Oklahoma-Kansas: Our Picks
John Hoover
If Dillon Gabriel doesn’t play, expect Jeff Lebby to try a lot of wildcat stuff again, and it might work to an extent against a soft Kansas defense. But it also prevents the Sooners from throwing the football — and no team in 2022, outside of the service academies, can do that with any sustained success. Gabriel is the key. If he does play, Oklahoma can and probably will win this game. The Sooners were installed as a 7-point favorite by Las Vegas oddsmakers, and they were bet up to a 9-point favorite as of Thursday night. That’s a curious line, but it means something. The Oklahoma defense will be taxed by a talented, dynamic and explosive KU offense. But improvements are on the way. Expect more of the four-man defensive front, and less of the three-man. Expect improved linebacker play to contribute to slowing down the Kansas ground game. And the secondary — even with Billy Bowman out, Woodi Washington at safety and D.J. Graham at wide receiver — can’t possibly be worse. Can it?
Final score: Oklahoma 44, Kansas 40
Ryan Chapman
The Sooners appear to be getting starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel back this week, and the offense should get a jolt as a result. Even when Gabriel was misfiring in Fort Worth, the Oklahoma offense at least moved the football. On the other side of the ball, OU’s defense is staring down the barrel of a bad matchup. Kansas is averaging 215.2 yards per game on the ground this season, and will have no fear running straight at a Brent Venables defense that has allowed 310.6 rushing yards per game over the past three weeks. Backup quarterback Jason Bean is a talented runner, and it’ll be tough sledding for the Sooners to put the brakes on an efficient rushing attack this weekend.
Final score: Kansas 34, Oklahoma 31
Josh Callaway
Oklahoma is a different team when Dillon Gabriel plays. Assuming the Sooners' QB1 is back into the fold, the expectation has to be that Jeff Lebby's offense finds at least some semblance of a groove again. In the four games that Gabriel started and finished, Oklahoma averaged over 40 points per game. While it may feel like forever ago, the reality is that the Sooners have a legitimately good offense when Gabriel is under center. That being said, Gabriel isn't going to magically fix all of the team's problems. Having him back will certainly provide some relief for an OU defense that has played very poorly the last few weeks, but it isn't the magic wand to make things better automatically, either. Kansas' Jason Bean can sling it around the yard, and there isn't much reason to think he won't have success on Saturday if the Sooners can't find a way to muster a pass rush that has completely evaded them the last few weeks. But, in the end, the return of Gabriel helps the Oklahoma offense do enough to survive the Jayhawks at home and get back in the win column on homecoming.
Final score: Oklahoma 38, Kansas 34
Ross Lovelace
The Sooners are desperate and this has turned into a massive game. If Oklahoma loses on Saturday, a bowl game starts to get murky. If Dillon Gabriel returns, the Sooners’ offense should be in much better shape than against Texas. Even though Gabriel missed quite a few throws early against TCU, he’s clearly the best option Oklahoma has and is capable of creating big plays. Kansas’ starting quarterback Jalon Daniels was injured last week and seems to be trending towards out this week. Even though Jason Bean is a gamer, Daniels is one of the most talented quarterbacks the Jayhawks have had in a very long time. The Kansas offense is still a force to be reckoned with, though, and a 5-1 record is very impressive. If the Sooners can move the ball and get the crowd into it, they’ll have a good chance.
Final score: Oklahoma 34, Kansas 31
