Big 12 Predictions 10/27

[TheRedSon]

Texas -19 @ Kansas

#15 Texas Tech +7.5 @ #4 Kansas State

TCU +7 @ Oklahoma State

Baylor +2.5 @ Iowa State

#5 Notre Dame +11.5 @ #8 Oklahoma



Texas' offense is going to be too much for Kansas. I think they win big and cover. Kansas will probably have some decent rushing stats in this one though.

Tech at Kansas State should be a good one. It was a good one last year. I'm not sold on Tech's defense just yet though. Kansas State wins and covers.

Who's going to play quarterback for my Cowboys this week? The banged up freshmen that won the starting job or the 4th year junior that couldn't secure that backup role? It won't be Walsh. I think the Cowboys size and depth wear down the Frogs in the fourth quarter. OSU wins and covers.

The Bears and Cyclones may both need this one to reach a bowl. A week or two ago and I'd have picked the Bears in this for sure, but their defense just continues to look awful, and I don't think they can force Iowa State into obvious passing downs. Iowa State wins and covers.

They don't get much more high profile than this one. I think Notre Dame's front 7 will give OU fits, but their secondary isn't that great. If Landry can keep a cool head under pressure (would it be a first?) I think they can out last Notre Dame. The Irish defense is going to keep them in this one though. OU wins, but the Irish beat the spread.

 

[Buster68]

agree with everything except isu. my pick baylor and don't really care about any of the spreads.

 

[TheRedSon]

Well, I'd have lost a bet on Texas... They did continue to struggle in run defense. I really can't believe we lost to these guys. I wish we could play them again today with Lunt and Johnson active.

Made the right pick in Kansas State, but I was surprised how easily they handled Tech today. I thought they'd at least have a hard time with the Tech offense.

Good to see Lunt back and the defense really stepping up for my Cowboys. Next week is going to be tough...

Great game by the Cyclone defense. This was the game I had the hardest time making a pick on. It's so much easier on a Cowboy living in Waco when they're miserable...

The OU game really surprised me. I was right about the ND defense going into this one (except I thought their secondary played well), and I'd have won the bet, but I didn't think they could dominate OU like that in the second half. Some of the "Stoops at home" mojo has eroded the last two years. I'll try not to cry about that...

 

[GoWVU]

TheRedSon, how about an early look ahead to next week's games...?

I'm really enjoying what you've brought to the site, so I'm interested in your opinion on what should be an evenly-matched week of games next Saturday to kick off November.

My rooting interests have shifted. I'm conceding the conference title to Kansas St and hoping WVU can rebound enough on offense and defense for a 2d-place finish. That would be a tremendous achievement with a roster this flawed. As a result, I'm hoping both Oklahoma schools pick up a second conference loss next week to drag everybody but KSU down to the multiple-loss level. Naturally I understand your rooting interests in the Big 12 race will be much different.

Incidentally, my belated congratulations to your Cowboys for that long-awaited conference title you won last season and my condolences on being ripped off out of a spot in the national championship game. My feelings about that are totally unrelated to us joining the league; I simply stand for fairness and there is no doubt your school would've been treated differently if its name were "Oklahoma" rather than "Oklahoma St"...which is the real tragedy of college football.

On a related note, although I am definitely not one to get caught up in the various doomsday scenarios which plague most fans and media talking heads at this time of year (i.e. "What if we end up with FOUR unbeaten teams?!?") by the same token I can't help but notice how unusual it is for most of the remaining unbeaten teams to have such weak back-loaded schedules this season. For example, both ND and Louisville would seem to have clear paths to 11-0 with only their final games looming as possible stumbling blocks. Oregon, Kansas St, & Alabama each have harder roads than that, but they're not exactly facing gauntlets either. I'm guessing there will be one unforeseen upset, but I'm not anticipating nearly as many as we normally get. I say we reach selection day with more than 2 unbeatens, maybe more than 3. How about you?

 

[TheRedSon]

Re: TheRedSon, how about an early look ahead to next week's games...?

Originally posted by GoWVU:
I'm really enjoying what you've brought to the site, so I'm interested in your opinion on what should be an evenly-matched week of games next Saturday to kick off November.

Thank you for the kind words. I've enjoyed having a forum to converse with outside of the main board or OSI. I'm looking forward to this coming week as well. I think all five games this weekend have interesting storylines, and they could all be competitive, and I wouldn't have thought that just two days ago.

If we were to lose this weekend I'd be happy to see Kansas State win the conference, and it'd be nice if Snyder did finally get a shot at a national championship. They were so close in 1998 (they lost to A&M in 2OT in the CCG). That's one of the reasons I really don't like CCG's (that and they're frequently duds). My team hasn't lost yet though, so that's going to be the last of that attitude for at least a week! For the moment they still control their own destiny, and a win this weekend would give my boys a good shot to repeat as conference champs. I do think there's a decent chance both Oklahoma schools lose this weekend though... Oklahoma has a habit under Stoops of getting up for big games and then losing focus after a big loss. They got by the Kansas State loss, but now they have to do it again. The Iowa State defense is really impressing me, so it's possible they let Notre Dame beat them twice (or Iowa State just beats them outright). Better teams than this OU squad have one into Ames and lost in the last two years... I thought before the season started we could end up with two or three 7-2 teams at the top of the conference. I think Kansas State will do no worse than 8-1 now, and should be favored in all of their remaining games. Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia all still have a good shot to finish in second place. From a Big 12 angle it'd be best if one of them would finish 10-2 so we'd have a shot at a second BCS entry.

Thanks, that conference title was such a weight off as a fan. I can only imagine how much easier Gundy was able to breath after finally accomplishing that and beating OU for the first time. I think Oklahoma wouldn't have been dismissed as easily thanks to name recognition, and we'd have never heard anything as ridiculous as the "eye test" to justify leaving them out, but I think the deck was stacked in the favor of the SEC in general. This is why conference solidarity is important. What happened to OSU last year could have happened to any of us I think. Remember 2006 (I think) when Florida was in the same boat and a lot of people were calling for a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan?

I think Alabama has the toughest remaining schedule. I'm not sure anyone can beat them anyway, but they still have @ LSU, Texas A&M and then probably Georgia in their CCG. Oregon is going to skate through the PAC 12 though. USC may have the talent to beat them, but that team isn't half as good as the media wanted us to think. After yesterday I think there's a good shot Arizona winds up winning the South in the PAC despite an 0-3 start to conference play (Oregon, Oregon State and Stanford beat them and USC still has to play Oregon). Louisville may finish undefeated, but their schedule's not enough to get them into a title game over a 1 loss Oregon or Kansas State I don't think. I think they'd be in the same boat as Texas Tech or West Virginia right now if they were playing in the Big 12. They're good, but not close to great. Notre Dame is probably going to crush their next three opponents before going to USC, but I don't think the Trojans will be nearly as tough as Oklahoma. Still, it is a rivalry game... I guess I'd pick Kansas State as the most likely of the remaining undefeateds to drop a game, followed by Alabama (and I think they're the best team in the country). I think Oregon is the second best team in the country, but if Kansas State and Notre Dame both finish their schedules perfect it'll be hard to argue Oregon played as tough a schedule. Anyway, yeah, I think there's a real good chance we finish with more than 2 unbeaten teams. They should all be favored in every game left on their schedule. I don't think it matters in Louisville's case unless we run out of 1 loss teams too though. It would be ironic if we wind up with 3 undefeated conference champs from the big 5 conferences and an undefeated Notre Dame just one year before starting a 4 team playoff.

 

[trueredraider]

There appears to be much of the same sentiment about KSU around the conference. I think I can speak for the majority of TTU fans/alums when we say we hope that KSU plays in and wins a NC this year and, of course, wins the conference. They are at least my favorite non-TTU conference team.

I was damn impressed with KSU play this weekend. Doege played well and the defense made a few mistakes, we got beat by a very good team. KSU is just good and obviously well coached. Hopefully, Snyder will win a conference championship and play in a NC game as RETIRE. Man can coach them up. By no means an excuse, it hurt to be missing two starting DBs and 3 high quality receivers. Even with them, the way Klein et al. played maybe we lose by less, like 10-14 points.

We are a bit worried about playing in Stillwater and we should be. UT this weekend, we are optimistic.

Hope you WV guys good luck on the rest of the season.

I hear you have some storms coming from hurricane Sandy, keep dry and be save.

 

[TheRedSon]

Sentiment's for next week. I'm in "kill the Wildcat" mode for the next six days.