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Saturday DBR: Asploding With Hype

It's the first full Saturday of college football! Drink it all in, don't miss a single play, and eat more than you should. There's only one day until SMU.

By ConnerSaurusRex
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Volleyball Wins Season Opener

Baylor Volleyball opened their season last night against Abilene Christian. They won convincingly. Coach Barnes has had confidence in his team all summer, and last night validated the squad's improvement over last season.

Play continues today against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (1-0) and Portland (0-1) at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. respectively.

Big 12 Football: Weekend at a Glance

Iowa State vs. North Dakota State (1, FCS)

Ames, IA - Fox Sports 1 - 11 a.m.

Interesting game. North Dakota State was good enough to knock off Kansas State in Manhattan last year, but lost their quarterback and head coach to the offseason. That considered, I predict an unconvincing Cyclone victory.

West Virginia vs. Alabama (2)

Atlanta, GA - ESPN 2 - 2:30 p.m.

Nobody thinks West Virginia has a chance. No one thought Oklahoma had a chance either. West Virginia is not Oklahoma. If the Mountaineers want to have a chance to upset the Tide, their defense will need to find a way to weather Alabama's bruising power run game and take advantage of their untested quarterback. Alabama has shown vulnerability to the spread and air raid in the last few seasons. Unfortunately, West Virginia may not have the athletes to make it happen. I predict a convincing Alabama win, but not the blowout that many expect.

Oklahoma (4) vs. Louisiana Tech

Norman, OK - 6 p.m.

Sooners roll LaTech. It's a bad day for my father's alma mater. This game will be interesting just to see Oklahoma's personnel in action, even if it's against talent that is on a lower level across the board. Oklahoma by at least three touchdowns.

TCU vs. Samford

Fort Worth, TX - 6 p.m.

Even if TCU fails to generate offensive yardage, they could probably win this one on defensive touchdowns alone. TCU wins. I'm not sure by how much. It will be a more lopsided game than the score indicates. Look to see whether Matt Joeckel or Trevone Boykin gets the start at QB.

Texas Tech vs. Central Arkansas

Lubbock, TX - 6 p.m.

Tech should be an improved team on defense this year, but their biggest challenge will be replacing Jace Amaro's production. Central Arkansas should give them a nice chance to get their young receivers plenty of reps. Freshman QB Patrick Mahomes will throw two touchdowns in garbage time. Tech by 28 or more.

Kansas State (20) vs. Stephen F. Austin

Manhattan, KS - 6:10 p.m.

Once upon a time, we thought Devonte Fields would land at SFA. That didn't pan out and now the lumberjacks have to make the trip to Manhattan to face the purple wizard without an FBS-caliber pass rush. Kansas State Snyderballs our friends from Nacogdoches to death and wins by three touchdowns. It would be more, but Bill Snyder is ethically opposed to scoring more than once per quarter.

Oklahoma State vs. Florida State (1)

Arlington, TX - ABC - 7 p.m.

Oklahoma State just graduated its winningest class in program history. The Pokes are rich in junior college transfers and young talent, but even with Mike Gundy on the sideline, hanging with Florida State is a tall order. I can see this game being close for three quarters, but at some point the Noles' experience, size, strength, and swagger will help them pull away. The game is right in the middle of Big 12 territory. An upset would be huge for the perception of the conference and would immediately make the Big 12's path to the playoff much easier.

Texas vs. North Texas

Austin, TX - Longhorn Network - 7 p.m.

Ooooh. Interesting. The debut of  new coach at a traditional power is always a circus, and the hype/derision/scrutiny surrounding Charlie Strong has been extremely intense. North Texas is sitting right on the cusp of being a good team, and DKR Memorial hasn't sold out for the season opener. This game has all the ingredients of an upset, but I just don't see it happening. Stronghorns by 14. Drink every time the commentators talk about the importance of discipline.

Baylor (10) vs. Southern Methodist

Waco, Texas - Fox Sports 1 - Sunday, 6:30 p.m.

Mini preview unnecessary.

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