[3:30 PM] #18 Oklahoma State @ Kansas State

Who will WIN this matchup?

#18 Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-2)

@ Kansas State Wildcats (5-3)

Current odds:

Oklahoma State Cowboys: (+130)

Kansas State Wildcats: (-150)

• ESPN simulations have Kansas State as 50.4% favorites to win the game.

• 52% of sports bets are currently on Oklahoma State to win as (+125) underdogs.

• The line for this game is Kansas State by 3 points.

• No. 22 Oklahoma State has reeled off four straight wins, and last Saturday’s 37-20 victory over previously unbeaten West Virginia moved it into sole possession of second place in the Big 12. But coach Mike Gundy knows his Cowboys must keep their focus going forward with three of their four remaining games on the road, starting with Saturday’s visit to Kansas State.

• Junior quarterback Mason Rudolph has stepped things up over the last month, throwing for 1,273 yards and 11 touchdowns without an interception, including a 273-yard, three-TD outing against the Mountaineers. Wideouts James Washington (43 receptions-857 yards-six TDs) and Jalen McCleskey (49-602-5) are Rudolph’s top targets, but the ground game has struggled to find consistent traction behind leading rusher Justice Hill (128 carries-619 yards-four scores). Defensively, the Cowboys are allowing 26.5 points and 445.2 total yards per game, and their strength is a formidable defensive line, led by defensive tackle Vincent Taylor (4.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss), that has accounted for 18.5 of the team’s 22 sacks.

• Quarterback Jesse Ertz only has thrown for 1,078 yards and seven touchdowns this season but has emerged as a dangerous running threat, capped by last week’s career-high 106 yards on nine carries against Iowa State. Senior tailback Charles Jones ranks second to Ertz on the team with 439 yards and two TDs on 88 attempts, but Snyder will ride the “hot hand” in games, and against Iowa State, sophomores Justin Silmon (9-54-1) and freshman Alex Barnes (5-37-1) stepped forward to complement Ertz. On the other side of the ball, linebacker Elijah Lee (8.6 tackles per game) and defensive end Jordan Willis (Big 12-most eight sacks) anchor a defense which has been the best in the conference against the run (102.9 yards per game) and is allowing only 21.6 points and 363.5 yards per game.

• The teams have split their last 12 meetings with the home team going 10-2, including Oklahoma State’s 36-34 win last season in Stillwater on a field goal with 32 seconds remaining.

• Kansas State has won six straight home games while this will be only Oklahoma State’s third road contest of the season after losing at Baylor (35-24) and winning at Kansas (44-20).

• Turnovers will be vital as the Cowboys have forced a Big 12-most 19 while the Wildcats have the fewest giveaways in the conference with seven.

StreakSmarts Pick: Kansas State Wildcats

Confidence: 5/10