The Big 12 gets down to business this Saturday in Stillwater as the TCU Horned Frogs take the field against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Both teams come in undefeated and any National Title hopes rest on the game for these two ranked teams. Both teams have better than average defenses and a high scoring affair might happen. Yet it would not surprise me to see a lot of three and outs, and thus, a lower scoring game. Both teams have the players and coaching on defense to get the job done. Have the Frogs overcome their injury problems and will OSU also be healthy with defensive end Jimmy Bean a possible “out” for the Pokes? Trevonne Boykin is a difference maker for TCU and so are the pass catchers for OSU. What could be the difference is which secondary plays the pass effectively. Home field might not mean much as TCU plays tough on the road. Two winning programs that are on their game. I will take the Frogs in highly emotional game 36 to 29.
Oklahoma hosts Iowa State and I think this will be a closer game than many expect. The Cyclones have improved on defense and if they can get a measure of running the ball on OU and forcing some turnovers they can make it a fourth quarter game. OU wins in the final of 30-17.
Tonight Baylor is visiting Kansas State in the Little Apple. Will it be a good KSU team or the bad one that shows up? Can the new starting freshman quarterback at Baylor stay strong and make the plays? I would say Bears 42, Wildcats 17. Yes, the quarterback at Baylor will play a nice game tonight. Later in the month against OU, TCU and OSU, maybe not.
Texas Tech and West Virginia take to the field in Morgantown. Tech will score but West Virginia will get enough stops to win this one. Once West Virginia Head Coach Dana Holgorsen finds out that Tech cannot stop their running game the Mountaineers will pull away in the fourth quarter. West Virginia 52, Texas Tech 35.
Texas 42, Kansas 7. Horns get a win and Kansas is still Kansas. Poor Kansas…..lace them up and lets play some hoops please.
The Pick of the Litter:
Alabama at home for a SEC showdown with LSU. Defense will rule the day and the Crimson Tide takes this one 19 to 17. No, Alabama is not deserving of a 4th place ranking by the Playoff committee. But the SEC is a protected league and expect the Tide to be in the playoffs no matter who might stay undefeated in the other conferences. And don’t let the loss by LSU put them out either. As I said in the past, the SEC is a protected conference and that is the way of college football. Fraudulent is the word that comes to mind regarding the college football playoff system.
Florida State and Clemson go at it in South Carolina. Tigers continue to roll and take this game between the class of the ACC. Clemson 24, FSU 20
Notre Dame could be surprised at Pittsburgh by the Panthers. The Irish taste their second defeat with a 25 to 23 shocker.
Thursday, Nov. 5
Buffalo 27 at Kent State 21, 7 p.m., ESPN3
Ball State 14 at Western Michigan 31, 7:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Arkansas State 17 at Appalachian State 29, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
No. 2 Baylor 42 at Kansas State 17, 7:30 p.m., FOX Sports 1
No. 24 Mississippi State 17at Missouri 14, 9 p.m., ESPN
Nevada 31 at Fresno State 24, 10:30 p.m., ESPN2
Friday, Nov. 6
No. 23 Temple 46 at SMU 17, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Rice 21at UTEP 24, 8 p.m., CBS Sports Network
BYU 31at San José State 10, 11:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Saturday, Nov. 7
Akron 15at Massachusetts 14, noon, CBS Sports Network
Florida Atlantic 20 at Western Kentucky 49, noon
UCF 21 at Tulsa 38, noon, ESPNN
Penn State 27 at Northwestern 20, noon, ESPNU
Illinois 24 at Purdue 34, noon
UNC Charlotte 17 at Florida Intl. 14, noon
Texas Tech 35 at West Virginia 52, noon, FOX Sports 1
Duke 13 at No. 21 North Carolina 21, noon, ESPN2
Vanderbilt 7 at No. 11 Florida 38, noon, ESPN
Kentucky 17 at Georgia 27, noon, SEC Network
No. 8 Notre Dame 23 at Pittsburgh 25, noon, ABC
Syracuse 2 at Louisville, 12:30 p.m., ESPN3
N.C. State 28 at Boston College19, 12:30 p.m., ESPN3
No. 9 Stanford 42 at Colorado 24, 1 p.m., Pac-12 Network
Louisiana-Lafayette 32 at Georgia State 36, 2 p.m., ESPN3
Eastern Michigan 21 at Miami (OH) 7, 2:30 p.m., ESPN3
Idaho 27 at South Alabama 21, 3 p.m., ESPN3
Colorado State 21 at Wyoming 14, 3 p.m., ESPN3
Virginia 17 at Miami (Fla.) 20, 3 p.m., ESPN3
No. 17 Florida State 20 at No. 3 Clemson 24, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Arkansas 21 at No. 19 Ole Miss 31, 3:30 p.m., CBS
Army 14 at Air Force 30, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU
Arizona State 27 at Washington State 34, 3:30 p.m., FOX Sports 1
No. 10 Iowa 37 at Indiana 19, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Wisconsin 40 at Maryland 7, 3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
Rutgers 17 at No. 16 Michigan 34, 3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
No. 5 TCU 36 at No. 12 Oklahoma State 29, 3:30 p.m. FOX
North Texas 10 at Louisiana Tech 38, 3:30 p.m.
Marshall 34 at Middle Tennessee 27, 3:30 p.m.
Cincinnati 20 at No. 18 Houston 35, 3:30 p.m., ESPN2
Louisiana-Monroe 21 at Troy 31, 3:30 p.m. ESPN3
Utah State 46 at New Mexico 22, 330 p.m., CBS Sports Network
New Mexico State 24 at Texas State 28, 4 p.m., ESPN3
Connecticut 12at Tulane 17, 4 p.m. ESPNN
South Carolina 13 at Tennessee 18, 4 p.m., SEC Network
No. 22 UCLA 51 at Oregon State 17 , 4:30 p.m.
Hawaii 17 at UNLV 21, 6 p.m.
Navy 21 at No. 15 Memphis 27, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Old Dominion 17 at Texas-San Antonio 18, 7 p.m.
Iowa State 17 at No. 14 Oklahoma 30, 7 p.m., ESPNU
No. 6 Michigan State 34 at Nebraska 7, 7 p.m., ESPN
No. 13 Utah 28 at Washington 17, 7:30 p.m., FOX
Auburn 24at No. 25 Texas A&M 31, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
South Florida 15 at East Carolina 31, 7:30 p.m.
No. 4 LSU 17 at No. 7 Alabama 19, 8 p.m., CBS
Kansas 7 at Texas 42, 8 p.m., Longhorn Network
Minnesota 17 at No. 1 Ohio State 27, 8 p.m., ABC
California 27 at Oregon 25, 10:30 p.m., ESPN/ ESPN2
Arizona 15 at USC 34, 10:30 p.m., ESPN/ ESPN2
Top Photo Credit: The LSU Tigers will play the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015. http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/games/2015lsvsbama/
