Oklahoma State With Fifth-Best Odds To Win Big 12

We’re into the time of the year where all the preseason odds are starting to come out about the upcoming 2021 season. Less than a few weeks back, Oklahoma State was tabbed fourth in the Big 12 preseason media poll.

Now, according to SuperSports Book, the Pokes have the fifth best odds of winning the Big 12 in the 2021 season.

Jim Knowles returns nearly every starter off last year’s defense this year and has a chance of putting another stellar defense out onto the field. The secondary is one of the best in the country with safeties Kolby Harvell-Peel, Tre Sterling and Tanner McCalister and cornerbacks Christian Holmes, Thomas Harper, Jarrick Bernard-Converse and others.

Jim Knowles also returns nearly every defensive lineman and linebacker. They’re led by edge rusher Trace Ford, Israel Antwine, Tyler Lacy, Samuela Tuihalamaka, Jayden Jernigan, Brendon Evers, Malcolm Rodriguez and Devin Harper among others.

However, this season will depend on how good the offense can be. Losing some really good pieces off the 2020 squad, Tylan Wallace, Dillon Stoner, Chuba Hubbard and Teven Jenkins.

The receiver corps will need someone to step up and fill the role of Wallace. Will that be Brennan Presley or Tay Martin, or possibly Braydon Johnson or Langston Anderson if he can stay healthy?

The running backs look to be solid with LD Brown, Dezmon Jackson, Dominic Richardson and Jaylen Warren leading the way.

Kasey Dunn is going to need some guys to step up in 2021, starting with the offensive line and starting quarterback Spencer Sanders.

The o-line was decimated with injuries this past season, so there was a lot of musical chairs and patchwork done by playing guys who just weren’t ready yet. However, Charlie Dickey returns redshirt senior guard Josh Sills and brought in a talented center in Danny Godlevsky. The young guys are also more ready as they’ve had another year in the weight room and quite a bit of experience from last season.

Spencer is coming off another season where he spent some time injured, but from reports out of the West End Zone, is also coming off the best spring he’s had in Stillwater. His footwork and pre-snap reads have improved under Tim Rattay, as has his pocket awareness.

We’ll all learn just how improved he is this fall during the first three non-conference games, as well as the first two games of the Big 12 schedule.