kansas, including eight straight playing at home. The streak came close to ending last season in Lawrence and it could be threatened again this season, but it won’t come to an end, not this year at least. The Sooners stop the 2022 bleeding with a homecoming win in their new “Unity” uniforms.
Cameron Black
Score: Kansas 28 – OU 24
Look for this game to be a lot closer than either fan base would like it to be. Kansas has been riding high this season, losing its first game last week in a hard fought battle with TCU, and the Jayhawks will be eager to get right back on the horse. But OU finds itself on an embarrassing three-game losing streak (including an absolutely, gut wrenchingly humiliating loss to Texas the week before), but Oklahoma will be back in Norman surrounded by its fan and is chomping at the bit to right the ship. If the Sooners are without starting QB Dillan Gabriel, however, I will be taking Kansas in this game.