- Date: Saturday, Dec. 19
- TV-Time: ABC, 11:00 p.m. Central
- Location: AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas
Oklahoma finds itself in a familiar place on Saturday when it takes the field at AT&T Stadium. The Sooners are gunning for a sixth-consecutive conference title by securing a fourth-consecutive championship game victory. Meanwhile, Iowa State is making its first ever conference championship game appearance.
I get that trends and history against the spread play a factor in prognosticating wins and losses but I can’t help but think that the number of appearances on the biggest stage the Big 12 has to offer may be the biggest factor here. All that said, this is a fun list of historical notes and trends for both teams ahead of the game.
History
— Since returning in 2017, after a six-year break, Oklahoma has played in all three finals and it has won all three Big 12 Championships since the game returned.
— Oklahoma has gone 2-1 against the spread in this span. Last season’s championship game was the only time in that stretch they didn’t cover – Sooners held off Baylor in overtime, 30-23 as 9 ½-point favorites.
— Including the aforementioned three appearances and wins, this will be the 11th overall appearance in the Big 12 title game for Oklahoma.
Opening Odds: Oklahoma -6, Total 58 ½
Notes & Trends
— Iowa State (+7 ½) defeated Oklahoma on October 3 in Ames, 37-30. The game went over the total of 62.5 to mark the fourth straight over in an OU/ISU matchup. The Cyclones have covered in five consecutive meetings with Oklahoma dating back to 2016.
— After starting the season at 0-2 in the Big 12, Oklahoma rebounded for six consecutive wins to reach the conference title game, while covering five times in this span. The defense was shredded in the first three Big 12 games by allowing 38, 37, and 45 points against Texas in a quadruple-overtime win, but OU limited opponents to 14 points or fewer in four of the last five games.
— The Cyclones were surprised by Louisiana in the season opener as 13 ½-point favorites, 31-14, but stormed back to win eight of nine conference games. The only loss for Iowa State came in a 24-21 defeat at Oklahoma State, but ISU went 6-3 against the spread in Big 12 games.
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