Arizona Wildcats football opens as small favorite vs. Oklahoma in Alamo Bowl

The Arizona Wildcats were the best bet in college football this regular season, covering in all but two games.

So perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that oddsmakers like Arizona’s chances to win and cover against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Alamo Bowl.

Arizona has opened as a 1-point favorite against Oklahoma, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. No over/under has been listed yet.

The game will be played in San Antonio on Dec. 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. MST on ESPN.

Arizona (9-3) enters the game as a favorite despite not having appeared in a bowl game since 2017. Oklahoma (10-2) is making its 25th-straight bowl appearance.

Arizona is 10-2 against the spread (ATS) this season, which is the best record in the sport according toTeamRankings.com. Arizona is +11.7 better than the spread.

The Wildcats are 4-2 ATS as favorites this season. The two games Arizona failed to cover were as 13-point favorites at Stanford (won 21-20) and as 8-point favorites at Colorado (won 34-31).

Oklahoma, meanwhile, is 8-4 ATS this year but has failed to cover in four of its last six games. The Sooners did cover in their regular season finale, a 69-45 win over TCU as 10.5-point home favorites.

There are a couple factors working against Oklahoma that bookies may have taken into consideration. One is that offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby left the program last week to take the head coaching job at Mississippi State. Lebby is not expected to coach the Alamo Bowl.

Another is the uncertainty surrounding whether Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel will play in the bowl game. Gabriel, a fifth-year senior, is out of eligibility after this season and could decide to get a head start on preparing for the NFL Draft.

Players on both teams will likely opt out or transfer before the bowl game.

Arizona is 3-7 ATS in bowl games dating back to 1997, according to OddsShark’s college football database.

The Wildcats have failed to cover in six of their last seven bowls, including the last three. In 2017, the last time Arizona made a bowl game, the Wildcats were a 2.5-point underdog to Purdue in the Foster Farms Bowl. Purdue won 38-35.

Arizona has appeared once before in the Alamo Bowl – in 2010 against Oklahoma State. The Wildcats lost that game 36-10 as 4.5-point underdogs.

The last time Arizona covered in a bowl game was the 2013 Independence Bowl against Boston College. The Wildcats won that game 42-19 as 7.5-point favorites.

Oklahoma is 6-4 ATS in its last 10 bowl games dating back to 2014. The Sooners have covered in three consecutive bowl games.