HCS Roundtable: Big 12 Week 2 Locks of the Week
Last week was one heck of a start to the 2022 season for the Big 12 as the conference started 9-1 for the year straight up and 8-2 against the spread.
This week, things get a bit tougher as there are several big-time matchups in the Big 12 this week, with Texas-Alabama, Texas Tech-Houston, and Baylor-BYU to name a few. It should be a fun weekend to bet some games in the conference.
Here are the Heartland College Sports staff Locks of the Week for Week 2.
Pete Mundo
Game: Oklahoma State (-11) vs. Arizona State
Oklahoma State hosts Arizona State in Stillwater on Saturday night. The weaknesses for Arizona State are the offensive line and wide receiver. That’s the worst possible combo against an OSU team that has a strong defensive line and if there is a weakness for the Pokes right now, it’s in the secondary. This means its unlikely the Sun Devils will be able to take advantage of the Oklahoma State secondary. Also of note, Spencer Sanders could have a field day against an ASU secondary that is replacing four players in the secondary.
Plus, I think Mike Gundy sees value in sticking it to a Pac-12 team right now given the drama between the two conferences.
Lock: Oklahoma State (-11)
Bryan Clinton
Game: Oklahoma State (-11) vs. Arizona State
Mike Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys will play host to Herm Edwards and the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday night in Stillwater. The Pokes are the better team on paper, and their offensive showing last week suggests that they might have the firepower to pull away in this one. Plus, I’m not convinced that the defensive performance that we saw from Derek Mason’s group was indicative of what they are capable of. Jayden Daniels is a dynamic play-maker for the Sun Devils, but he will be running for his life most of the game with OSU’s defensive front having a distinct advantage in this contest.
Oklahoma State scores a bunch, and the defense holds ASU enough times to cover comfortably.
Lock: Oklahoma State (-11)
Matthew Postins
Game: Kent State at Oklahoma (-32)
Kent State lost by 25 to Washington last week. The Golden Flashes are a quality Mid-American Conference program. But this is a paycheck game for them. For the Sooners, it’s a tune-up for Nebraska next week and Big 12 play after that. I suspect that if you’re looking for a bet that won’t disappoint you, this is the one, despite the width of the spread.
(Disclaimer: I’m not a gambler in real life but I’m asked to be an expert on a weekly basis for some reason)
Lock: Oklahoma (-32)
Derek Duke
Game: Kansas at West Virginia (-13.5)
I know the season didn’t start with a win but for those people were didn’t believe in West Virginia this year should have came away from the Backyard Brawl impressed with the Mountaineers. They good enough on defense to win games and JT Daniels showed that he is a big upgrade to the offense. The only problem is he needs a little help from his offensive line and receivers catching the football. Now they open up conference play against Kansas and while the Jayhawks may be improved, they aren’t where they need to be. West Virginia will come out hungry and keep in mind that this game will be in Morgantown this weekend.
Lock: West Virginia (-13.5)
