Arizona vs Oklahoma – Breakdown and Prediction

Photo by Charles Baus CSM Sipa USA Photo by Icon Sport

Arizona vs Oklahoma: Valero Alamo Bowl

Arizona and Oklahoma will go against each other on Thursday night at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, in the Valero Alamo Bowl. This is the first meeting between these two teams in a Bowl game.

Arizona regular season breakdown

The Arizona Wildcats finished the regular season third in the Pac-12 with a 9-3 record, and the next season they are moving to the Big 12. The Wildcats closed the regular season with six consecutive wins, their longest winning streak since 1998. They are coming off an impressive 59-23 win over Arizona State, with Noah Fifita throwing for 527 yards. The Wildcats are ranked 17th in the country with 453.6 yards per game and are fourth with 72.3% pass completion.

Oklahoma regular season breakdown

The Oklahoma Sooners finished second in the Big 12 with a 10-2 record. They are going for their 27th 11-win season, the most by any team in the country. Oklahoma closed the season with three consecutive wins after losing two straight against Kansas and Oklahoma State. They are coming off a 69-45 win over TCU, with Dillon Gabriel throwing for 400 yards. Gabriel was expected to declare for the NFL draft, but he decided to move to Oregon instead and will not play for the Sooners in this game. Oklahoma is fifth in the country with 502.6 yards per game and also fifth with 9-5 passing yards per attempt.

Betting Trends

Arizona is 9-3-0 ATS for the season, 6-0-0 ATS as a favorite, 6-2-0 ATS after a win, and 4-1-0 ATS in the last five games.

Player to watch

Freshman QB Jackson Arnold will start for Oklahoma after Dillon Gabriel left. This will be the first start for Aronld who has thrown for only 24 passes all season long. There is no doubt that Arnold is a great prospect and was planned to become a starter next season, but he will get his opportunity earlier than expected.

Injury Report

RB Brandon Johnson is out for the Wildcats while the Sooners will be without RB Marcus Major, TE Kaden Helms, WR Andrel Anthony, DB Jayden Rowe, LB Phil Picciotti and WR D.J. Graham II.

Prediction and Conclusion

Both teams are coming off impressive seasons. This will be Oklahoma’s 27th consecutive Bowl game, while Arizona will be in their first one since 2017. Arizona is entering this game as a 3-point favorite, which is very understandable given the options both coaches have. The Wildcats lost only a couple of important players to the transfer portal, while the Sooners are hit much harder with plenty of them in the portal and a long injury list. There is no doubt that the Sooners will fight and keep the game close, but their limited roster will cost them in the end as the Wildcats will win by covering the spread.

No sweat bet up to $1500

BetMGM

10 no sweat bets up to $1000 total

PointsBet

No sweat bet up to $1000

Caesers

Deposit match up to $250

Thrive

Deposit match up to $100

Underdog Fantasy