Oklahoma
Cincinnati vs. Oklahoma State Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for College Football Week 8
Two teams on opposite sides of the spectrum in the Big 12 are set to face off at Boone Pickens Stadium in Week 8 of this year’s college football season. No. 24 Cincinnati will hit the road to visit struggling Oklahoma State on Saturday as a massive 21.5-point road favorite.
The Bearcats are a perfect 3-0 in conference play and have only lost to No. 25 Nebraska this season. The Cowboys, on the other hand, are 0-3 in conference play and 1-5 overall this season. They had a tough time against Houston without their starting quarterback last week and could have a similar problem on Saturday.
Here’s our full betting preview ahead of kickoff.
Spread
Moneyline
Total: 57.5 (Over -115/Under -105)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Cincinnati
Brendan Sorsby: Sorsby has been productive and taken care of the ball at a high level this season. Cincinnati’s quarterback has totaled 14 passing touchdowns with just one interception. He also leads the Bearcats in rushing touchdowns with five. Sorsby’s fingerprints are bound to be all over this game and he’ll likely affect its outcome through the air and on the ground.
Oklahoma State
Rodney Fields Jr.: The Cowboys don’t have a ton going for them on offense, but Fields is doing his best to make a difference. The Oklahoma State running back leads his team in rushing yards with 257 on 55 carries. He’s also the Cowboys’ second most productive pass catcher with 16 receptions for 188 yards and a score. Quarterback Zane Flores is questionable for Saturday, so Oklahoma State could have to lean on Fields in this matchup.
The best betting angle for this game appears to be banking on Cincinnati to cover, as the Bearcats have run the table since falling short in their season opener, while the Cowboys have been one of the nation’s worst teams against the spread in 2025.
Cincinnati is 4-2 against the spread this season and covered in both of the games it’s played away from home. Oklahoma State is 1-5 against the spread overall and lost by 22 in Week 7 as a 14.5-point underdog after being forced to deploy backup quarterback Sam Jackson V in the place of Flores.
The Cowboys aren’t competitive with their preferred starter at quarterback and are worse off without him.
PICK: Cincinnati -21.5 (-115 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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On Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET, Isaiah Sategna and the Oklahoma Sooners (5-1) will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks (3-3).
Oklahoma has the 65th-ranked offense this year (29.2 points per game), and has been better on defense, ranking second-best with just 9.8 points allowed per game. With 22.3 points per game on offense, South Carolina ranks 104th in the FBS. On defense, it ranks 32nd, allowing 19.0 points per game.
We dive into all of the details you need before this contest starts below, including how to watch on SEC Network.
Check out: US LBM Coaches Poll powered by USA Today sports
Watch Oklahoma vs. South Carolina on Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply)
Oklahoma vs South Carolina: Live streaming info, TV channel & game time
- Game day: Saturday, October 18, 2025
- Game time: 12:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Columbia, South Carolina
- Stadium: Williams-Brice Stadium
- TV channel: SEC Network
- Live stream: Watch LIVE with Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply)
Oklahoma vs South Carolina betting lines
College football odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 2:10 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
- Spread Favorite: Oklahoma (-5.5)
- Moneyline: Oklahoma (-220), South Carolina (+180)
- Total: 43.5 points
Watch Oklahoma vs. South Carolina on Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply)
Follow the latest college sports coverage at College Sports Wire.
The new superintendent of public schools in Oklahoma announced on Wednesday that he is scrapping a mandate imposed by his predecessor that forces schools to place Bibles in classrooms and incorporate Scripture into students’ lesson plans.
Why It Matters
The issue of Bibles in classrooms in Oklahoma has stirred national debate on the role of religion in public education and religious freedom. The decision by new state Superintendent of Public Instruction Lindel Fields to revoke the order represents a victory for supporters of secular public education.
The previous superintendent who imposed the mandate, Ryan Walters, drew condemnation from civil rights groups and triggered a lawsuit from a group of parents, teachers and religious leaders that is still before the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
What To Know
“We…have no plans to distribute Bibles or Biblical character education curriculum in classrooms,” Fields said in a statement on Wednesday.
Fields’ predecessor, Walters, is a conservative Republican and staunch supporter of President Donald Trump who campaigned against what he saw as “woke” ideology and the influence of teachers’ unions in schools. He resigned at the end of last month to join a nonprofit with a focus on education.
In November, less than two weeks after Trump’s election victory, Walters announced that Oklahoma would be the first state in the nation to purchase more than 500 Bibles to be put into classrooms for students in fifth through 12th grades.
A group of Oklahoma parents, teachers and religious leaders challenged the mandate in the courts, arguing that it was unconstitutional, due to forcing Christian beliefs on public school students.
The groups that challenged Walters’ mandate in the courts, including Americans United, the American Civil Liberties Union Oklahoma, Freedom From Religion Foundation and Oklahoma Appleseed, welcomed Fields’ announcement.
“The attempts to promote religion in the classroom and the abuses of power that the Oklahoma State Department of Education engaged in under Walters’ tenure should never happen in Oklahoma or anywhere in the United States again,” they said in a joint statement.
Walters stirred more controversy shortly before resigning, with a plan to open a chapter of Turning Point USA—the conservative student organization co-founded by assassinated group CEO Charlie Kirk—in Oklahoma in every high school to resist “radical leftists … (who) push woke indoctrination.”
What People Are Saying
The groups opposed to Walters’ mandate, in their statement: “The promise of separation of church and state guaranteed by the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions means that families and students – not politicians – get to decide when and how to engage with religion.”
Walters, in a post to X: “I could not be more disappointed in the decision to move away from empowering our teachers in Oklahoma to use a foundational document like the Bible in the classroom. The war on Christianity is real.”
What Happens Next
The debate over the place of religion in public educational institutions will likely continue in several states across the U.S.
NORMAN — Oklahoma hopes to feature a new weapon in the back half of the regular season.
Receiver Javonnie Gibson drew rave reviews from OU’s coaches and players alike during spring football, but a leg injury cost him the entire summer and the first four games of 2025.
The 6-foot-2 pass catcher played against both Kent State and Texas, and the Sooners are looking forward to getting him fully involved in the offense.
“I think it’s tremendously important. When he was at his best this spring, man, he was tough to handle,” OU coach Brent Venables said on Tuesday. “And again, his size, his catch radius, his instincts for the game, route running ability, his physicality in blocking and covering people up. He wasn’t ever covered.”
Gibson played 23 snaps on offense against Kent State, per Pro Football Focus, and he was on the field for 33 snaps in the Sooners’ 23-6 defeat to Texas.
He’s made two catches for 22 yards in those two contests, and quarterback John Mateer can’t wait to feed him more targets in OU’s final six regular-season games.
“He’s a huge presence,” Mateer said on Monday. “He’s a great dude, just like (Keontez Lewis), but he’s a presence—a physical presence. Huge. We’ll give him a lot of opportunities, and getting the ball in his hand is something we need to do.”
Last year, Gibson enjoyed a breakout season at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
He caught 70 passes for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns, including a season-long reception of 60 yards.
Gibson felt like he got acclimated to the size and speed of SEC defenders quickly when he arrived in Norman, and he physically feels back to the levels he was at before his injury in spring practice.
“Yeah, pretty much. I feel like I just got to keep working, too, at the same time,” Gibson said. “I feel like I’m back where I was, just contributing to the team. That’s the main thing.”
Oklahoma needs Gibson to enjoy a big second half of the season, too.
The Sooners are struggling to run the ball. Following the performance against the Longhorns, OU ranks 105th in rushing yards per game.
Four SEC teams — OU, Alabama, South Carolina and LSU — rank in the bottom 40 nationally in rushing yards per game, but the Sooners may need to pivot and put the ball in Mateer’s hands more frequently.
That would give Gibson even more chances to make an impact for the Sooners, a role Venables believes the junior receiver is more than capable of playing in 2025.
“He was always open last spring before he got hurt,” Venables said. “You don’t have many guys that are like that. So when you have one — and again, I think the progression’s been right on time under the circumstances.
“He played a few more snaps this week than he did the week before, and we’ll continue to progress.”
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