Oklahoma State Opens as Underdogs in Texas Bowl to Texas A&M
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Oklahoma State is still searching for its 10th win, and it may have an uphill battle in Houston.
On Sunday, OSU found out it was headed to the Texas Bowl later this month for a matchup with Texas A&M. This will be only the second meeting between the teams since A&M left the Big 12 after the 2011 season.
That matchup also came in the Texas Bowl in 2019, where the Aggies narrowly beat the Cowboys 24-21. Oddsmakers expect a similar result in the 2023 edition, as the Aggies open as 3.5-point favorites.
However, this game is expected to be a higher-scoring affair than the previous as the over-under is set at 53.5. While OSU finished 9-4 and played for a conference title, being an underdog is familiar territory for Mike Gundy’s group.
The Cowboys enter their bowl game 4-2 outright as an underdog this season, including a stretch of four-straight wins as underdogs during their five-game winning streak. That stretch of games also cemented Ollie Gordon as the heart and soul of the Cowboys’ offense.
Gordon is the nation’s leading rusher, with 1,614 yards on the ground to go with 20 touchdowns. That includes a five-touchdown performance against BYU to end the regular season and punch OSU’s ticket to the Big 12 Championship.
Although Gordon could not lead OSU over a heavily favored Texas team, he played a critical role in one of the most impressive in-season turnarounds in OSU history. That turnaround will have a final bout on Dec. 27 against a 7-5 A&M team.
Despite being favorites, A&M will be looking to get its first win against a ranked opponent in the Texas Bowl, losing its other four matchups with top-25 teams this season. Those games marked A&M’s four losses in its final seven games as it stumbled to finish the regular season.
The Texas Bowl will also be the third consecutive bowl game where OSU faces a team with a different head coach than it had to begin the season. Whether that comes into play remains to be seen, but it could aid OSU in getting its second 10-win season in three years.
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