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Oklahoma football: Five bold bets for No. 16 Sooners at Cincinnati

By Chip Rouse

Sept. 25, 2010; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back DeMarco Murray (7) looks to get around Cincinnati Bearcats cornerback Camerron Cheatham (21) during the third quarter at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Sept. 25, 2010; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back DeMarco Murray (7) looks to get around Cincinnati Bearcats cornerback Camerron Cheatham (21) during the third quarter at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /
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Most Oklahoma football fans recognize that the real season for the Sooners begins this weekend in a true road game against Big 12 newcomer Cincinnati.

The Sooners have rolled through three nonconference opponents by the combined score of 167-28, but this is when the competition jumps up appreciably. On the road against a good opponent, and an early 11 a.m. kick to boot, should give us a much better picture of what Oklahoma is truly all about this season.

September has historically been a winning month for the Sooners. Oklahoma is 74-10 in September since the start of the 1999 season and has gone 3-0 18 times out of the 24 seasons over that span.

Something to keep in mind looking ahead to Saturday’s game: OU is 86-7 when scoring at least 35 points in a game (the Sooners are averaging 55.7 so far this season) and has won 85 of its last 86 games when it holds the opponent to 23 or fewer points.

Here are five bold bets for Week 4 at Cincinnati:

Bombs away. Dillon Gabriel throws at least three touchdown passes and for over 300 yards, something he has done 18 times in 41 career games. Cincinnati is limiting opponents to under 200 yards through three games this season.

WR Andrel Anthony makes at least one touchdown catch and two catches of more than 40 yards.

Slow sledding in the trenches. The OU front seven limits Cincinnati’s 8th-ranked run game to fewer than 150 yards. The Bearcats are averaging 239 rushing yards per contest.

Sooners win turnover battle. Oklahoma adds to its top five-ranked +6 turnover margin with an interception and a fumble recovery against the Bearcats.

OU’s climb in national rankings continues. This will be a battle, but the Sooners ultimately come out of it with a win to go 4-0 on the season. Because of several huge matchups in college football this weekend, there will be more movement in the national rankings, and Oklahoma will reap some of the reward, advancing another two spots in the rankings.

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