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The No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners welcome the Temple Owls to Memorial Stadium Friday for the season-opening game for both programs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Temple vs. Oklahoma odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Temple struggled last season, finishing with a 3-9 record and allowing 35.7 points per game to rank 127th in the nation in defense. Despite a solid offensive effort (371.4 yards per game), turnovers and defensive lapses hurt their chances. Temple’s run defense allowed 198.3 yards per game, while their pass defense gave up 2 43.3 yards per game, leading to 53 TDs allowed. The Owls need to tighten up on both sides of the ball if they hope to improve.
Oklahoma finished 10-3, boasting a high-powered offense that ranked 4th in the nation at 41.7 PPG and 507 YPG. Their passing attack was especially potent, ranking 6th with 324.8 YPG. However, defensive struggles were evident, particularly against the pass, where the Sooners allowed 250.8 YPG and 18 TDs, although they did have 20 interceptions.
– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports
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Temple at Oklahoma odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 6:12 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Off the board
- Against the spread (ATS): Temple +42.5 (-115) | Oklahoma -42.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 57.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Temple at Oklahoma picks and predictions
Prediction
Oklahoma 49, Temple 9
Moneyline
PASS.
No moneyline was offered and you wouldn’t bet it even if there was one, so just look to the spread and/or total.
Against the spread
BET TEMPLE +42.5 (-115).
Temple might not be great this season, but getting +42.5 points in the opener feels too good to ignore. Sure, Oklahoma is loaded with talent, but they’re also dealing with a new QB, fresh faces on the offensive line, and a new coaching staff. Expecting them to dominate right out of the gate is asking a lot. Plus, this is the biggest spread they’ve had since 2021. I’m not rushing to bet on them covering that in Week 1, so I’ll take the points with Temple instead.
Over/Under
BET OVER 57.5 (-110).
Both teams have a solid track record with the Over, hitting it in 6 of their last 10 games. Last season, 8 of the Sooners’ games went over, and their average point total was 2.8 points higher than this game’s over/under. With Oklahoma’s high-powered offense (41.7 PPG) facing Temple’s struggling defense (35.7 PPG), this matchup is primed for a high-scoring affair. The Over looks like a smart play here.
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