No. 14 Oklahoma heads north to Ames to take on Iowa State in a rare Thursday night appearance for the Sooners. Oklahoma hasn’t played on a weeknight since 2013, and while the time and place may make this game seem prime for a trap, the Sooners should be able to take care of this one relatively easily.
Oklahoma vs. Iowa State 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
Can Iowa State pull off another memorable home upset or is Oklahoma set to cruise?
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
After losing two of its first three games this season, Oklahoma has reeled off five wins in a row. The offense has scored at least 38 points in each of those five wins, and has gone over 50 points in three of them. It's no coincidence that this streak has coincided with better play from quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has linked up early and often with Dede Westbrook to form one of the most explosive quarterback-wide receiver tandems in the country.
The question for Iowa State: How can it slow down Oklahoma’s offense enough to stay with them? At 1-7 on the year, basically nothing has worked in what’s looking like a Year Zero for new head coach Matt Campbell. The offense has not been good. The defense has been even worse, ranking 107th in Defensive S&P+. The Cyclones will need a whole lot of weird things to happen in order to pull off this upset, but hey, it is in Ames.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Radio: Oklahoma | Iowa State
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Oklahoma is favored by 20.5 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Crimson and Cream Machine for Oklahoma fans and Wide Right & Natty Lite for Iowa State fans.
Three big things to know
1. This is a mismatch in nearly every sense of the word in favor of Oklahoma. The Sooners have won 17 straight over the Cyclones, and have the more talented team across the board. They’re the No. 11 rated team in terms of S&P+ versus Iowa State at No. 95.
2. With Samaje Perine hurt and Joe Mixon suspended, Oklahoma is thin at running back. It still has Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook, but players like Abdul Adams and Devin Montgomery are going to get much more work than they're used to. For Iowa State to have a chance, it needs to bottle up Oklahoma's inexperienced backs and hope that Mayfield is misfiring in the passing game.
3. Above all, Oklahoma needs to avoid things getting weird in Ames. The Cyclones have been known to drag down a ranked foe when they come north for a night game, and this is weird timing for an Oklahoma team not accustomed to playing on Thursday night.
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