Sooners and Cowboys: Not the year for a Championship? Ohio State/Penn State pick; Alabama Still the best?

Penn State and Ohio State National Feature game of the week; Bama holds on to Number One;  Big Twelve Review;  TCU best in  Big Twelve as others follow;  Okla. State over West Virginia?

The only Big Twelve team still undefeated is TCU. Do I expect the Horned Frogs to continue to stay perfect and get one of the four spots in the National playoffs at the end of the regular season?  No. And I do not think that the other teams in the conference with a chance to make that quartet, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, will either.  With such a competitive league, I expect OU and OSU to lose another game and TCU to also lose in conference. West Virginia can continue their run with a win over Okla. State this week an Iowa State is now a force also.  The Big Twelve runs six deep right now.  The league is now such a better one with more than one or two outstanding teams.

Big Twelve:  Where they stand

TCU:  Best defense in the league and had the opportunity to play and beat Okla. State when the Pokes were all beat up on the offensive line. Must be OU in Norman and a possible rematch with OSU could go bad for them. Look for the Frogs to make the conference title game with one loss.

Oklahoma:  Again showed weakness in a one touchdown win in Manhattan over an average K-State team.  Coach Riley almost over-coached himself into a loss and the Sooners were lucky to win.  There is a lack of getting fired up for a complete game for the Sooners and that is what it will take here on out.  This team has no ground to give in games with TCU, OSU, and West Virginia.  The Sooners will not be favored in all these games and Riley will not surprise Coaches Patterson, Gundy and Holgorsen.  On a positive note, Sooner quarterback Baker Mayfield is the best player in the country. Will he win the Heisman? Does it really matter?  Baker Mayfield is the best player in the country sports fans.

Oklahoma State:  Bright spot on the defense as it took a great effort to beat Texas for the fifth time in a row in Austin.  The Cowboys are the first school in history to do this and that is not chicken salad.  The offensive line will be the part of this team that people will look back in ten, twenty years to explain how this team lost two, maybe three games with such a high-powered offense.  The Texas gave OSU all they wanted Saturday and should have beat the Pokes.  With little respect to the Horns, poor Texas.

West Virginia:  The hillbillies of the eastern countryside are very good this year and even with two loses, on in conference, they control their own Big Twelve destiny.  A win this Saturday on the Cowboys puts them where they need to be, still in contention.

Iowa State: Holding the best win in conference this season, Iowa State is like the team above, in control if they continue to win and win out.  The best coaching job, so far, in the league, has been by Matt Campbell.  TCU better be prepared for an offense that is clicking in Iowa State Saturday.

Texas:  Beat Iowa State but lose to OU and OSU in conference play has almost taken them out of the Big Twelve picture with West Virginia, TCU, and Tech still to play.  Can Texas make a bowl game is the question and a six up and six down record will not be easy. Texas’s offense is not good.

Texas Tech:  Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury better get some wins somewhere. This coach is going to go down with this ship if they don’t make a bowl.

Kansas State:  I predict this will be the end of head coach Bill Snyder’s career.  The loss to OU Saturday was tough on the old man and at 78 it is time for his son  to take the reigns.

Baylor: The Bears might be the best no win team that has gained my respect ever.  They will beat KU and this will be rock bottom.  They are not that bad and never under-estimate them. Texas, you hear that?

Kansas:  This is one bad team.  I can not tell you what they need to do in Lawrence.  It is sad.

Fred’s Big Twelve Rankings

1. TCU

2. Oklahoma State

3. Iowa State

4. Oklahoma

5. West Virginia

6. Texas

7. Kansas State

8. Texas

9. Baylor

10. Kansas

This weeks games:

Oklahoma will hurt Texas Tech but won’t shut them out.  Sooners 48 and Red Raiders 28

Oklahoma State and West Virginia in Morgantown will be highly competitive and exciting. West Virginia has the better of this one as the offensive line continues to give OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph protection fits by the mad pass rush by the home team. Turnovers will let the Mountaineers slip in here with a 43 to 41 victory.  This would not, for me, be an upset.

It would not surprise me in the least to see Baylor win their first game this weekend at home against Texas.  Texas should win so I will take the Horns in a rather intriguing game, 41 to 34.  But I sure would not say this was written in stone.

Kansas State travels over to the Lawrence and will pick the feathers off a dead Jayhawk.  Wildcats in a walk 52 to 0.

TCU better be totally prepared for Iowa State in Ames. This might be the biggest game at Jack Trice in the past twenty years.  I won’t pick an upset here but I sure would be worried if I was a Horned Frog fan.  It will be close and right now ISU is playing as good as TCU. Frogs win in a tight fit 24 to 16.

Last week:  5-0; Season:  34-10

Fred’s National Top Twenty-five

1. Alabama

2. Penn State

3. TCU

4. Georgia

5. Notre Dame

6. Wisconsin

7. MIami, Fla

8. South Florida

9. Oklahoma

10. Clemson

11. Oklahoma State

12. Clemson

13. Virginia Tech

14. Ohio State

15. North Carolina State

16. Washington State

17. Washington

18. Univ. of Central Florida

19. Michigan State

20. West Virginia

21. Iowa State

22. Auburn

23. Memphis

24. Arizona State

25. LSU

Game Predictions of the week

Memphis 31 and Tulane 20  (Friday)

SMU 41 and Tulsa 33  (Friday)

Wisconsin 32 at Illinois 7

Miami, Fla 36 at North Carolina 19

Michigan 35 and Rutgers 14

Ole MIss 38 and Arkansas 30

Penn State 26 at Ohio State 20

Georgia 21 at Florida 9

North Carolina State 27 at Notre Dame 24

Washington 31 and UCLA 24

Michigan State 19 and Northwestern 18

South Florida 48 and Houston 24

Univ. of Central Florida 62 and Austin Peay 13

aTm 31 and Mississippi State 24

Virginia Tech 35 and Duke 14

Purdue 30 and Nebraska 29

Clemson 21 and Georgia Tech 14

Washington State 39 at Arizona 18

Feature Photo:  OU’s Baker Mayfield (Photo: Scott Sewell, USA TODAY Sports)