Texas Tech @ #7 TCU

Saturday, November 5th 11:00 AM CT, FOX

#7 TCU (8-0, 5-0) continued its impressive undefeated run with a hard fought win in Morgantown, defeating West Virginia 41-31. They now host Texas Tech (4-4, 2-3) who, for the most part, got handled by Baylor for four quarters in front of a sold out Lubbock crowd. While much of the Red Raiders’ woes came from their indecisiveness of who to play at quarterback, TCU certainly does not have that issue as Max Duggan has cemented himself as the starter and is in the thick of the Heisman race. And that right there is why TCU has a strong edge in this game. They are far more consistent offensively and slightly better defensively. I do think TCU is going to drop a game at some point, but I’m unconvinced this is the one where it will happen. TCU is a 9.5 point favorite, a line I expect them to cover.

38-20 TCU

Baylor @ Oklahoma

Saturday, November 5th 2:00 PM CT, ESPN+

I am very happy to report that I am eating crow on my BU-TT prediction from last week. Baylor (5-3, 3-2) came out and looked dominate for most of their road game against Texas Tech. That was big to see because, up until this point, the Bears really hadn’t looked all that good on the road with the maybe exception of their game against Iowa State (who is at the bottom of the Big 12). They’ll need to carry that road warrior mentality forward into this week as well, as they travel to Norman to take on Oklahoma (5-3, 3-2). The winner of this game secures bowl eligibility, which is huge given just how tough the Big 12 is from top to bottom. Oklahoma knocked off Iowa State in a bit of a defensive struggle. While the Sooners’ defense looked better than they have most of this season, I chalk that up more so to Iowa State’s incredibly bad offense. So I actually expect this game to lean more toward shootout, as I think both offenses will get some traction on both defenses. The difference will likely be turnovers. Luckily, Baylor showed some great strides in that department as the secondary came up with FIVE interceptions against the Red Raiders. Oklahoma is currently a 3.5 point favorite, but I’m not making the same pick ‘em mistake as last week, give me the Bears.

48-45 Baylor

West Virginia @ Iowa State

Saturday, November 5th 2:30 PM CT, ESPN+

Iowa State (3-5, 0-5) is desperately looking for its first Big 12 win on the season. This is probably their best remaining chance, as they host West Virginia (3-5, 1-4). The Mountaineers are coming off of a hard fought loss to TCU. West Virginia is particularly hard to predict because they are so inconsistent, with their win against Baylor being the best they’ve played all year. While Iowa State’s offense is pretty atrocious, their defense is good enough that they should give WVU some fits. I like Iowa State to finally pick up a conference win. The Cyclones are a seven point favorite, so while I expect them to win that line seems incredibly high to me.

20-17 Iowa State

#18 Oklahoma State @ Kansas

Saturday, November 5th 2:30 PM CT, FS1

Okay. What the heck happened to #18 Oklahoma State (6-2, 3-2) this past weekend?? They lost 48-0 to Kansas State. 48-0. That is absurd for a higher ranked top 10 team at the time. I have to wonder if there were some other things going on in the Cowboys locker room that led to that, because good heavens that was a beatdown for the ages. This game will be really telling if that was just an all-time fluke of a performance, or if there are deeper issues for the Cowboys. Kansas (5-3, 2-3) is desperately trying to pick up one more win to get to bowl eligibility, a prospect that grows slightly bleaker with each loss added to their three game losing streak. This might be one of their better remaining opportunities to get that win, as they’re coming off of a bye week and hosting a clearly disarrayed Cowboys team. Still, I think Mike Gundy is a good enough coach that he can shore up at least some of whatever the heck happened last week and beat the Jayhawks with just better overall roster talent. OSU is a two point favorite, which is right about where I have this game too.

33-30 Oklahoma State

#24 Texas @ #13 Kansas State

Saturday, November 5th 6:00 PM CT, FS1

On the flipside of my discussion above, #13 Kansas State (6-2, 4-1) is for real, for real?? After a tough loss to TCU where the Wildcats saw two of their quarterbacks go down, KState blew the doors off of Oklahoma State. They now host #24 Texas (5-3, 3-2) who is another one of the many Big 12 teams trying to hit six wins. The Longhorns are coming off of a bye week after they lost to Oklahoma State, 41-34. While Texas looks better than last year, they still have plenty to improve on, especially when it comes to consistency on both sides of the ball. With that, there’s no way I’m going against the hot hand at home. Texas is a 2.5 point favorite, but I think KState wins by a couple touchdowns.

41-24 Kansas State

FieldinOfDreams’ 2022 Pick ‘Em Record through Week 9: 39-16