Sam Avellone
Whenever the Big Ten and the SEC meet on the gridiron, it’s a big deal. As the 2 best leagues in college football, these non-conference matchups carry significant weight, especially when it comes to the College Football Playoff race. This week’s matchup between Michigan and Oklahoma should be no different; all eyes will be on Norman when the Wolverines and the Sooners square off under the lights at the Palace on the Prairie.
How will John Mateer look in this OU offense against a Big Ten defense? How will freshman Bryce Underwood handle his first road start at the collegiate level? These are questions we will be able to answer on Saturday night.
Given the magnitude of this game, I’ve assembled a Michigan vs Oklahoma same game parlay consisting of my best bets across multiple markets. Let’s break down each leg.
Oklahoma 1H ML (-185)
Over 44.5 (-115)
John Mateer (OU) 33+ rushing yards (-124)
Michigan vs Oklahoma same game parlay odds: +294
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Utilize their 33% Michigan-Oklahoma profit boost to get this parlay at +391 odds.
Oklahoma Sooners 1H ML over Michigan Wolverines (-185)
Playing on the road is never easy in college football, but it doesn’t get much more difficult than going to a place like Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for your first ever road start as a college quarterback. Just ask Arch Manning how his first road trip went last week. Needless to say, Bryce Underwood will feel the pressure of the Sooner faithful under the lights in Norman on Saturday, but that’s not where it ends. He’s going to feel the pressure from Brent Venables’ aggressive Oklahoma defense on the field as well.
Venables has been known to have success against first-year quarterbacks, and it makes sense given his blitz-heavy, complex defensive schemes. This year should be much of the same, as Oklahoma retained a majority of its production from a unit that was top 30 nationally in scoring, top 20 in total defense, and top 40 in havoc generated outside of garbage time. Without having seen Underwood against a defense of this level, I have to give the edge to the home defense early in this game.
On the other side of the ball, Michigan will be without starting linebacker Jaishawn Barham in the first half due to a second-half targeting penalty in Week 1. The call itself was questionable, but Michigan’s appeal was denied, so the Wolverines will be without one of their defensive leaders early in this matchup. Barham was top 5 on the team in quarterback hurries last year, but he’s excellent as a run defender in the middle of this defense. His early absence should give Mateer and the Sooner offense some breathing room.
Michigan Wolverines vs Oklahoma Sooners Over 44.5 (-115)
Given the line movement throughout the week on this total, bettors expect this to be a low-scoring affair. It makes sense, as both teams have very strong defenses with quarterbacks that are unproven at the power conference level. However, both of these quarterbacks are also supremely talented and provide instant upgrades over what their respective teams had under center last year. Moreover, both teams have new offensive coordinators that are known for leading high-scoring offenses throughout their careers. I’m going against the line move and taking the over in this one, as I feel the vanilla Week 1 offensive game plans from Michigan and Oklahoma caused a slight overreaction in the market.
Find our full Michigan vs Oklahoma prediction in this massive ranked matchup
John Mateer (OU) 33+ rushing yards (-124)
Part of what makes Mateer so dangerous and such a popular Heisman pick is his ability to create as a runner in addition to excelling as a passer. For reference, he gained more than 800 rushing yards last year, averaging north of 4.5 yards per attempt while scoring 15 rushing touchdowns. The Sooners are going to need that production on Saturday against Wink Martindale’s pressure-heavy packages, especially with an offensive line that needs to improve after finishing outside the top 90 in rush and pass blocking last year according to PFF. Look for Mateer to evade Martindale’s pressure with his legs and surpass this number even if he takes a couple sacks along the way.
