Brandon Lang
The Pick: My 150 Dime winner is the Oklahoma Sooners
The Line: The current line is -1 at the majority of books in Vegas and offshore as of 9:00 am EST. Be sure to shop around for the best line available.
My Analysis
I am going to trust what my eyes tell me in this one.
Wednesday night I watched a UTEP defense at home get absolutely destroyed by Liberty in a 19-8 final but trust me, it should have been 40-8.
Of their 12 possessions, Liberty scored on 7 of them, turned it over on downs at the UTEP 34 and kicked 4 field goals, 2 of which came inside the Miners 10 yard line.
In a nutshell, UTEP was one of the worst college football teams I have watched in the last 30 years, starting with a clueless head coach, offensive coordinator and QB.
I turned the game off and said to myself, "How the f*** did Texas not beat the shit out of this team????
I knew right then and there, Oklahoma would be my 150 dime release today.
Look at Week 3 at home when the Longhorns struggled only beating them 27-10.
Texas had 13 possessions: They scored on only 5 of them with 5 punts, turned it over on downs twice, kicked 2 field goals and scored 2 touchdowns.
Arch Manning's numbers: 11 of 25 for 114 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 INT.
By contrast, Liberty's junior QB Etan Vasko, sure to be drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft (Noooooot) went 19 of 33 for 243 yards!!!!!!!
I bring all that up to you today to point out this fact: For Texas, at home, to not blow the doors of that Miners team, is a major red flag for me!!!
My conclusion: Texas is one of the most overrated teams in the country, with one of the most overrated QBs in the country solely based on his last name.
His absolutely embarrassing performance against UTEP withstanding, he hasn't fared well so far this year in his first 2 opportunities against good defenses.
Against the #3 defense of Ohio State week one: 17 of 30, 170 yards, 1 TD/1 INT.
Against the #24 defense of Florida last week: 16 of 29, 263 yards, 2 TD/2 INT's.
Today he faces the #1 defense in all of College football, a defense that leads all of college football in sacks. Rest assured, he will be nervous in the pocket.
And with Sooners head coach Brett Veneable calling the defense, it will be a long day for young Mr. Manning.
Does the John Mateer injury scare me? Nope, because he wouldn't be playing if he couldn't throw the football.
And if something does happen to him, I am a fan of back up Michael Hawkins Jr, who brings a different dimension with his mobility.
Oklahoma is the better team. They are the more dominant team. They are the better defensive team and they are the better coached team.
Sooners roll today in the Red River shootout.
