Texas Tech takes on the bye week this weekend, so what better time than to preview the other exciting Big 12 matchups and make a couple of picks?
Let's gooooo!
West Virginia 43, Baylor 40
In case you were too engulfed in another horrid Thursday night football game and weren't aware (thanks, Commanders and Bears), there were a couple of Big 12 teams that played last night.
The Baylor Bears fell to West Virginia on the road in a really entertaining game. Mountaineers running back Tony Mathis Jr. ran for 163 yards and two touchdowns, powering Neal Brown's squad to a solid, quality home win.
Meanwhile, Baylor has lost two in a row, is 1-2 in conference play, and looks far removed from the Big 12 Championship team we saw a year ago.
No. 19 Kansas (5-1, 2-1) at Oklahoma (3-3, 0-3), 11 a.m. on ESPN2
Is Kansas coming into Norman to play the Sooners as the better team? If I had said that a year ago, you would have called me crazy.
Oklahoma is desperate for a win after an embarrassing shutout at the hands of Texas in the Red River game, and I think they get a considerable boost from the home crowd and Dillon Gabriel's return.
The Sooners trail at halftime but take the lead in the second half before putting the Jayhawks to bed late in the fourth quarter, winning their first Big 12 game of the season and snapping a three-game losing streak.
"It was nice while it lasted, Kansas." - AP Poll
Oklahoma 34, Kansas 24
Iowa State (3-3, 0-3) at No. 22 Texas (4-2, 2-1), 11 a.m. on ABC
Dare I say this is a must-win game for Iowa State?
Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns are rolling, and the star quarterback's return from injury has certainly given Texas a huge lift in the past couple of games. Iowa State, on the other hand, has lost three straight and finds itself in quite a disappointing start to the year (9th in Big 12).
I do expect that Iowa State keeps the game interesting, but I'm not sure I can see a scenario in which they are able to beat Texas in Austin. Scoring woes and Texas' high-powered offense prove to be too much, and the Ewers-led Longhorns put the game away in the second half for their third win in a row.
Texas 35, Iowa State 21
No. 8 Oklahoma State (5-0, 2-0) at No. 13 TCU (5-0, 2-0), 2:30 p.m. on ABC
The most exciting game of the weekend.
Oklahoma State survived a scare from Texas Tech last weekend while TCU picked up a fantastic win over Kansas in Lawrence. Both teams look like strong, early contenders for the Big 12 crown, and they meet on Saturday in the battle of the remaining undefeated squads in the conference.
Both Spencer Sanders and Max Duggan have been playing extremely well and this game will come down to which defense steps up and makes more plays. I like the Cowboys in this one on the road; Oklahoma State comes out "pistols firing" and wins on a last-second field goal. The Cowboys' playoff hopes stay alive.
Oklahoma State 45, TCU 42
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