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Texas
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Texas A&M
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Texas Tech
Past Big 12 Predictions:
Week One |
Week Two |
Week Three |
Week Four
How'd we do so far? 32-4 straight
up, 11-17-2
ATS
Week Five
Big 12 Fearless Predictions, Part
2 |
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Big 12 Game of
the Week
Texas
Tech
(2-1) at
Texas A&M
(4-0) 3:30 PM EST ABC Saturday
September 30th
Why to Watch: Here we go with
part one of the Big 12 South pecking
order being determined. If you believe
that Texas and Oklahoma are in one tier
and Oklahoma State and Baylor are on the
bottom tier, then this game will
probably figure out the number three
team in the mix when all is said and
done. Don't tell that to these two
teams, who truly believe they have a
shot to win the Big 12 title if
everything breaks the right way. For
Texas A&M, this is the first real chance
to play a decent team and is one of the
only hurdles, Missouri being the other,
to get over for a 9-0 start before
dealing with Oklahoma, Nebraska and
Texas. Citadel, UL Lafayette, Army and
Louisiana Tech aren't going to scare
anyone, but those four games were what
the team needed for a bit of a
confidence boost after last year's
disaster. Texas Tech is still a work in
progress after struggling to beat UTEP
and getting shut down cold by TCU before
taking target practice against poor SE
Louisiana. This is the start of a rough
stretch playing three road games in four
weeks with the one home date coming
against Missouri. After this, it's Texas
in Lubbock.
Why Texas Tech Might Win: Oh
sure, Texas A&M's pass defense is ranked
sixth in the nation allowing just 127.5
yards per game, but can it really be
that much better than last year when it
was the worst in the country? The Aggies
haven't faced anyone who knows how to
throw the forward pass, so this game
might be a major jolt after the way the
last four weeks started. While the A&M
defensive front has been solid, it's not
full of natural pass rushers. Don't
expect a steady stream of hits on Red
Raider QB Graham Harrell.
Why Texas A&M Might Win: The Tech
run defense is still a bit of a mystery.
It was fine against the mediocre ground
games it faced so far, but it gave up
180 yards against TCU. The Aggie ground
game has more weapons than it knows what
to do with thanks to a loaded backfield
full of talent and a quarterback in
Stephen McGee who's just as capable of
tearing off a 100-yard rushing day as he
is throwing for 200 yards. If the Aggie
front five can control the clock and
keep the chains moving, the Red Raider
offense can't do nearly as much damage.
This isn't the explosive attack of old;
it needs the ball as much as possible.
Who to Watch: McGee has been
great so far leading the Aggies, and now
he needs a big win to take his status to
another level. Known mostly for an
108-yard rushing day in the loss to
Texas last year, he has taken the
starting job by the horns this season
completing nearly 70% of his throws with
six touchdown passes and no
interceptions. He's not going to outpass
Harrell, but he needs to be more
efficient and has to make fewer
mistakes. Harrell has been better than
he's being given credit for. A lousy
performance against TCU has overshadowed
great games against SMU and UTEP, and a
20 of 29, 245-yard, four touchdown first
half against SE Louisiana should make
him as ready as he'll ever be.
What Will Happen: It should be
interesting. A&M will have too much
balance for the Red Raider defense,
while the Aggie D will force just enough
mistakes to come away with the big win.
CFN Prediction:
Texas A&M 31
... Texas Tech 23 ...
Line: Pick
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Studio
60 on the Sunset Strip)
... 4
Colorado
(0-4) at
Missouri
(4-0) 12:30 PM EST Saturday
September 30th
Why to Watch: While the two teams
are going in totally different
directions, the Big 12 opener is a
chance for Missouri to truly prove that
it belongs in the conference title
discussion, while Colorado has a chance
to turn things around in a big hurry.
The Buffaloes have lost eight straight
and are coming off a painful,
last-minute loss at Georgia, and now it
has a chance to put the past behind them
and make a statement in their North
title defense. Missouri has crushed and
killed over the first four games, but it
hasn't had to play anyone with a pulse.
Colorado might be 0-4, but after the way
it played in Athens, it's a strong 0-4.
Why Colorado Might Win: Defense.
Colorado has been fantastic against the
run so far highlighted by a brilliant
day against Georgia holding its NFL
caliber backfield to just 54 yards.
Missouri has shown nice balance so far
and will get its share of yards though
the air, but it needs to establish the
ground game early on to open things up.
Georgia wasn't able to make Colorado
respect the pass and it was in for a dog
fight.
Why Missouri Might Win:
Colorado's offense found a slight spark
of life last week, but it's still 115th
in the nation in scoring averaging a
mere nine yards per game. Considering
that Montana State, Colorado State, and
Arizona State aren't exactly brick walls
on D, the Buff problems look that much
worse. Now CU faces a defense ranking
number one in the nation allowing just
175 yards per game and is stopping
opposing ground games cold. Ohio's
Kalvin McRae managed just 25 yards, and
BenJarvus Green-Ellis of Ole Miss ran
for 69. This isn't going to be the day
the CU offense finally gets on track.
Who to Watch: Colorado might have
lost to Georgia, but it marked the first
time all year that junior QB Bernard
Jackson played like a D-I signal caller
rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown and
throwing for 140. Even though he's far
from a finished product as a passer and
didn't get much of anything going deep,
he showed he can make a few plays when
on the move. His main target so far has
been freshman Riar Geer, who exploded
against the Bulldogs for 71 yards on
seven catches. He's big, has nice hands,
and is tough enough to grow into more
and more of an go-to guy on third downs.
What Will Happen: This will be
the coming out party for Missouri.
Everything will work on both sides of
the ball in the first half on the way to
a double-digit lead that Colorado will
have no hope of bouncing back from.
CFN Prediction:
Missouri 26
... Colorado 10 ...
Line: Missouri -13.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Studio
60 on the Sunset Strip)
... 3
Sam
Houston State
(2-1) at
Texas
(3-1) 7:00 PM EST Saturday
September 30th
Why to Watch: The Bearkats of
SHSU are coming in on a roll after a
strong 20-17 road win at Missouri State
to up its record to 2-1. With an
aggressive defense and strong passing
game, they should be able to give Texas
all it can handle ... for about two
drives. Texas has gotten on a roll since
the Ohio State loss beating up Rice and
Iowa State by a combined score of 89 to
21. A week before the showdown with
Oklahoma, this will be another game to
fine-tune the offense and get QB Colt
McCoy a bit more game experience.
Why Sam Houston State Might Win:
Obviously SHSU has no chance to win, but
it'll have a few shots to move the ball
thanks to Brett Hicks and the passing
game threw for 244 yards against SMU and
294 and four touchdowns on Arkansas -
Monticello. This is a bombs-away attack
that won't be afraid to push the ball
deep, so look for a couple of deep balls
in the second half.
Why Texas Might Win: If SMU could
beat Sam Houston State 45-14, then Texas
should be able to trot out the third
team and win with ease. The Bearkats
can't run the ball and isn't nearly
strong enough in pass protection to
allow for the longer passing plays to
develop. If the Longhorns bring the
heat, SHSU has no way to stop them.
Who to Watch: In UT's three wins,
McCoy connected on 74% of his passes
with seven touchdowns and only one
interception. He was able to carve up
Iowa State without a problem and get
eight different players involved in the
passing game. Limas Sweed reemerged as
the main main catching seven passes for
106 yards and a touchdown against the
Cyclones, but it was young
star-in-the-making Jermichael Finley
who's generating the buzz. With all the
tools to be a superstar either as a fast
tight end or a big wide receiver, the
redshirt freshman is starting to get
involved in the attack with four catches
for 56 yards and a score over the last
two weeks. This is the type of game to
use as a chance to make even more plays
and start to develop even more of a
rapport with McCoy.
What Will Happen: Texas can
send half the team to Dallas and still
win by 40.
CFN Prediction: Texas 48 ... Sam
Houston State 0 ...
Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Studio
60 on the Sunset Strip)
... 1
Week Five
Big 12 Fearless Predictions, Part
2 |
Get
Tickets for These Games