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Oklahoma (6-1) at Kansas State
(4-3),
12:30 EST
Why to watch: This has
all the makings of one of those
out-of-the-blue trap games that
trips up Oklahoma once in a
while. Last year, it was an
early date at Colorado that
provided the shocker. This year,
any loss the rest of the way,
including the Texas Tech and
Oklahoma State games to finish
up, would be a bit of a surprise
for a team that’s generally
thought of as the second best
team in the country right now,
even if it’s ranked fourth in
the BCS rankings. Basically, OU
is in a position to pounce once
Penn State or Alabama falls,
assuming one or both falls, and
the hope is for Texas to
collapse soon. While the Sooners
are 1.5 games behind the
Longhorns in the standings, they
can still get into the Big 12
title game if there’s a
three-way tie and if they’re the
highest ranked of the three. But
first things first; taking care
of a streaky Kansas State is job
one. The Wildcats have an
offense that’s able to keep up
the pace with just about anyone,
but the defense hasn’t shown up
so far. The worst in the Big 12,
allowing 429 yards per game, the
defense got a reprieve last week
against the woeful Colorado
offense, but the Wildcat offense
couldn’t come through in the
14-13 loss. The only way this is
close is if Josh Freeman gets
hot early on and KSU can keep up
in a firefight.
Why Oklahoma might win:
454 yards and six touchdowns.
That’s what Texas Tech’s Graham
Harrell was able to do against a
Kansas State secondary that
hasn’t been close against any
passing game with a pulse. OU
should be able to go ground if
it wants to against a Kansas
State defensive front that’s
getting shoved all over the
place. Louisville tore off 303
rushing yards, UL Lafayette’s
attack ran for 335, and last
week, Colorado went for 249.
Meanwhile Texas A&M threw for
419 yards and two scores. In
other words, the nation’s No. 3
offense should be able to do
whatever it wants to.
Why Kansas State might win:
The Oklahoma secondary has
decided to take the rest of the
season off. It was fine at times
this year, and it has only
allowed five touchdown passes,
but Colt McCoy was able to roll
for an efficient 277 yards and
Todd Reesing bombed away for 357
yards last week. The OU
linebacking corps has become a
bit of a problem after the loss
of Ryan Reynolds, and the
secondary has had to pick up the
slack on shorter to midrange
passes. That has left the
corners more susceptible to the
deep play. Freeman should be
able to bomb away.
Who to watch: With top
receiver Manuel Johnson going
down with an ugly arm injury
last week, Oklahoma got a huge
day from Juaquin Iglesias. The
senior stepped up with a
12-catch, 191-yard day, and now
he’ll be Sam Bradford’s number
one target from the start. Also
ready to play a bigger role is
tight end Jermaine Gresham, an
elite receiver with big-time NFL
upside. He has shown
inconsistent hands, but he has
played well over the last two
weeks with 10 catches for 145
yards and two touchdowns.
What will happen:
Oklahoma will have to take a few
big punches, but a big third
quarter run of points will end
the drama. Freeman will start to
make mistakes when pressed, and
the Sooner O will pounce.
CFN Prediction: Oklahoma
41 … Kansas State 27 … Line:
Oklahoma -19
Must See Rating: (5 SNL
with Palin – 1 Jose
Canseco: Last Shot) … 3.5
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Colorado (4-3) at Missouri (5-2),
6:30 EST
Why to watch: Missouri
has to pull up out of its
nosedive in a big hurry. Despite
losing to Oklahoma State and
Texas over the last two weeks,
those games were against the
South. The Tigers still control
their own Big 12 title destiny,
and if they play up to their
talent, they shouldn’t have a
problem over the next month
against as light a Big 12
schedule as they come with
Baylor, Kansas State and Iowa
State before the showdown
against Kansas. But first, the
team has to turn the switch back
on and get by a punchless
Colorado team that’s desperate
for some sign that the program
is about to become a player
again. This is a good Buff team,
but it picked a horrendous year
to have the Big 12’s worst
offense coupled with a decent,
but not great, defense. Last
week’s 14-13 win over Kansas
State saved the season and the
bowl dreams, but a win over
Missouri would do wonders for
the Dan Hawkins era. The Buffs
still have to face Oklahoma
State, but they have winnable
dates against Texas A&M, Iowa
State and Nebraska to finish up.
Why Colorado might win:
The only real chance is if
Missouri pulls a Wisconsin. The
difference being that Missouri
still has a shot to win the
conference title, so it has
something to play for, but it
can’t help but let down a little
bit after painful losses to
Oklahoma State and Texas.
There’s no way the Tigers can’t
look at this game as a letdown
and a possible win just by
showing up. Colorado has a
decent secondary that’s been
holding up well despite the lack
of a steady pass rush. This is
an active back seven that’s good
at not giving up too many big
plays.
Why Missouri might win:
Colorado doesn’t have any
offense. The Buffs are last in
the Big 12 in total offense,
last in scoring, and last in
passing offense. Mizzou averages
close to 205 yards per game more
than the Buffs. Basically, the
firepower isn’t there if the
Tigers can go on an early run.
The only way Colorado should be
able to keep up is by forcing
turnovers, and the Tigers don’t
give up too many unless they
brain-cramp. On the other side,
Missouri is great at getting
into the backfield, and Cody
Hawkins hasn’t shown he can
handle a steady pass rush.
That’s why …
Who to watch: … Tyler
Hansen is seeing more time. The
true freshman adds more flash to
the offense than Hawkins,
running for 86 yards last week
against Kansas State while
completing 7-of-14 passes for 71
yards and a touchdown with an
interception. Colorado will be
rotating its quarterbacks and
will need to keep the Tiger
defense on its heels, and the
offense on the sidelines.
What will happen:
Missouri will score on the first
two drives to effectively end
the fun before it gets started.
Colorado’s offense will sputter
once again.
CFN Prediction: Missouri
45 … Colorado 14 … Line:
Missouri -21
Must See Rating: (5 SNL
with Palin – 1 Jose
Canseco: Last Shot) … 3
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Texas A&M (2-5) at Iowa State
(2-5),
7:00 EST
Why to watch: The Big 12
is having a party, and Texas A&M
and Iowa State didn’t get their
invites. The two cellar dwellers
of the two divisions are the
only two Big 12 teams without a
conference win. Obviously, that
will change after this weekend,
and while there will still be
bowl hopes for the winner, even
if they’re dim ones, the loser
will be all but out of the hunt
for a post-season game. A&M has
lost three straight, but it
found an offense in the defeats
with Jerrod Johnson taking over
the attack and bombing away in
shootouts against Oklahoma
State, Kansas State and Texas
Tech. Oklahoma and Texas is
still on the slate, so there
will be more shootouts ahead to
gear up for. Iowa State could
only wish its offense could get
rolling in a shootout. The
defense has been consistent,
giving up 34, 35, 38 and 35
points per game over the last
our, all losses, while the
offense has gotten consistently
worse. There’s only one home
game after this week, but it
comes against Missouri. Iowa
State needs a win and it needs a
win now.
Why Texas A&M might win:
The Cyclone offense isn’t
equipped to keep up if A&M’s
offense starts to roll like it
did over the last few weeks.
Austen Arnaud is a bright,
rising playmaker leading the
Cyclone offense, but there isn’t
much of a passing game to rely
on. The offense has put up just
17 points over the last two
weeks against Baylor and
Nebraska; not exactly Oklahoma
and Texas when it comes to
defense. The Iowa State
secondary is struggling; Johnson
should be able to bomb away.
Why Iowa State might win:
Johnson should get knocked
around a bit. Head coach Gene
Chizik is good at bringing the
pressure from several spots
while Texas A&M’s offensive line
is giving up three sacks a game
and several more pressures. If
the Cyclones can finally get
their running game going, they
have a good stable of backs, the
floodgates should open up. A&M’s
defensive front has been pushed
around by power running game,
option attacks, and everything
in between. Iowa State should be
able to keep the A&M offense off
the field with long drives.
Who to watch: Someone has
to be on the other end of the
Jerrod Johnson passes. Redshirt
freshman Ryan Tannehill made a
few catches early on, coming up
with 16 grabs over the first
five games with two touchdowns
against Oklahoma State, and then
he blew up against Kansas State,
once Johnson got comfortable,
catching 12 passes for 210 yards
and a touchdown. He followed it
up with a nice five-catch,
104-yard, one score game against
Texas Tech. He’s a good deep
threat who finds ways to get
open, and he’ll be more and more
involved over the second half of
the year.
What will happen: Iowa
State is still a young team, but
eventually, it’ll have to start
showing some offensive
consistency. It’ll come this
week, but it won’t matter as the
A&M offense will throw its way
out of a few jams on the way to
an entertaining win.
CFN Prediction: Texas A&M
34 … Iowa State 24 … Line:
Iowa State -3
Must See Rating: (5 SNL
with Palin – 1 Jose
Canseco: Last Shot) … 2
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Big 12 Predictions, Oct.25,
Part 1 |