Photo cred: Jon Walker / Stillwater News Press
Managed to pull another game closer to Trent last week. This one could be pivotal, but I have a feeling that with this year’s Big 12—teams 3-9 seem to vacillate on a weekly basis, with the new teams plus Baylor alternating as bottom-feeders—as far as our so-called Whiskey Cup competition goes, may very well be alive into late November. Trent had a big lead through Weeks two and three; things have since evened out. I don’t want to say much else lest hubris lead me astray.
Trent last week: 3-2 (.600)
Nate last week: 4-1 (.800)
Trent overall: 46-19 (.707)
Nate overall: 45-20 (.692)
UCF 27, No. 6 Oklahoma 42. This is one of my favorite conference games of this strange season, the one year of the Big 12-as-Big 14, mostly because I find it funny for mighty OU being forced to claim UCF as a conference opponent and therefore, in a sense, a peer, even if it’s just for this one time. Added richness comes from OU’s starting QB, Dillon Gabriel, being a transfer from the self-same Orlando school. I have a strange feeling that even though this game is at OU, it might get a bit weird, though I won’t go so far to say that the Citronauts mange an actual upset. UT aside, the Sooners have floated past everyone else on their schedule: a bit of a hangover is due, either this week or next week at Kansas. After that looms Bedlam.
Baylor 20, Cincinnati 23. Baylor, even more than the Pokes or Cyclones at this point—considering that both OSU and ISU seem to have recovered themselves somewhat—seems to be the one so-called legacy Big 12 team that has no idea at all who it is, what it’s doing, or where it’s headed. Thus, in their first ever meeting, out of these two 2-4 squads, I’m taking the Bearcats at home.
Oklahoma State 33, West Virginia 23. Coming into last season’s rain-drenched home loss to the Mountaineers, OSU had beaten WVU in seven straight. West Virginia seemed to figure some things out in the passing game last week, which makes me a touch nervous for the Pokes, since OSU’s pass coverage in the first three quarters against KU last week didn’t look it would’ve been able to knock down a ball thrown by a four-year-old.
No. 8 Texas 35, Houston 20. This is Texas’s first meeting with Houston in just over two decades, a 41-11 led by a coach named Mack Brown. The overall record is 16-7-2; curiously enough, the Horns lost four of five to the Cougs from 1987-1991. Don’t see it happening this week.
Texas Tech 32, BYU 28. Tech is, despite the lack of results, a team that seems on the cusp. The Red Raiders are 3-4 but three of those losses have come by one score (at Wyoming, against Oregon, and at WVU). Of course, losing close games has been Nebraska’s problem for years now, and no one would’ve mistaken NU for a good team in that time. Can the Red Raiders overcome the Cougars? I’m not a real big fan of picking against the home team in a close one, but it’s where I’m headed this week.
TCU 38, Kansas State 41. These teams’ last meeting was in the Big 12 championship game—at 4-3 and 4-2 respectively, this was not the start either TCU or KSU wanted. The Frogs recovered nicely last week from its loss to Iowa State by blowing out BYU. K-State likewise bounced back from losing to OSU by making a change at quarterback and rolling to a nice victory against Texas Tech. K-State is 9-8 all-time against TCU and, including last year’s title game, has won four of the last five against the Frogs.