Big 12 Fearless Predictions, Oct. 4

Missouri has played as well as anyone in the country over the first four games, but Chase Daniel and the offense has yet to be tested. The Tigers should be under pressure all game long as they try to come up with a win at Nebraska for the first time since 1976. Previews and Predictions for the Week 6 Big 12 Games

Big 12
North Colorado | Iowa St | Kansas | Kansas State | Missouri | Nebraska
South Baylor | Oklahoma | Oklahoma State | Texas | Texas A&M | Texas Tech

Big 12 Fearless Predictions Aug. 30 | Sept. 6 | Sept. 13 | Sept. 20
- Sept. 27

- Big 12 Week Six Predictions, Oct. 4 Part 2

How are the picks so far? SU: 40-6 ... ATS: 19-18

Big 12 Game of the Week

Missouri (4-0) at Nebraska (3-1), 9:00 EST ESPN
Why to watch: Alright Missouri. Blasting Nevada was nice, and that shootout win over Illinois wasn’t without its charm, but now it’s time to go into hostile territory and show you can break a 30-year hex. Nebraska has owned just about everyone from the old Big 8 and Big 12 North, at least until recently, and while Missouri cranked out a 41-6 win in last year’s conference opener that jump-started the season, it hasn’t won in Lincoln since October of 1976. That was considered a monumental upset, Nebraska was 5-0-1 and the favorite for the Big 8 title, but this upset might be a little bit bigger … the other way. The Huskers are still in rebuilding mode despite a good start to the Bo Pelini era. As last week’s 35-30 loss to Virginia Tech showed, the offense still needs to find some semblance of consistency, the defensive front lacks the toughness and athleticism to hold up when beaten on, and the secondary is going to be an ongoing issue. Not only would this be a huge win for a once-proud program looking to restore the glory, but it might be a must-win with three road dates in the next four games including trips to Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
Why Missouri might win: Virginia Tech is offensively challenged. Its passing game is non-existent, the running game is mediocre, and the line has been spotty at best. The Hokies rolled through the Nebraska defense with an efficient passing game and 206 rushing yards. That was Virginia Tech and the nation’s 108^th ranked offense. Missouri’s offense ranks second in America, behind Tulsa, averaging 596 yards and 54 points per game. Not only has the attack been good; it’s been unstoppable. Defensively, the unnoticed front seven has been phenomenal at getting into the backfield and it should be able to pressure Husker QB Joe Ganz all game long.
Why Nebraska might win: The offensive line is coming around. It’s not able to run block well, but it’s doing a solid job in pass protection and it’s playing better than it ever did under Bill Callahan. On the defensive side, the secondary is struggling and there were problems against Virginia Tech last week, but Pelini is bringing the noise from several spots. Illinois has a decent pass rush, but it’s not as effective as Nebraska’s will be at home; this is the first time Chase Daniel will be under steady pressure. The Tigers secondary is talented, but it’s allowing 280 yards per game.
Who to watch: The big question mark coming into the season for Missouri was the running game and replacing Tony Temple. Sophomore Derrick Washington was used sparingly last year, and now he has taken on the role as the leader of the ground game with two rushing touchdowns in each of the first four games, and a receiving score against SE Missouri State. Daniel and the passing game will always be the focal point of the Mizzou attack, but Washington will need to be game-planned for. He’s a near-lock for at least 75 yards.
What will happen: Nebraska will have to wait for its program-changing victory. Missouri is too sharp, too aggressive, and too good. As long as there aren’t a slew of turnovers, the Tigers should get through this game with ease to set up a showdown with Oklahoma State.
CFN Prediction: Missouri 38 … Nebraska 23 ... Line: Missouri -11
Must See Rating: (5 Palin vs. Biden - 1 Beverly Hills Chihuahua) … 4
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 Saturday, October 4

Kansas (3-1) at Iowa State (2-2), 12:30 EST
Why to watch: Iowa State was just starting to turn things around over the second half of last year with two straight wins over Kansas State and Colorado to go along with good battles in losses to Oklahoma and Missouri, and then Kansas swooped in and dropped a 45-7 hammer to close things out. In the Big 12 opener, the Cyclones will be looking to see exactly where they stand in the pecking order compared to the end of last season. While Baylor and Nebraska have improved, if Gene Chizik’s club can pull off the upset this week, there’s an outside chance of a 4-0 Big 12 start (with the Huskers and a bad Texas A&M coming to Ames). Meanwhile, KU is trying to recapture the magic of last year by coming up with a better-than-it’ll-appear road win to start the season. The wins so far have come against FIU, Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston State (zzzz) to go along with the gag of a loss to South Florida, and while the big prize, Oklahoma, is coming up in a few weeks, just getting through this trap game would be impressive enough.
Why Kansas might win: The KU linebackers should be able to keep Austin Arnaud and Phillip Bates in check. The two-headed quarterback monster for the Cyclones is at its most effective when running the ball and making plays on the move. KU has the defensive front to keep the mobility to a minimum, like it was able to do with South Florida’s Matt Grothe. If Arnaud and the passing game isn’t humming, the Cyclones will have a hard time moving the ball and an even harder time keeping up in any sort of offensive shootout.
Why Iowa State might win: The Kansas running game isn’t quite working yet. The KU offense has put up plenty of yards and hasn’t had a problem scoring against a mediocre schedule, but the Cyclones have been strong against the pass so far. To be fair, it’s not like Texas Tech and Missouri have been on the schedule yet, but even so, the secondary has been a strength. Chizik’s run defenses are strong, so the entire focus of the KU offense, for good and bad, will be on …
Who to watch: Kansas QB Todd Reesing. So far, the junior’s season has been defined by a really, really bad interception thrown late against South Florida leading to the Bulls’ game-winning field goal. That’s unfortunate because he’s been magnificent. He bombed Louisiana Tech for 412 yards and three touchdowns, USF for 381 yards and three scores, and Sam Houston State for 356 yards and two touchdowns. He’s spreading the ball around well, providing a little bit of production around the goal line, and has been ultra-efficient. Now he’ll have to be even better with the Iowa State defense likely to shut down the KU running game.
What will happen: It’ll be tight. The Iowa State defense will come up with a whale of a game, but the offense won’t have enough in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset.
CFN Prediction: Kansas 27 … Iowa State 17 ... Line: KU -12.5
Must See Rating: (5 Palin vs. Biden - 1 Beverly Hills Chihuahua) … 3
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Oklahoma (4-0) at Baylor (2-2), 12:30 EST
Why to watch: This has a lot more juice than your normal Oklahoma – Baylor game. 0-15 all-time vs. the Sooners, the Bears don’t exactly have history on their side, but they have an improved offense, a decent O line, and a thrilling young quarterback in Robert Griffin who has energized the entire program. Meanwhile, Oklahoma is merely the No. 1 team in America after scoring 57, 52, 55 and 35 points in four blowout wins. Cincinnati is a good team (or at least it was a good team before the quarterback problems) and TCU could end up winning the Mountain West. The Sooner handled both of those teams with ease. The big matzo ball hanging out there is the October 11^th date with Texas, so the goal is to get in, blast BU, as usual, and stay healthy for the Red River Rivalry. However, Baylor might have something to say about that.
Why Oklahoma might win: Unlike the past few years under the Guy Morriss watch, Baylor has become mostly a running team. That’s not to say the passing game isn’t clicking under Art Briles, but with a mobile quarterback like Griffin, the team is amassing most of its yards on the ground. OU’s run defense has been a brick wall, keeping Washington’s running quarterback Jake Locker to just 44 yards while holding TCU to 102 yards and Cincinnati to just 87. Griffin will have to throw to win, and while he’s been efficient, he has to be consistent.
Why Baylor might win: The secondary has been solid and the pass rush has been tremendous. The fantastic OU offensive line has yet to be tested, and Baylor’s defensive front isn’t going to dominate, but there’s enough talent and enough athleticism to generate pressure on QB Sam Bradford for the first time all season. He’ll have to hurry a few of his throws a bit more than normal.
Who to watch: Oklahoma is a factory for top-shelf collegiate wide receivers. Malcolm Kelly left early for the NFL, and Manuel Johnson picked up the slack as the team’s most dangerous receiver … for now. That title rotates depending on the week, with Juaquin Iglesias was overdue to bust out, but it was Johnson who ripped up TCU last week with five catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Bradford is great at finding the hot target and exploiting mismatches
What will happen: Baylor will make things interesting early on with a few stops and a few big plays from Griffin and the offense, and then it’ll be Oklahoma vs. Baylor as the Sooners go on a second half run to pull away.
CFN Prediction: Oklahoma 44 … Baylor 20 ... Line: Oklahoma -27
Must See Rating: (5 Palin vs. Biden - 1 Beverly Hills Chihuahua) … 2.5
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- Big 12 Week Six Predictions, Oct. 4 Part 2