Conference
 OKLAHOMA (7-0, 4-0) |
@ |  KANSAS (1-5, 0-3) |
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Date & Time: Saturday, October 23rd @ 11:00 am
TV: ESPN
Line: Oklahoma -38.0 (Oklahoma -37.5)
Commentary: Oklahoma ended up kicking the crap out of TCU (this does not bode well for Texas Tech in upcoming weeks) with nearly 300 yards passing and 230 yards rushing, all the while TCU out-gained Oklahoma by 4 yards. Go figure. My thought is that the TCU defense is really struggling. Kansas was pummeled by Texas Tech (yes, pummeled). The Kansas offense absolutely struggled to move the ball against Texas Tech, just not able to complete third downs and keep a drive moving. I’d guess that this should be completely over by mid-way through the 2nd quarter. Heck, even spencer Rattler might get to play.
 KANSAS STATE (3-3, 0-3) |
@ |  TEXAS TECH (5-2, 2-2) |
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Date & Time: Saturday, October 23rd @ 11:00 am
TV: FS1
Line: Texas Tech -1 (Opening Kansas State -1.5)
Commentary: Kansas State was beaten by Iowa State by a pretty decent sum, 13 points on what was a single-digit spread. Kansas State had a difficult time stopping Iowa State, the Cyclones averaged 6 yards a carry. The Kansas State offense was fine, but not good enough and the passing defense could not stop the pump-faking Purdy’s from completing 22 of 25 passes. I mentioned after the Texas Tech game that it seemed as if Texas Tech was gearing towards a ground game that would keep them in games and then also getting the ball to their play-makers in inventive ways. Maybe not necessarily a bad idea and I think it’s a bit out of the box, especially when you have a quarterback that isn’t necessarily dynamic, but appears to be very smart and plays within himself most of the time. As to the line, I usually check in on ESPN for the opening line and think it was maybe even KSU -2.5 to start, but it has flipped to Texas Tech being favored by the slimmest of margins.
 OKLAHOMA STATE (6-0, 3-0) |
@ |  IOWA STATE (4-2, 2-1) |
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Date & Time: Saturday, October 23rd @ 2:30 pm
TV: FOX
Line: Iowa State -7.0 (Opening Iowa State -5.5)
Commentary: Oklahoma State taking down Texas in Austin was an accomplishment. The Cowboys are largely who they are because of a dominant defense, holding Texas to about 4 yards a rush. They are also running the hell out of the ball, over 220 yards against Texas, a large portion of that was in the second half while Spencer Sanders is driving the bus the way that Gundy imagined a couple of years ago. Matt Campbell may have Iowa State back on track because Breece Hall is also back on track, 30 carries for nearly 200 yards against K-State. This is the best game of the week in the Big 12 and with that line, I’m taking Oklahoma State. Am struggling with the line, don’t get me wrong, Iowa State is talented, but so are the Cowboys and to be a full touchdown dog seems like a lot.
 WEST VIRGINIA (2-4, 0-3) |
@ |  TCU (3-3, 1-2) |
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Date & Time: Saturday, October 23rd @ 6:30 pm
TV: ESPNU
Line: TCU -5.0 (Opening TCU -4.5)
Commentary: West Virginia is in a bad way, but they did have the week off to lick their wounds and still maybe get healthier and prepare for a TCU team that’s also reeling a bit. The thing about TCU’s win against Texas Tech was that their offense was just better than Texas Tech’s defense, but their defense was absolutely gashed, which is what happened against Oklahoma. West Virginia doesn’t have a terrific offense, so this game is probably less of a worry for the Horned Frogs, but the West Virginia defense has been good for most of the year and would expect them to return to form a bit. This line is closer than I would have expected, especially given how TCU throttled Texas Tech on the road and West Virginia’s offense is struggling to find its footing. I just don’t know if the WVU offense will be able to keep pace.
Off-Week
BAYLOR (6-1, 4-0): Baylor rolled against future conference-mate BYU, running for 303 yards while holding BYU to just 67 on 24 attempts. The Cougars were able to throw for 340 yards, but had significant issues on third downs, converting just 5 of 14. Baylor has definitely been the surprise of the Big 12. Now, let’s see if they can hold on to Dave Aranda now that the LSU job has essentially opened up. My guess is that Aranda will be a significant candidate and now that he’s starting to figure out how to find an offensive coordinator to make the machine work, it wouldn’t surprise me that he’ll get a shot at a bigger coaching position.
TEXAS (4-3, 2-2): Hello to the same conference record Mr. Longhorns. It’s not a ton of fun, but well, I’m sure you’ll turn things around. Really though, I was surprised by how much UT struggled against Oklahoma State, but that Oklahoma State defense is really good. I think the thing about Sarkisian is that sometimes winning is tough and choosing a quarterback can be difficult too, not that Casey Thompson isn’t good, but winning in the Big 12 is harder than it looks.