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Big 12 Rundown: Horned Frogs Poised for Another Leap
Can Surprising Kansas Win at Oklahoma?
Texas Christian should be getting used to being the showcase game of the week in the Big 12. For the second week in a row, TCU is part of a showdown of undefeated squads.
Fresh off handing Kansas its first loss of the season, TCU will look to do the same against Oklahoma State. A major difference is that Kansas wasn’t expected to be challenging for the Big 12 lead while Oklahoma State was viewed as one of the top contenders coming into the season.
The Jayhawks will have to shake off the loss to TCU when they travel to meet an Oklahoma team eager to atone for one of the most lopsided defeats in program history.
Oklahoma State is the lone Big 12 team ranked in the top 10 in both national polls. The Cowboys remained at No. 7 in the American Football Coaches Association poll while they dropped a spot to No. 8 in the Associated Press rankings. TCU jumped four spots to 13th in the AP poll and moved up from 18th to 15th in the coaches poll. Kansas State and Kansas are in the top 20 in both polls.
Oklahoma State (+250) and Texas Christian (+275) have the best odds to win the Big 12 title per the sportsbook followed by Kansas State (+425) and Baylor (+650).
The college football betting lines have Oklahoma State (+5000) eighth in the odds to win the national title.
Let’s check the latest NCAAF picks, stats, injury reports, and NCAAF predictions. We’ve plenty of NCAAF expert picks for you to consider.
Game of the Week
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs TCU Horned Frogs
- Game, time (TV): Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
- Line: TCU -4
Yet another challenge for the Horned Frogs, who have defeated preseason Big 12 favorite Oklahoma and previously undefeated Kansas in the last two weeks.
TCU is third nationally with an average of 530 yards per game. The improvement in the run game has been remarkable with the Horned Frogs going from 4.98 yards per rush a season ago to 6.61 in 2022 despite the transfer of leading rusher Zach Evans.
Kendre Miller has stepped into the lead back role with no hesitation. Quarterback Max Duggan not only has 14 touchdown passes and just one interception but is also the second-leading rusher.
A key for TCU will be how the Horned Frogs hold up against an Oklahoma State defense that is tied for second nationally with 51 tackles for loss. Mason Cobb, Tyler Lacy and Brock Martin all have at least six TFLs.
can’t imagine a more beautiful thing 🌽#DAT | @Cobb8Mason pic.twitter.com/E9DOFE1sBL
— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 10, 2022
On offense, Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders had his issues against ranked teams in 2021, with nine of his 12 interceptions coming in the four games against ranked opponents.
TCU has won the last two home games against the Cowboys and will be looking to atone for last year’s debacle when Oklahoma State scored 63 points. This is the first time since 2016 that the Horned Frogs are favored against Oklahoma State.
Four of the last five games in the series have gone over the college football odds total.
Baylor Bears vs West Virginia Mountaineers
- Game, time (TV): Thursday, 7 p.m. (FS1)
- Line: Baylor -3½
With the surprising starts by TCU and Kansas to go with some early stumbles from Oklahoma and Texas, defending Big 12 champion Baylor has been flying a bit under the radar after losses to Brigham Young and Oklahoma State.
The Bears are favored on the road against an improved West Virginia team that is led by former Georgia quarterback J.T. Daniels. Baylor answers with Blake Shapen, who has thrown for nine touchdowns with three interceptions to go with two scoring runs. The Bears do miss bruising running back Abram Smith.
The top receivers on both teams couldn’t be more different. West Virginia’s Bryce Ford-Wheaton averages just 11.8 yards on 35 receptions. Baylor’s Monaray Baldwin averages 21.8 yards per catch on just 12 catches.
It might come as a surprise to some who bet online to realize that West Virginia has won four of the last six games against Baylor. The Mountaineers have covered in three of the last four meetings.
Iowa State Cyclones vs Texas Longhorns
- Game, time (TV): Saturday, Noon ET (ABC)
- Line: Texas -17
Getting quarterback Quinn Ewers back after he missed the last three games was crucial for a Texas team that shook off its label as an underachiever with a convincing 49-0 win against Oklahoma.
Ewers threw four touchdown passes against Oklahoma. It could be a tougher test for Ewers and the Texas offense against an Iowa State team that leads the Big 12 in passing defense, allowing 186.5 yards per game. Texas isn’t far behind at 212 yards allowed in the first six games.
Three of the 10 players in the Big 12 with at least two interceptions are set to play in this game. Texas’ secondary is led by D’Shawn Jamison and Jahdae Barron while versatile Iowa State linebacker Colby Reeder also has a pair of interceptions.
Iowa State has won three games in a row against the Longhorns after dropping 13 of the previous 15 contests.
Kansas Jayhawks vs Oklahoma Sooners
- Game, time (TV): Saturday, Noon (ESPN2)
- Line: Oklahoma -8
This game should speak volumes about both teams.
Perennial Big 12 doormat Kansas has been one of the biggest surprises in college football and the Jayhawks could easily be heading into this game undefeated.
There are concerns about the status of Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels as it is looking like he could miss this huge matchup. However, Jason Bean came off the bench to throw four TD passes last week. The big loss for the Kansas offense if Daniels is out or even limited is his running ability, as he is the Jayhawks’ second-leading rusher behind Devin Neal.
Oklahoma could also be without its top quarterback as Dillon Gabriel was sorely missed in last week’s loss to Texas.
Oklahoma’s defense has some serious issues as no Big 12 team allows more rushing yards, total yards or yards per play than the Sooners.
Speaking of defense, keep an eye on Lonnie Phelps of Kansas, who is tied for the conference lead with 8½ tackles for loss.
Kansas is looking for its first win against Oklahoma since 1997. The Jayhawks have covered against the college football betting lines in four of the last five matchups.
