Iowa State vs. Akron

Saturday, September 22nd 11:00 AM CT, FSN

Iowa State (0-2) is coming off of a disappointing loss to Oklahoma the past week. Disappointing in that the Cyclones actually hung around with Oklahoma pretty well and looked good but couldn’t get the win, dropping them to 0-2. Akron (2-0) is on fire this season, coming off a win at Northwestern. Don’t expect this game to be an easy out for the Cyclones. However, Iowa State should have the edge here and get a close win.

35-28 Iowa State

Kansas State @ #12 West Virginia

Saturday, September 22nd 2:30 PM CT, ESPN

#12 West Virginia (2-0) ought to be plenty fresh after its game last weekend was cancelled. They’ve had dominant wins over Tennessee and Youngstown State, which have both shown the Mountaineers to have an impressive offense and defense. Kansas State, on the other hand, has looked iffy. They barely scraped out a win against FCS South Dakota, got blown out by Mississippi State, and beat a struggling UTSA. The Mountaineers ought to win with considerable ease at home.

35-7 West Virginia

Kansas @ Baylor

Saturday, September 22nd 2:30 PM CT, FS1

So Kansas (2-1) might be... okay this year? They’re a hard team to understand, boasting blowout wins over Central Michigan and Rutgers (both bad teams, but any win is a good win for Kansas) and a loss to FCS Nicholls. A large part of their success after their week one loss is thanks to running back Pooka Williams Jr., who has been nearly unstoppable. That’s concerning for Baylor (2-1), who’s run defense has struggled at times this season. The Bears will need to be focused in defensively this game. Luckily, Kansas’ defense should be a step down from Duke’s, which stymied Baylor’s offense in the first half. I expect the Bears to make fewer mistakes and score more on offense, with the game coming down to defensive stops. Baylor is definitively a better team than Rutgers or Central Michigan, so I think the defense does enough to get the win.

45-35 Baylor

#17 TCU @ Texas

Saturday, September 22nd 3:30 PM CT, FOX

#17 TCU (2-1) looked really, really good against Ohio State for 56 minutes. However, a 4 minute collapse where they gave up three touchdowns ultimately spelled defeat for the Horned Frogs. Texas (2-1) looked really bad its first two weeks but looked good in its win over then ranked USC. This will be an interesting match up to see what direction these teams are trending. I expect TCU to win, but if Texas keeps it close that might signify that they’re trending upwards after a season opening slump.

31-17 TCU

#5 Oklahoma vs. Army

Saturday, September 22nd 6:00 PM CT, PPV

#5 Oklahoma (3-0) is fresh off an impressive road win at Iowa State. Kyler Murray and company looked nearly unstoppable on offense, even against what should be one of the stronger defenses in the Big 12. Army (2-1) holds a loss to Duke and wins over Liberty and Hawaii. While they’ve got some upside, I don’t see any scenario in which Army takes down Oklahoma in Norman.

48-3 Oklahoma

Texas Tech @ #15 Oklahoma State

Saturday, September 22nd 6:00 PM CT, FS1

Its hard to know what to make of Texas Tech (2-1) this year. Their offense has looked good in wins over Lamar and Houston, while both their offense and defense struggled in their loss to Ole Miss. #15 Oklahoma State has looked dominant in wins over Missouri State, South Alabama, and then ranked Boise State. Texas Tech will provide a strong test for the Cowboys defense, in which I think they’ll ultimately succeed.

30-24 Oklahoma State