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How'd we do so far? 54-16 straight
up, 26-38-2
ATS
Big 12
Game of the Week
Oklahoma
State
(6-4) at
Texas Tech
(6-5) 2 PM EST Saturday
November 18th
Why to Watch: This game might not
mean too much, if anything on a national
scale, and it doesn't really mean all
that much in the Big 12 since both teams
are bowl bound, but it's going to be a
heck of a lot of fun. Oklahoma State's
offense has started to explode over the
last several games working its way up to
fifth in the nation in scoring and 13th
in total offense, while Texas Tech is
its usual, amazing self ranking eighth
in the nation in offense and 19th in
scoring. It'll be fireworks galore with
high-octane passing games going up and
down the field in a who-had-it-last type
of game that should keep you glued
before Michigan and Ohio State kick off.
Why Oklahoma State Might Win:
Texas Tech might be known for a quick
strike offense, but more often than not,
it likes to control the ball with its
passing game and isn't all about scoring
as quickly as possible. Unlike Tech,
OSU's passing game works off its running
attack with Mike Hamilton, Keith Toston
and Dantrell Savage all able to crank
out yards in chunks, while the emerging
Bobby Reid should see plenty of single
coverage on his NFL caliber receivers.
The Cowboys can hit Texas Tech through
the air or on land, and it'll never be
out of the game. While Tech might be one
dimensional ...
Why Texas Tech Might Win: ...
that dimension should light up the OSU
secondary like a Christmas tree. This is
a high risk, high reward Cowboy defense
that'll leave its corners on an island
to try. The Cowboys will get to Tech QB
Graham Harrell and knock him around a
little bit, but if Harrell can read the
pressure early and make the right
decisions throughout, he'll hit home run
after home run. He might find out about
the big plays while on his back, but
he'll get the yards. However ...
Who to Watch: ... can Harrell
really handle the pressure? Oklahoma
threw everything including the kitchen
sink at him last week and held the Red
Raiders to 250 passing yards in the
34-24 win. OSU doesn't have OU's
secondary, but it'll sell out to put the
pressure on nonetheless. Tech is
bull-headed in its desire to throw
exclusively, and for good reason, but
this might be a game to get RB Shannon
Woods going. Against an aggressive
defense, the Tech coaching staff has to
figure out how to get Woods the ball in
space to take advantage of the blitzes.
What Will Happen: Lots of points
and lots of fun. Oklahoma State's
defense will be a little better than
Tech's while the offensive balance will
be more effective than the Tech short to
midrange passing attack.
CFN Prediction:
Oklahoma State 38 ... Texas Tech 34 ...
Line: Texas Tech -6
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 The
Bachelor: Rome)
... 4
Missouri
(7-3) at
Iowa State
(3-8) 2 PM EST Saturday
November 18th
Why to Watch: It's the end of the
Dan McCarney era at Iowa State after 12
years of occasional success and a
disastrous finish. The Cyclones have
been awful all season long and haven't
even been close on a six-game losing
streak since beating Northern Iowa in
late September. Missouri might be
disappointed to be out of the Big 12
title race with Nebraska clinching the
North last week, but there's still
plenty to play for with jockeying going
on for bowl position and a shot at a
ten-win season, the program's first
since 1960, still possible. The Tigers
are on a two game losing streak and have
to focus in what's certain to be an
emotional day in Ames.
Why Missouri Might Win: With the
rest from a week off, the Tigers should
be the far fresher team. The offensive
line should give QB Chase Daniel all the
time he needs to throw against an awful
pass defense that made Colorado's
Bernard Jackson, leader of one of the
nation's most inefficient passing game,
look like Troy Smith. Daniel should be
able to dink and dunk his way to his
heart's content, while the running game
shouldn't have any problem moving the
ball if ...
Why Iowa State Might Win: ... it
doesn't keep turning the ball over. The
Tigers were plagued by turnovers against
Oklahoma and Nebraska losing it seven
times. Fumbling has been the big issues
with seven in the last four games, and
all seemed to turn out to be killers.
Iowa State's offense needs a kick-start
and a bit of momentum, and getting a few
breaks would be just the ticket.
Who to Watch: Will Chase Daniel
relax? The Missouri quarterback was
terrific throughout the first half of
the season, and then in big games
against Texas A&M, Oklahoma and
Nebraska, he pressed too much, tried to
make every throw, and appeared to try to
do everything himself. While he spread
the ball around well over the last few
weeks, he has to find his NFL-caliber
tight ends, Martin Rucker and Chase
Coffman more. Most quarterbacks dream of
having one safety valve, and Daniel has
two.
What Will Happen: Iowa State will
be jacked up to win for McCarney, but if
Missouri can withstand the early wave of
emotion, and win the turnover margin,
the overall talent will come through in
the second half.
CFN Prediction:
Missouri 31 ... Iowa State 10 ...
Line: Missouri -14.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 The
Bachelor: Rome)
... 2
Oklahoma
(8-2) at
Baylor
(4-7) 12 PM EST Saturday
November 18th
Why to Watch: Shhhhhhh. No one's
talking much about it, but Oklahoma just
might be the best team in the Big 12 at
the moment, and that's even without
Adrian Peterson, who's thinking about
coming back for the Oklahoma State game
next week. The offensive line is
night-and-day better than it was just a
month ago, the defense has stepped up
its effectiveness, and QB Paul Thompson
has proven to be more than just a guy
who knows how to hand off. On the flip
side, Baylor has gone completely into
the tank losing three straight to Texas
A&M, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State by a
total of 152 to 66.
Why Oklahoma Might Win: Oklahoma
held Texas Tech's passing game to 250
yards last week with a variety of funky,
disguised blitzes that kept Red Raider
QB Graham Harrell off kilter all game
long. If Baylor's passing game doesn't
suddenly find something it didn't have
over the last several weeks, the offense
will go absolutely nowhere. The running
has gotten a little bit of a boost with
the running of Blake Szymanski, but he's
not nearly a consistent enough passer or
decision maker to handle the Big 12's
best defense.
Why Baylor Might Win: The only
real hope Baylor has of keeping this
close is if Oklahoma's game plan
dictates it. The Sooners almost
exclusively ran the ball on Texas A&M,
with Thompson completing just three of
12 passes for 39 yards, and won by the
skin of their teeth. BU's run defense is
a major weakness that Bob Stoops will
look to exploit, and that might turn out
to be a positive. Baylor has nothing to
lose in its final game of the year, so
it's going to just let it loose.
Who to Watch: Baylor is hardly
playing for next year with head coach
Guy Morriss making it very clear that
he's out to play his best players and
not just see what the young guys can do.
Even so, true freshman David Gettis will
get more and more work after catching
two passes for 62 yards and a score last
week against Oklahoma State. He could
use this game as something to get BU
fans excited about for next year.
What Will Happen: Who's going to
be the Oklahoma rushing star this week?
Allen Patrick is expected to be back
after missing last week with an ankle
injury, but that doesn't mean last
week's star, Chris Brown, will be left
out of the mix. Whoever gets the ball
will run wild on the porous Bear
defense.
CFN Prediction:
Oklahoma 38 ... Baylor 13 ...
Line: Oklahoma -20
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 The
Bachelor: Rome)
... 2
Kansas State
(7-4) at
Kansas
(5-5) 3:30 PM EST Saturday
November 18th
Why to Watch: Look who's back?
Kansas State went from being a nice
story of resurgence to a player in the
Big 12 knocking Texas out of the
national championship hunt with a
scintillating 45-42 win. The good vibes
from the first truly enormous win in the
Ron Prince era might quickly dissipate
if the Wildcats lose to arch-rival
Kansas. KU has two shots to become bowl
eligible, but with the season finale at
Missouri, this home date might be its
best shot. On a two-game winning streak
beating Colorado and Iowa State, the
Jayhawks are playing well, but could use
a really good win. It's one victory of
note was over South Florida.
Why Kansas State Might Win: The
emergence of Kansas State freshman Josh
Freeman as a solid, playmaking passer
has given the offense another dimension
highlighted by his 269-yard, three score
day against Texas last week. The
Longhorn secondary might be struggling,
but it still has NFL talent. If Freeman
can rip up that group, he should be able
to go ballistic on the nation's 117th
ranked pass defense. KU's been better
over the last few games, thanks to
playing Iowa State and Colorado, but the
corners are still very burnable.
Why Kansas Might Win: KU might
have just found its stride. After weeks
of heartbreaking, agonizing losses, the
winning streak might have finally given
the team the confidence to figure out
how to win close games. The Kansas State
defense has had problems against running
quarterbacks over the last several
weeks, and KU QB Kerry Meier can move.
Jon Cornish will be the man workhorse
for the Jayhawks, but Meier should be
able to keep the Wildcats on their heels
inside and out.
Who to Watch: Oddly enough,
Cornish's production has gone down just
as KU started winning. Of course, it
helps to play Colorado and Iowa State
instead of Texas A&M and Nebraska. The
senior is playing in the final home game
of an underappreciated, rock-solid
career with 1,900 yards and 14 touchdown
runs in the last two seasons. After
being held in check by the Wildcats last
year with only 55 yards on 17 carries,
look for him to make amends.
What Will Happen: The two teams
are more even than they might appear.
Kansas State is the absolute real deal
with one of the brightest young offenses
in the conference, but at home, a rested
KU will come up with just enough run
defense, and enough of a pass rush on
Freeman, to come away with a tough win.
This will be the final week over the
next few years KSU plays like a young,
emerging team.
CFN Prediction:
Kansas 28 ... Kansas State 23 ...
Line: Kansas -2.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 The
Bachelor: Rome)
... 3.5
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