Big 12 Preview: Week 11

Now that you've had a day to recover from the Blackout on Thursday, it's time to have a look at the Saturday slate for the rest of the Big 12 Conference. Here are the match-ups for Week 11.

TCU (3-6, 1-5) @ IOWA STATE (1-7, 0-5)
Jack Trice Stadium (Ames, IA)
11:00 AM CT, FS1
Line: TCU (-7.5)

The first game of your Big 12 Saturday comes from Ames where TCU and Iowa State will duke it out to see who is the coolest kid on the struggle bus. TCU comes into a must win situation, needing to win their final 3 games of the season to become bowl eligible. Casey Pachall returned to the starting QB role last week for the Frogs and the offense showed some rare signs of life. However, the mistakes that have plagued TCU all season reared their ugly head again in the 2nd half and overtime to allow West Virginia the opportunity to win the game. Iowa State is still searching for their first Big 12 win of 2013 and have been outscored 170-41 in their last 3 losses. With the Cyclones now officially out of the bowl picture, I would expect to see a healthy dose of Grant Rohach at QB for ISU. It will also be interesting to see how Paul Rhoads' team comes out ready to play with nothing more than pride on the line in front of their home crowd. I want to pick the Cyclones in this one but the TCU defense will carry the Frogs to a close win in a low scoring game, despite the absence of several key players due to injury or suspension.

Prediction: TCU 21 Iowa State 17

For more on TCU, check out Frogs O' War, SB Nation's blog for the TCU Horned Frogs.
For more on Iowa State, check out Wide Right & Natty Lite, SB Nation's blog for the Iowa State Cyclones.

KANSAS STATE (4-4, 2-3) @ #25 TEXAS TECH (7-2, 4-2)
Jones AT&T Stadium (Lubbock, TX)
11:00 AM CT, ABC
Line: Texas Tech (-2.5)

Kansas State rolls into Lubbock playing their best football of the season and will take on a Texas Tech team that has a 2 game losing streak following a 7-0 start. The Wildcats have simply been dominant in their last 2 wins but now they'll face a new challenge going back on the road for the first time since October 5th. K-State will look to impose their tempo on the Red Raiders in a similar way that they were able to test Baylor. Texas Tech has struggled lately against the run so look for the Wildcats to exploit the Raider defense on the ground. The defense has been a big reason why Tech has come back down to earth following the hot start that had Coach Bro's team ranked in the top 10 just 2 short weeks ago. It will be critical for Tech to limit their turnovers to get back on the winning track. It might also help to not have your true freshman QB throwing the ball 71 times as Davis Webb did last week against Oklahoma State. Texas Tech is the favorite at home in this game, but I see K-State jumping on them early and making key plays late to seal a big road win.

Prediction: Kansas State 38 Texas Tech 35

For more on Kansas State, check out Bring On The Cats, SB Nation's blog for the Kansas State Wildcats.
For more on Texas Tech, check out Viva The Matadors, SB Nation's blog for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

KANSAS (2-6, 0-5) @ #14 OKLAHOMA STATE (7-1, 4-1)
Boone Pickens Stadium (Stillwater, OK)
3:00 PM CT, FS1
Line: Oklahoma State (-30.5)

Oklahoma State is playing like the Big 12 championship contender that many thought they would be from the beginning of the season. Kansas is playing like Kansas. This game is in Stillwater. There will be blood.

Prediction: Oklahoma State 55 Kansas 10

For more on Kansas, check out Rock Chalk Talk, SB Nation's blog for the Kansas Jayhawks.
For more on Oklahoma State, check out Cowboys Ride For Free, SB Nation's blog for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

TEXAS (6-2, 5-0) @ WEST VIRGINIA (4-5, 2-4)
Milan Puskar Stadium (Morgantown, WV)
6:00 PM CT, FOX
Line: Texas (-6)

Texas takes their perfect Big 12 record into Morgantown to take on West Virginia in what figures to be a highly intriguing matchup. The Longhorns were 22 point winners last Saturday over Kansas but looked extremely sluggish in the 1st half in doing so. It's still hard to tell just what Texas team Mack Brown will have from week to week. Texas should look to establish a strong running game to take the pressure off of Case McCoy in a hostile environment but that has not been a guarantee with Major Applewhite calling plays. West Virginia is coming off of a huge overtime win at TCU to put the Mountaineers right back in the bowl discussion, needing 2 wins in their last 3 games to qualify for the postseason. Charles Sims was dominant on the ground in the win, rushing for a season high 154 yards to key Dana Holgerson's offense. Like his QB counterpart McCoy, Clint Trickett will need to avoid costly mistakes to give the Mountaineers a chance to get another big win and keep the Clint Trickett Fan Club happy (President: Amy Pagitt). Weird things tend to happen in Morgantown but I think Texas is able to put away West Virginia with a late push in the 4th quarter.

Prediction: Texas 35 West Virginia 24

For more on Texas, check out each of the SB Nation blogs for the Texas Longhorns: Barking Carnival and Burnt Orange Nation.
For more on West Virginia, check out The Smoking Musket, SB Nation's blog for the West Virginia Mountaineers.