By MICHAEL PETERS Sports Editor on Aug 1, 2012, at 7:08 PM Updated on 8/01 at 7:08 PM
THE EDITOR'S DESK
Former University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford has partnered with the city of St. Louis to collect supplies for victims ...
Sports figures and teams from near and far are pitching in to help those impacted by the tornadoes in Oklahoma on Sunday ...
Sports teams throughout the Tulsa area are finding ways big and small to help the Moore tornado relief effort.
John ...
Eric Bailey has an interesting blog on the initial line for Oklahoma's season-opening football game against Texas-El Paso.
(Check it out here).
The Sooners are currently 30-point favorites according to lines posted at
VegasInsider.com.
OU is involved in one of three Big 12-Conference USA games on the opening weekend. Baylor is listed as a 16-point favorite in its season opener Sept. 2 against SMU.
That brings us to Tulsa vs. Iowa State. The Cyclones were a six-win team in 2011 for just the second time since 2005, they played in their first bowl game since 2009 and beat Oklahoma State. Iowa State returns 13 starters and is led by everybody's favorite overly enthusiastic coach Paul Rhoads.
And the Cyclones open as two-point home underdogs to the Golden Hurricane.
That line raised more than a few eyebrows in the office. Are the oddsmakers way off, or is this the ultimate sucker bet?
It's most certainly the perfect kind of opportunity for the Tulsa football program -- a winnable game against a BCS conference opponent.
Tulsa has been to seven bowl games in the last nine years (a fact that's hard to miss in this year's media guide) and also returns 13 starters.
Last season was a strong debut for new coach Bill Blankenship, with BYU the only loss of the season you could really categorize as a disappointment.
Tulsa has a new quarterback, but it also has the kind of schedule that gives it a chance for 10 wins.
Given those factors, this season could tell a lot about the tenure of Blankenship. And if the oddsmakers are right, the Iowa State game could be the perfect jumping off point.
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