Temple vs. Oklahoma Expert Pick and Prediction – August 30, 2024

TEMPLE VS. OKLAHOMA EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTION – August 30, 2024 — On one hand, Oklahoma deserves a bit of credit for at least scheduling someone from the Group of 5 over an FCS team. It would have been so easy for the Sooners to choose a lower-level opponent to open with, and instead they’re playing an actual FBS squad.

However, the Sooners don’t deserve much credit for that. First, they still scheduled an FCS opponent, as they’re playing Maine in November. Second, Temple isn’t a good FBS team by any definition. The Owls are technically a step up from Maine, but they’re not much of one. Over the past three seasons, which has basically been ever since the players recruited by Matt Rhule and Geoff Collins graduated, the Owls have sunk out of sight. Temple has won six games against FBS opponents over the past three seasons.

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Last year, they beat Navy and Akron. Otherwise, South Florida was the only FBS opponent who didn’t beat the Owls by double digits. Temple faced two Power 4 opponents in 2023 and got pounded into dust: Rutgers and Miami outscored the Owls by a combined 77-14.

Oh, and Oklahoma has won 18 straight home openers and covered in 12 of them. In other words: good luck, Temple.

The Odds

Kickoff

When: Friday, August 30 at 7 p.m. EST

Where: Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium, Norman, Okla.

TV: ESPN

Public Bets: Unavailable

Public Money: Unavailable

Odds courtesy of DraftKings, as of August 27th, 2024.

Temple vs. Oklahoma In-Season Trends

In most cases, Oklahoma’s first home game against a pushover gets out of hand in a hurry. Last year, the Sooners humiliated Arkansas State by a 73-0 count. Two years before, the opponent was Western Carolina, and the margin was even worse: 76-0. In three of the past five seasons (the exceptions are the COVID year and the 6-7 team in Brent Venables’ first season), the Sooners hung 70 on an overmatched foe.

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And Temple is certainly capable of allowing some huge numbers. In one four-game stretch last season, the Owls allowed no less than 45 points and didn’t cover any of them. Temple went just 3-9 ATS last season, and experience is a major problem for this team.  

Weather

The storms are supposed to roll out of Oklahoma by Saturday. Unfortunately for the teams, television slotted this game on Friday. And that means there’s about an 80% chance of rain affecting things, and lightning might even cause a weather delay. It’s also going to be pretty hot; temperatures will flirt with 90 degrees.

The Difference-Makers

There’s not a lot coming back for Temple, so it’s hard to find a difference maker. Joquez Smith leads the running backs, and the Temple ground game did improve a little after being a major weakness the past two seasons. With no experience at quarterback, Smith has to lead the attack.

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Gavin Sawchuk is back as Oklahoma’s top runner, and he’ll be critical in helping Jackson Arnold take full command of the quarterback job. Look for Arnold to lean on the ground game early on as he gets his feet wet.

The Pick

This is the kind of opponent Oklahoma needed to build confidence. The rest of the nonconference isn’t very forgiving outside of Maine, with an underrated Tulane and Big 12 opponent Houston on the slate before Tennessee rolls into Norman for the SEC opener.

Temple just doesn’t seem capable of keeping up with the Sooners, and Venables is likely to put the hammer down to try to get his team believing in the breakthrough. Oklahoma should coast.