Big 12 Preview: Week 6

#10 Oklahoma v. Texas
Cotton Bowl (Dallas, TX)
11:00 AM CT (Sat.), ABC
Line: Oklahoma (-16.5)

There was a time not too long ago that this was the premier matchup of the Big 12 regular season. Those days are long gone now, but Texas players will probably tweet about them. The Longhorns come off an embarrassing 50-7 beatdown at the hands of TCU that was actually worse than the score would indicate. Mix in some infighting between players through the media during the week and you have all the ingredients for a full fledged disaster for the 2015 Horns. To make matters worse, Oklahoma is playing like a team wanting to reassert itself into the conference title discussion. Don't think that Bob Stoops isn't above having the high powered Sooner offense keep the pedal to the floor well into the second half if OU has a big lead. Baker Mayfield will have another big day, the OU defensive front will bring havoc into the UT backfield, and the Sooners win this one going away.

Prediction: Oklahoma 44 Texas 13

Iowa State @ Texas Tech
Jones AT&T Stadium (Lubbock, TX)
2:30 PM CT, FSN
Line: Texas Tech (-10.5)

Texas Tech looks to rebound from conference opening losses to TCU and Baylor as they host Iowa State in Lubbock. The Red Raider offense has proven itself to be plenty capable offensively thus far, averaging 50 points/game through 5 games. Pat Mahomes has established himself as one of the most dangerous QBs in the country and he has solid pieces around him to make Kliff Kingsbury's offense tick. Tech still has issues on defense however, giving up 118 points in the two losses. They'll take on an Iowa State team coming off a win over Kansas and with weapons that are capable of hanging score for score with Texas Tech. I just don't see it lasting for four quarters. Mahomes and DeAndre Washington combine to shred the Cyclone defense and Tech picks up a Big 12 win.

Prediction: Texas Tech 55 Iowa State 34

#20 Oklahoma State @ West Virginia
Milan Puskar Stadium (Morgantown, WV)
6:00 PM CT, ESPN2
Line: West Virginia (-6.5)

Undefeated Oklahoma State tests their recent string of good fortune as they head out to Morgantown to duke it out with West Virginia. The Cowboys have squeaked by the last two weeks with wins over Texas and Kansas State, but await their toughest test yet against a WVU team that has been particularly hard to handle at home. Both of these defenses are among the strongest in the conference and will put pressure on the opposing QB to make plays and avoid critical mistakes. It will be interesting to see how the Mountaineers' secondary adjusts to being without all-conference safety Karl Joseph, who was lost for the season with a knee injury suffered in practice during the week. Both Mason Rudolph and Skyler Howard have shown the proclivity to turn the ball over, so the QB who does the better job protecting the football will likely decide the winner in this one. With the game being at Milan Puskar Stadium, I'll go with Howard and WVU to hand the Fighting Gundys their first loss of 2015.

Prediction: West Virginia 31 Oklahoma State 21

#2 TCU @ Kansas State
Bill Snyder Family Stadium (Manhattan, KS)
6:30 PM CT, FOX
Line: TCU (-9.5)

Fresh off an absolute bludgeoning of Texas, TCU takes its high flying act on the road again as Gary Patterson goes up against his old mentor Bill Snyder. The Frogs offense has been operating at an extremely high level over the last four weeks, with Trevone Boykin accounting for 19 TDs as opposed to just 2 interceptions. Josh Doctson is playing like one of the best receivers in the country and Boykin has a new weapon of choice in freshman KaVontae Turpin. TCU will put a lot of stress on a Kansas State defense which has been solid but has historically struggled against up tempo offenses. As for the Wildcat offense, they hope to keep Joe Hubener healthy this week as they had to turn to WR Kody Cook in an emergency against Oklahoma State and even he was unable to finish the game. It was so bad that Snyder even quipped that 300 lb defensive tackle Will Geary would take snaps in practice, firmly altering the Piesman Trophy race. The crowd in Manhattan will be a factor Saturday night and TCU has had its issues on the road, but in the end I think the TCU offense eventually makes the difference in this one. Side note: My new goal in life is to get a hand written letter from Bill Snyder.

I have so much respect for Coach Synder and the Kansas State Football program, so cool for him to do this! pic.twitter.com/E6rhnoMHro

— Ben Grogan (@Ben__Grogan) October 9, 2015

Prediction: TCU 38 Kansas State 24