Arizona @ Oklahoma St Odds and Predictions – Thursday ESPN College Football Free Picks

Week 2 Free College Football Picks: Arizona Wildcats @ Oklahoma St Cowboys 2011 NCAA Football Vegas Odds, Free Picks, and Expert Predictions 9/8/11: Two of the nation’s best quarterbacks will be on display Thursday night when the Arizona Wildcats travel to Stillwater to face the ninth-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. Both teams are coming off impressive victories in their respective season openers, and there should be no shortage of offense with Arizona’s Nick Foles and Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden throwing the ball all over the field. The wildcats are a 13 ½ point underdog in this matchup, which is actually a rematch of last year’s Alamo Bowl – a game that the Cowboys won going away 36-10.

After the opening weekend, it is tough to find two offenses that are playing any better than these two. The Cowboys beat Louisiana-Lafayette 61-34, totaling a nation-best 666 yards of offense. Weeden threw for 388 yards in the game, and ironically, the only QB that had more was Foles. He threw for 412 yards in a 41-10 win against Northern Arizona, adding five touchdowns. Based on last year’s stats, the outburst from Arizona was far more surprising. However, a more mature Foles could be primed for a breakout season.

The other matchup to watch on offense was going to be Cowboys receiver Justin Blackmon versus Arizona’s receiver Juron Criner. I say was going to be because it was announced that Criner will not make the trip because of an undisclosed illness. The news means that Foles will be without his top target and the PAC-12 leader in receiving yards from a year ago. Meanwhile, Weeden will still have the defending Biletnikoff award winner at his disposal. Blackmon led the nation in both receiving yards and touchdowns a year ago, and he brings a 13-game streak of at least 100 yards receiving into Thursday’s game.

While missing Criner is a major blow for the Wildcats, the bigger issue could be the injuries in the secondary to a starting safety and cornerback. Weeden and company had more than 450 yards through the air last weekend, an injury-depleted secondary is the last thing Arizona needs when matching up against one of the best passing attacks in the nation. If the Cowboys are able to move the ball at will against Arizona’s pass defense, it will force Foles and the offense to be nearly flawless in order to keep up.

Ultimately, the Wildcats could run into the same problem they did in last year’s bowl game. Oklahoma State was able to build an early lead, forcing Arizona to abandon the running game. The Cowboys defense responded by relentlessly rushing Foles, pressuring the pocket and forcing quick throws. Arizona ‘s best chance may be trying to slow down the pace of the game with running backs Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin. Antolin in particular looked strong in the season opener.

Statistically, the odds are against Arizona. The Wildcats have lost 12 straight road games against opponents ranked inside the top 10. Throw in the loss of Criner and the injuries in the secondary, and that 13 ½ point spread doesn’t seem all that comforting for bettors. Foles gives Arizona’s a puncher’s chance, but the well-oiled Cowboys’ offense will have to make a lot of mistakes for an upset to occur. That isn’t likely to happen considering how well Weeden and company have been playing dating back to last season. The Cowboys should be able to overwhelm the Wildcats in this one.

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