The Central Arkansas Bears and Oklahoma State Cowboys meet Saturday in week 1 college football action at Boone Pickens Stadium. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

Central Arkansas Bears Betting Preview

Central Arkansas is coming off a 5-win season and enters the sixth year under coach Nathan Brown. Central Arkansas brings back the same coordinators from last year as well. Will McElvain returns at quarterback after throwing for 2,500 yards and 18 touchdowns. Darius Hall is back after rushing for over 900 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Jarrod Barnes and Kylin James are a returning receiving duo that combined for nearly 1,300 yards and 8 touchdowns. Defensively, TaMuarion Wilson returns after leading Central Arkansas with 104 tackles, David Walker had 12 sacks and Camero Godfrey had 3 interceptions. Central Arkansas returns nearly every productive player from a year ago, so there’s no reason why this team can’t build on last year’s efforts. This is a great test for Central Arkansas to see just how well it stacks up against a quality program.

Oklahoma State Cowboys Betting Preview

Oklahoma State is coming off a 7-win season and has won no less than 7 games in each of the last 17 seasons. Mike Gundy is back for his 19th season, and he’ll have a new defensive coordinator in Bryan Nardo. Texas Tech and Michigan transfer Alan Bowman is likely the new quarterback, a guy with 5,300 career passing yards and 34 touchdowns. Ollie Gordon II should get more carries after averaging 5 yards per touch, while Brennan Presley is back after leading OK State with 813 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively, Xavier Benson is back after 76 tackles, Collin Oliver led Oklahoma State with 5 sacks and Kendal Daniels had 3 interceptions. Oklahoma State has to replace a lot of production from a year ago, including finding a new quarterback. OK State isn’t expected to be a threat in the Big 12, but stability at head coach and the fact the Cowboys seem to always win 7 or more games makes them one of the more consistent programs in the country.

Randy’s Pick

Oklahoma State obviously has a talent advantage, but there are a lot of players to replace, and that could lead to a sluggish start. Central Arkansas is loaded with returning production, and that gives the Bears a fighting chance to at least hang around. Central Arkansas should be able to have some offensive success in this contest. Assuming the line is a bit thick, I’d grab the points with Central Arkansas.