The Big 12 is touting its close football conference race, with eight teams standing within two games of each other at the top of the league standings. Barring some real chaos at the bottom of that group, though, the battles to watch involve Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Iowa State and Oklahoma, all of which are tied at 5-2, and one game back of league leader Texas. That quartet is battling to earn a bid to the conference championship game, but it would only take one upset of the Longhorns to really make things interesting.
- -- -- -- -
There are still plenty of passing yards being racked up in the league, as conference teams are combining to throw for nearly 249 yards per game, which stands third nationally. However, the ball is being spread around as never before, as receiving leader Javon Baker of UCF (790 yards) will fall short of the 1,000 yard mark unless he produces 210 receiving yards over his final two games. There's a strong possibility that the league won't produce a 1,000-yard receiver this year.
- -- -- -- -
The Big 12 has two of the four teams with three wins over current CFP Top 25 squads. Texas and Oklahoma State are in that group, along with Alabama and Washington.
- -- -- -- -
Cincinnati may be struggling overall, but the Bearcats got their first league win last week by holding Houston's high powered passing attack to just 32 first half yards last week.
- -- -- -- -
UCF’s 45-3 win over Oklahoma State marked its largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent in program history. The previous high was the Knights’ 38-13 victory over No. 19 Cincinnati on Nov. 17, 2018.
THE PICKS |
Sat Nov 18 | 11:00 AM CT | 10:00 AM MT |
BYU goes from an 8:15 evening local time kick last week to a 10 a.m. start this week. That may be their only chance to catch the Sooners napping, who awoke from a two-week stay in the doldrums with an offensive explosion against WVU. The Cougars just don't have enough firepower to stay with OU, even though the visitors might not be as fired up after getting back on track. |
Sat Nov 18 | 2:30 PM ET |
The Bearcats got their first Big 12 win against Cincinnati last week, and thus carry at least a bit of momentum into their road trip to WVU. It's been 12 years since UC and WVU, old Big East foes, have faced each other, and in this meeting the Mountaineers look to hold a bit of an advantage. They are playing for bowl positioning, while UC won't make the qualifying level of six wins, and the Mountaineers shouldn't be as stressed by the UC running game as it has by the passing abilities of some previous foes. WVU is the pick in their final home game of 2023. |
Sat Nov 18 | 2:30 PM CT |
It's been a disappointing season for both schools, which are separated by just 85 miles of Interstate 35. TCU is still alive for a bowl bid, but with Oklahoma on the slate next week that doesn't look likely, given that the Frogs need to win this week and next to reach that standard. They are just 1-5 in their last six games, but Baylor isn't much better at 2-4, with a one-point win over UCF and a two-pointer over Cincinnati. About the only thing on the line is getting one spot above the knot of five teams at 2-5 in the league standings. Based on not much of anything, the Bears get the nod on the road. |
Sat Nov 18 | 3:00 PM CT |
OSU's stunning blowout at the hands of UCF a week ago won't carry over to this game. Why? Because that's not the way that most games in the conference have played out this season. Teams have looked like high-level bowl material one week, and candidates for an early campus departure the next, so we're not picking a hangover for the Cowboys. OSU makes Dana Holgorsen's future tenure a bit more questionable with a road win. |
Sat Nov 18 | 5:00 PM ET | 4:00 PM CT |
It's a battle for bowl eligibility on the plains of West Texas. Road games are always a challenge, but UCF might find this one a little different than most. The Big 12 has a lot of schools in ranch country, but Lubbock presents a unique vibe, not to mention winds that can affect play significantly. The Red Raiders are the selection to get their third consecutive win. |
Sat Nov 18 | 6:00 PM CT |
The Sunflower Showdown is a pleasant name for a contest that has some strong feelings . Kansas absorbed an unexpected loss last week, and they'd love nothing more than to drag the Wildcats out of the race for a spot in the league championship. Such a pick is tempting, but after dropping last week's game at home, it doesn't seem out of order to select another. K-State continues on its quest to defend its league title. |
Sat Nov 18 | 7:00 PM CT |
Iowa State is often constructed to win games against teams with high-flying offenses and adjudged superior players. It has displayed many of those fundamental qualities in winning four of its last five games, but this year Texas doesn't look to have any of the toughness or mental strength issues that have kept it from reaching the top level of college football in recent years. There's a bigger gap between UT and ISU than in past seasons, and Texas moves to the cusp of a spot in the league title game with a win. |
Post a comment as Anonymous Commenter
Report
Watch this discussion.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.