Big 12 Week 10 Preview

By FieldinOfDreams@FieldinOfDreams Nov 3, 2017, 9:30am CDT

Baylor @ Kansas

Saturday, November 4th 11:00 AM CT, FSN

This. Is. It. Folks. Baylor (0-8) is going to get that first win. I know the Bears have been extremely disappointing in a lot of ways this season, but Kansas (1-7) has looked far worse. In their game against TCU, they were held to a conference record low of 21 offensive yards. In their game against Iowa State, even if they had scored a touchdown for each first down they got, they still would have lost by 10 points. Kansas’ offense is bad. The crowd at Kansas’ Memorial Stadium will be bad to put it mildly. Granted, Kansas is coming off of a “close” 30-20 loss to Kansas State, but that was a rivalry game. Charlie Brewer should hopefully have an easier time making reads against a lackluster Kansas defense. I expect the Bears to finally pull it together and get a much needed win.

Kansas State @ Texas Tech

Saturday, November 4th 11:00 AM CT, FS1

NCAA Football: Kansas State at Texas Tech

Kansas State (4-4) and Texas Tech (4-4) have both let once promising seasons slip some. This is an important game for both teams to keep their heads above .500. With how good a large portion of the Big 12 is, getting any win these teams can is important towards maintaining bowl eligibility. Kansas State just picked up a closer than expected win against Kansas. Texas Tech was handed a loss in Norman. I expect the Wildcats to handle the Red Raiders as Nic Shimonek has become less and less effective.

#15 Iowa State @ West Virginia

Saturday, November 4th 2:30 PM CT, ESPN2

NCAA Football: West Virginia at Iowa State

This is a weird game for a lot of reasons. First off, Iowa State (6-2) is ranked #15 in the nation and tied for first in the Big 12, but is a 2.5 point underdog to West Virginia (5-3). Second, these fan bases are known to be some of the rowdier bunches in the Big 12, with West Virginia being a particularly hostile place to play. Third, this could actually be a bit of a trap game for Iowa State, who has Oklahoma State and a possible College Gameday bid waiting the next weekend. All that being said, I think Iowa State picks up another win. Iowa State’s 3-3-5 defense dares teams to try to run the ball, or face the consequences of a drop 8 or sometimes 9 secondary. Kenny Hill looked foolish at times against this defense last weekend. Granted, Will Grier might be a better quarterback. But West Virginia’s run offense ranks 9th in the Big 12. That isn’t going to cut it against what has become possibly the best defense in the Big 12. I’ll take the Cyclones to win in Morgantown.

#5 Oklahoma @ #11 Oklahoma State

Saturday, November 4th 3:00 PM CT, FS1

NCAA Football: Oklahoma State at Oklahoma

Once again, Bedlam will have massive implications for the Big 12 title race and possibly a bid to the College Football Playoff. #5 Oklahoma (7-1) is sitting just outside of the critical top 4 in the playoff rankings. One would think a win on the road against a very good #11 Oklahoma State (7-1) team would get them into the top 4. But that won’t be an easy task. Oklahoma State has a dynamic passing game led by Mason Rudolph and James Washington. By far, the weakest part of Oklahoma’s team thus far has been their secondary. It seems Vegas is picking up on this as well, as they have Oklahoma State favored by 2.5 points. I’ll take the Cowboys to win this one and continue to carry part of the Big 12’s playoff hopes.

Texas @ #8 TCU

Saturday, November 4th 6:15 PM CT, ESPN

Texas (4-4) is feeling good after a 38-7 clobbering of Baylor this past weekend. #8 TCU (7-1), on the other hand, is reeling after a 14-7 loss in Ames. TCU couldn’t get anything going offensively, especially in the red zone. Other than a second half opening kickoff return for a touchdown, Iowa State shut out the TCU offense. The good news for TCU is that Texas’ defense isn’t quite as good as Iowa State’s (that’s a weird sentence, isn’t it?) The bad news, however, is that Texas still has a very good defense. The Horned Frogs will need Kenny Hill to make some better decisions, especially in the red zone if they want to beat the Longhorns. I expect a low scoring affair, with the Horned Frogs edging out Texas by a field goal.