The college bowl season continues on Thursday evening as two historic powerhouses in Florida State and Oklahoma face off against one another in the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando, Florida on December 29th at 5:30 PM EST on ESPN.
ARE YOU FEELIN’ THE CHEEZIEST?
The Florida State Seminoles are one of the hottest teams in the country. They are currently on a five-game winning streak and are looking to achieve a 10-win season for the first time since 2016. Florida State looks to be catching its stride at the right time as most of its players (if not all) will be partaking in the contest. However, the Oklahoma Sooners are in a completely different scenario where they started the 2022 season with a 3-0 record, but have lost six of their last nine games to limp into postseason play under first-year head coach Brent Venables. The Sooners will be without their starting running back Eric Gray (1,366 yards and 11 touchdowns), starting left tackle Anton Harrison (72.6 PFF grade), starting right tackle Wanya Morris (76.6 PFF grade) and starting defensive tackle Jalen Redmond (23 total tackles and 4 sacks). All of them will be opting out of the bowl game.
STATISTICS TO MONITOR
-Total Offense:
•FSU- 475.7 (12th in the FBS)
•OKLA- 472.2 (18th in the FBS)
-Passing Yards Per Game:
•FSU- 257.8 (40th in the FBS)
•OKLA- 255.6 (42nd in the FBS)
-Rushing Yards Per Game:
•FSU- 217.8 (12th in the FBS)
•OKLA- 216.6 (13th in the FBS)
-Offensive Third Down Conversion Rate:
•FSU- 51.9% (3rd in the FBS)
•OKLA- 39.9% (58th in the FBS)
-Sacks Allowed Per Game:
•FSU- 1.50 (34th in the FBS)
•OKLA- 2.08 (67th in the FBS)
-Red Zone Offensive Conversion Rate:
•FSU- 83.6% (68th in the FBS)
•OKLA- 84.4% (64th in the FBS)
-Total Defense:
•FSU- 307.2 (13th in the FBS)
•OKLA- 453.3 (122nd in the FBS)
-Passing Yards Allowed Per Game:
•FSU- 158.9 (2nd in the FBS)
•OKLA- 264.3 (111th in the FBS)
-Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game:
•FSU- 148.3 (62nd in the FBS)
•OKLA- 189.0 (108th in the FBS)
-Defensive Third Down Conversion Rate:
•FSU- 33.7% (27th in the FBS)
•OKLA- 40.3% (86th in the FBS)
-Total Sacks Per Game:
•FSU- 2.83 (20th in the FBS)
•OKLA- 2.17 (62nd in the FBS)
-Red Zone Defensive Stoppage Rate:
•FSU- 83.3% (63rd in the FBS)
•OKLA- 84.9% (82nd in the FBS)
(Statistics were collected from https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs)
IMPACT PLAYERS
FSU
-QB Jordan Travis
-RB Trey Benson
-DE Jared Verse
OKLA
-QB Dillon Gabriel
-WR Marvin Mims Jr.
-LB Danny Stutsman
BETTING LINES
Florida State is currently a 10-point favorite over Oklahoma with an over/under of 66.5 points, according to Bovada. The Seminoles have an 8-4 record against the spread this season while the Sooners have a 4-8 record against the spread.
Oklahoma leads the head-to-head series against Florida State 6-1. The Seminoles’ lone win against the Sooners came on January 2, 1965, in the Gator Bowl as Florida State defeated Oklahoma by a score of 36-19.
GAME PREDICTION
Florida State’s offense prides itself on running the football at an effective rate. Unfortunately, the Sooners possess an 0-5 record this season when allowing 200+ rushing yards or more. Expect that trend to continue as the Seminoles will rely on the rushing attack of Trey Benson, Treshaun Ward, and Lawrance Toafili.
FSU 34, OKLA 20
Want to bet on this game? Check out Bovada. Our friends at Bovada want to give you a $750 Welcome Bonus when you sign up using our link (Click Anywhere). Happy betting season, and let us know when you WIN!
