This upcoming week gives college football fans some exciting Big XII games this weekend, headlined by the Red River Rivalry. Texas vs. Oklahoma is one of the biggest rivalries in college football and draws a ton of fans and television viewers, regardless of what the projected outcome is. An under-the-radar game that could potentially be one of the most exciting games this weekend will be Texas Tech vs. Iowa State, which features two offenses that have found a good rhythm.
Here is a preview of each Big XII game.
#12 Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0 Big XII) vs. Texas (3-2, 2-0 Big XII) (in Dallas, TX)
The Red River Rivalry. One of the nation’s biggest and most well-known and attended rivalries. Held in Dallas the same weekend the Texas State Fair, the Texas-Oklahoma game is a huge hit with a lot of history. The first game was played between the two teams in 1900, and they have met a total of 107 times. with Texas leading the all-time series 59-43-5.
However, recent history has favored Oklahoma. Between 2000-2012, the Sooners have won eight of the 12 matchups, including the last three. And this year does not look to be to stray from these recent meetings.
The Sooners come in undefeated and ranked 12th in the country. Since Blake Bell took over at quarterback, their offense has been much more dynamic. Bell is a dual-threat quarterback, a style of quarterback that Texas has struggled with this season (see: BYU and Ole Miss). Bell, along with the Sooners’ stable of running backs will give the Longhorns more than they can handle.
Based on how each team has performed this season, don’t be surprised if this matchup has a similar result to last year. (Oklahoma won last season 63-21)
Predicted Winner: Oklahoma
#15 Baylor (4-0, 1-0 Big XII) vs. Kansas State (2-3, 0-2 Big XII)
Baylor has dismantled every opponent they've played this season. Their most recent victim was West Virginia, where Baylor put up 73 points and 846 total offensive yards. They have been unstoppable and they roll into Manhatten, Kansas this weekend to play an inconsistent Kansas State team who just transitioned to a new quarterback last week.
Daniel Sams, a quarterback with dangerous running ability, took nearly all of the snaps for the Wildcats last weekend against Oklahoma State. While his passing was average, he was electric running the ball. Unfortunately, whatever he did last week, will be nowhere near enough. Sams will have to be lights-out passing and running if Kansas State wants to remotely have a chance to keep up with Baylor.
The Bears are one of the most, if not the most, exciting teams in college football right now. Bryce Petty, Lache Seastrunk, Tevin Reese and Antwan Goodley have put up huge numbers in Art Briles' scheme and show no signs of slowing down. Seastrunk is averaging over 10 yards per carry and Petty has thrown for 1,348 yards and 10 touchdowns, while completing nearly 73% of his passes.
Predicted Winner: Baylor
Iowa State vs. #20 Texas Tech
Iowa State is coming off a game that they arguably won, but lost based on a replay, so they are coming into this game angry. They have fixed their early offensive woes, as quarterback Sam Richardson and running back Aaron Wimberly have helped give the Cyclones a balanced offensive attack that is hard to predict. Texas Tech, meanwhile, is coming off a game against Kansas, where they started slow but then rattled off 54 straight points.
Texas Tech will head into this week with a big question mark at quarterback. Last week, Baker Mayfield suffered a knee injury and left the game. While the injury is not major, there is no timetable on when he will return. The Red Raiders will either start Davis Webb, or junior Michael Brewer, who was originally expected to be the starter this season before suffering an injury in camp.
This game will not get the same coverage and notoriety that the Red River Rivalry, but it is shaping up to be an exciting, high-scoring affair.
Predicted Winner: Texas Tech
Kansas vs. TCU
TCU has been great defensively. They have done very well slowing down potent offenses like LSU, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. However, their offense has been incredibly stagnant and inconsistent. Trevone Boykin has not been able to effectively run the offense so far. However, if they are looking for a team to get a rhythm going, Kansas is the team to do it against.
Kansas has not won a Big XII game since 2010, when Colorado, Nebraska, Texas A&M, and Missouri were still part of the conference and TCU was still in the Mountain West, and it is unlikely that streak will end this week. Running back James Sims has only run for 309 yards this season, and he will be need to be the focal point on Saturday, as TCU’s secondary will shut down quarterback Jake Heaps and the Jayhawk passing attack. If Sims struggles like he did last week (only 28 yards rushing), Kansas could potentially get shutout.
Predicted Winner: TCU