No. 9 Oklahoma Favored by 5 Over No. 13 Georgia at Home

Sports Betting News - September 5th, 2009 - Written by Scott

Saturday afternoon will showcase a great matchup between two ranked teams with No. 13 Georgia playing at No. 9 Oklahoma State.  However, they will not be shaking hands before the game, partly in light of Thursday night's aftermath between Boise state and Oregon. The Cowboys come into the 2009 season with their highest preseason ranking in school history.  Georgia comes into the game wondering what their offense will look like without quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno.  Both of these starters were drafted in the first round of last year's draft. The Bulldogs will find out quickly if they will be able to produce offensively without their departed stars.  Oklahoma State has won 15 straight non conference games at Boone Pickens Stadium and will look to continue this streak on Saturday.  Under head coach Mark Richt, the Bulldogs are 10-2 in road games against ranked teams.  Georgia won their last meeting in 2007 35-14.

For Georgia, this begins a season where they will face three tough non conference opponents, beginning with Oklahoma State on Saturday.  Key losses on the offensive side will need to be replaced to get them through a grueling 2009 schedule, which also include non conference games with Arizona State and Georgia Tech.  Senior Joe Cox will take over for the departed Stafford.  In very limited duty last year, Cox completed 11 passes for 151 yards.  The Bulldogs, however, do seem to be solid on the offensive line with eight players returning with starting experience.   Defensively, they should be stiff.  If they can improve from last year by getting more pressure on the quarterback, they should be fine.

The advantage offensively should go to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys bring an exciting and balanced offense into the 2009 season.  They rushed and passed for over 3,000 last season. Three of their main playmakers returning from last season, which include quarterback Zac Robinson (25 TD passes), Kendall Hunter (1,626 rushing yards), and (Dez Bryant 1,480 receiving yards, 19 TD).  It will be interesting to see if Georgia will be able to contain their potent offense.  Defensively, they are anchored by three senior linebackers.  It looks as though they will try to put as much pressure as possible on the first year starting quarterback for the Bulldogs. Georgia quarterback Cox will try to stay away from throwing near corner back Perrish Cox, who is always a threat after interceptions. 

According to DSI Sportsbook, Georgia is coming into the game as 5 point underdogs to Oklahoma State with a payout of -110. The favorite, Oklahoma State has a payout of -110 also. The over/under for this matchup at 62.

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