Archive for November, 2012

It has been quite the wild ride in the Big 12 this year. From high flying shootouts to Heisman Trophy Candidate, Collin Klein, the Big 12 has had its share of bright moments in 2012. Here is how the final week of the regular season will play out.

BYE WEEK: Iowa State Cyclones, Texas Tech Red Raiders

No. 23 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-4, 5-3) vs. Baylor Bears (6-5, 3-5)
(Floyd Casey Stadium; Saturday – Noon; FX)
Game Overview: Both of these programs in 2012 have faced adversity and have found ways to overcome it. Looking at Oklahoma State, the fact that they were down to their third string quarterback and found a way to get to seven wins speaks volumes about the Cowboys program. Even with Clint Chelf throwing the ball around the field the Oklahoma State offense remained nationally ranked in the top five in total offense. What Mike Gundy has done at that program in eight years just shows the stability that they have in Stillwater. As for Baylor, they flat out just could have quit on the season. Sitting at 4-5 going into the Kansas State game, Baylor could have given up, but by beating K-State it propelled them to beat Texas Tech which got them bowl eligible. When these two teams meet tomorrow be prepared for another Big 12 shootout. Baylor ranks second nationally in total offense while Oklahoma State ranks fifth. Both teams put up a ton of points. For Baylor the game will go through their quarterback, Nick Florence and his receiver Terrance Williams, Lanear Sampson and Tevin Reese. The three of those receivers all have big ability and have long touchdowns of 80 yards, 67 yards and 65 yards respectively. And for Oklahoma State their offense goes through junior running back Joseph Randle. The talented back, Randle has rushed for over 1000 yards for the second straight season and has 14 touchdowns this year. Expect offensive fireworks in Waco tomorrow.
Coach Speak: One of those guys providing offensive fireworks is Baylor Wide Receiver and Biletnikoff Finalist, Terrance Williams. The emerged Baylor star has hauled in 89 catches for 1693 yards and 12 touchdowns. On the Big 12 Coaches Teleconference, Baylor head coach Art Briles pointed to the fact that he knew something like this could happened. “It might have been a question on a lot of people’s mind, who was going to step in, but we certainly knew on this campus,” said Briles, “He’s been a workhorse ever since he stepped on campus five years ago. We certainly are not surprised by his production.”
Key Matchup: Oklahoma State Secondary vs. BU QB Nick Florence; If there is one thing, Nick Florence has been susceptible to it has been interceptions. Florence has thrown 13 interceptions and in four games this year has thrown multiple interceptions. Now, if the Oklahoma State secondary, guys like Justin Gilbert and Brodrick Brown can force Florence to make mistakes, the Pokes will be in good position to win the game.
Prediction: Baylor Bears 52, Oklahoma State Cowboys 47

No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners (9-2, 7-1) vs. TCU Horned Frogs (7-4, 4-4)
(Amon Carter Stadium; Saturday – Noon; ESPN)
Game Overview: When Oklahoma travels to TCU this Saturday, the Sooners will be playing for a probable at-large BCS berth along with the chance to have their third straight season with ten wins. The Sooners have squeaked out of two shootouts by beating West Virginia in Morgantown 50-49 and by beating rival Oklahoma State 51-48 in overtime. In those two games Oklahoma’s offense has been thriving, the Sooners have put up 600 plus yards of total offense the past two weeks and show no sign of slowing down. Quarterback Landry Jones has been playing probably his best football of the year putting up massive stats the past couple of weeks. Add the fact that they will have a solid run game with Dominic Whaley, Damien Williams and Brennan Clay means that Oklahoma could be putting up big numbers again this week. As for TCU, Gary Patterson’s bunch have a shot at an eight win season, something that nobody really though would happen for them because of all the tough situations they were put in. In addition to all the off the field issues they had, TCU has the played the most freshmen in the country. With redshirt freshman, Trevone Boykin figuring out how to play the quarterback position, TCU has found solid offense with Boykin and running back BJ Catalon. Also their young defensive star, Devonte Fields combined with veteran Stansly Maponga has created a lethal pass rush for TCU. They have a shot at playing spoiler this week against Oklahoma.
Coach Speak: As mentioned, Landry Jones is playing top notch football right now. In the past two games Jones has thrown for 1054 yards along with nine touchdowns. Coach Bob Stoops feels that it was only a matter of time before it happened. “Well I’ve seen it for a long time with Landry. He’s a great quarterback very skilled, incredible arm, he’s got poise. The fun part really for the whole second half of this season, is that he’s trusting all of his receivers,” said Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops, “When you can go through your reads and don’t have to force the ball to any one guy it really helps you. He really trusts all of them and he’s doing a great job reading things out and getting it to the right guys.”
Key Matchup: Oklahoma’s OL vs. TCU’s DL; Both of these groups are very good and have played at a high level this season. Devonte Fields and Stansly Maponga are tough matchups for any offensive line though. Add the big guys, Chucky Hunter and Davion Pierson in the middle of those two and that matchup is an offensive line’s matchup. Fields leads the group with nine sacks, but the team as whole has an astounding 26 so Oklahoma’s offensive line which has been inconsistent at times will have their hands full.
Prediction: Oklahoma Sooners 38, TCU Horned Frogs 27

Kansas Jayhawks (1-10, 0-8) vs. West Virginia Mountaineers (6-5, 3-5)
(Milan Puskar Stadium; Saturday – 2:30 PM; FSN)
Game Overview: The lowly Kansas Jayhawks come into Morgantown with one thing in mind, to get a first Big 12 win. For West Virginia it is Senior Day at Milan Puskar Stadium for 21 guys that have done a lot for the program. WVU has to give Kansas no reason to believe that they can win this game. The Jayhawks will come in with a strong run-oriented offense. Kansas loves to run the football. Almost Georgia Tech or Navy like in a sense that the run to pass ratio is a lot compared to a little. The Jayhawks in games against Texas Tech rushed the ball 57 times compared to throwing it just fifteen times and Texas rushed the ball 56 times and threw the ball just nine. To say Kansas leans on their run game would be an understatement. The Jayhawks literally feed their running backs, James Sims and Tony Pierson. For West Virginia, just looking at what this senior class has done: the class has won 34 games, two Big East Titles, an Orange Bowl Championship and star players Geno Smith and Tavon Austin have rewritten West Virginia football record books. This Saturday they’ll be focused on beating Kansas and leaving Mountaineer Field on winning note. They can do that by exploiting the Jayhawks defense through the air. Throughout the season Kansas has been prone to giving up the big play. With WVU’s firepower with Smith, Austin and Stedman Bailey if WVU gets out to a quick start early there will be no looking back against a Kansas team that has every reason to quit. For the West Virginia defense this is a chance to shine against a unit that doesn’t do anything too crazy. If WVU’s defense can just key the run, it should be a fairly easy game for WVU.
Coach Speak: At Tuesday’s press conference Coach Holgorsen made it clear that this game does have a purpose. “There is a big difference in 7-5 and 6-6 in our minds. We will work our tail off to get as prepared as we can,” said Holgorsen, “We are ready to get back to work here today. We are finishing up the regular season. We have to keep pressing forward.” A win likely puts WVU in a warm weather Holiday Bowl in San Diego where as a loss probably puts them in a cold weather Pinstripe Bowl in New York. For Holgorsen and the players they want nothing but the warm weather.
Key Matchup: Kansas’ Run Game vs. WVU’s Run Defense; Kansas runs, runs and runs some more with the football. James Sims has 200 carries for 985 yards and 8 touchdowns, Tony Pierson has 110 carries for 755 yards and 4 touchdowns while third string guy Taylor Cox has 88 carries for 475 yards and 3 touchdowns. West Virginia brings in the nationally ranked 40th run defense. This should be a good matchup for WVU’s defensive line that has vastly improved throughout the year under Erik Slaughter and linebackers like Isiah Bruce, Doug Rigg and Jared Barber who have been consistent all year.
Prediction: West Virginia Mountaineers 44, Kansas Jayhawks 20

No. 18 Texas Longhorns (8-3, 5-3) vs. No. 6 Kansas State Wildcats (10-1, 7-1)
(Bill Snyder Family Stadium; Saturday – 8:00 PM; ABC)
Game Overview: That TCU loss really has to sting for the Texas Longhorns because instead entering this game with two losses; the Longhorns enter with three and very well could leave with four losses. If the Longhorns who are still under consideration as an at-large for a BCS bowl game wants any shot they have to take down Kansas State who is playing to win the Big 12 title outright and an automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl. For Texas, they will start Case McCoy at quarterback for the first time this season because of the rib injury to David Ash. For McCoy it has to be a tough time to make a first start especially since that Kansas State defense is stingy. Texas will rely heavily on the run game with Malcolm Brown, Joe Bergeron and Jonathan Gray just to keep the ball out of Heisman Trophy Candidate, Collin Klein’s hands. That is the only way Texas will win this game because Collin Klein will take this game over against Texas’ very average defense. Its senior day in Manhattan and Klein is on a mission, he will try to make a final statement in the Heisman race. Also the Wildcats will be trying to beat Texas for the fifth straight time. Bill Snyder has had Mack Brown’s number and once again the Wildcats’ are the favorites.
Coach Speak: About his team understanding what is at stake this Saturday, Bill Snyder said on the coaches teleconference, “They weren’t born yesterday these are young guys that understand what’s at stake for this ball game. How much drive is put in front of us, we’ve met and I’ve certainly shared that with them. It’s not something I have to beat the drum on every day, they realize what’s at stake,” said Snyder.
Key Matchup: Texas RB’s vs. K-State LB’s; Strength on strength here between Texas’ talented running backs Brown, Bergeron and Gray against K-State’s tough-minded linebackers Arthur Brown, Jarrell Childs, and Nick Briney. Whoever wins this battle will win the game. If these linebackers are able to force fumbles and make plays like they have all year long, K-State will be Fiesta Bowl Bound.
Prediction: Kansas State Wildcats 31, Texas Longhorns 21

WVU QB Geno Smith

WVU WR JD Woods

WVU OG Josh Jenkins

WVU LB Jared Barber

WVU QB Coach Jake Spavital

WVU CB Coach Daron Roberts

WVU Head Football Coach Dana Holgorsen

WVU Head Basketball Coach Bob Huggins

On Thanksgiving and Black Friday, Big 12 teams were abnormally playing defensive football. TCU and Texas both failed to score over 20 points while on Friday WVU and Iowa State dealt with high winds with led to both defenses slowing down the others’ pass game. But then on Saturday it was back to classic Big 12 as Cowboys Stadium saw a great overtime shootout between Baylor and Texas Tech, while Bedlam between OU and OK State was one for the ages with Landry Jones and Joseph Randle provided offensive fireworks.

1. Kansas State Wildcats (10-1, 7-1; BYE; Last Week: 1st)
Kansas State probably benefited from the BYE. It might not have been good if they had to go right back out a week later and try to win after falling as the number one team in the country. Now with the BYE they had an extra week of preparation to get ready for their showdown with Texas. Even though they’ve lost their National Title shot, they still have a lot to play for. They be outright Big 12 champs and represent the conference in the Fiesta Bowl. With a senior class that won 33 games at K-State, the Wildcats will be prepared for Saturday’s showdown with the Longhorns.

2. Oklahoma Sooners (9-2, 7-1; Win vs. Oklahoma State, 51-48; Last Week: 2nd)
Landry Jones has thrown for 500 yards in each of the last two games. Jones has thrown for 400 plus in three of the last four games. With Landry Jones playing his best football of the season, Oklahoma’s offense looks untouchable. Jones is in sync with Kenny Stills, Jalen Saunders and Trey Millard who all seem to be making big plays when Jones finds them on the field. Millard could be the best fullback in the country. Oklahoma finishes their season with TCU. If the Sooners can get a win against the Horned Frogs, Oklahoma with ten wins will be an attractive at-large team for the BCS.

3. Texas Longhorns (8-3, 5-3; Loss vs. TCU, 20-13; Last Week: 3rd)
Now just when everyone thought the Longhorns were going to turn the corner, they go out and lay an egg against TCU. Yes, is TCU stout defensively, but turning the ball over four times is not going to help the cause. David Ash had another head scratching game throwing for just 110 yards and one interception while backup Case McCoy came in and threw a pair of picks. Mack Brown’s team now has to go on the road to an angry K-State team to finish out the season. Odds are the Longhorns finish with four losses.

4. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-4, 5-3; Loss vs. Oklahoma, 51-48; Last Week: 4th)
Man Oklahoma State pushed Oklahoma to the brink in Norman, but came up just short. The Cowboys got a great performance from senior running back Joseph Randle who finished the game with 113 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. Mike Gundy has done a lot with, other than Randle and a couple other pieces, a young team. The ability just to be a good program has Oklahoma State playing a very high level. The Cowboys finish up their season against Baylor this Saturday.

5. TCU Horned Frogs (7-4, 4-4; Win vs. Texas, 20-13; Last Week: 6th)
The job Gary Patterson has done in 2012 could be the best job he has done in his career. Dealing with all the distractions of changing conferences, drug suspensions, Casey Pachall and playing the most true freshman country, it is hard to fathom how TCU has won so many games. Winning a Thanksgiving game on the road in Austin just proves that this TCU team is going to be very good for a long time. TCU’s won on the road now in Austin, Morgantown and Waco, which shows this team has a mental toughness. The Frogs finish up the season at home with Oklahoma.

6. Baylor Bears (6-5, 3-5; Win vs. Texas Tech, 52-45; Last Week 9th)
It has been a remarkable two weeks for Baylor. This is a team that could have quit with really a slim chance a bowl game, but the Bears have buckled up and earned that right to go to a bowl game. The Bears have two straight wins, last week against No. 1 Kansas State and this week against a good Texas Tech team, the Bears are playing better football. The great offense at Baylor continues to shine with Nick Florence and Terrance Williams. The Bears have a shot to finish with seven wins, they take on Oklahoma State in the season finale this week.

7. West Virginia Mountaineers (6-5, 3-5; Win vs. Iowa State, 31-24; Last Week: 8th)
Snapping a five game losing streak had to feel good for the Mountaineers. Just simply finding a way to win was what was important for West Virginia. Once again, Tavon Austin sparked WVU by taking a touch pass from Geno Smith for 75 yards to the end zone for a score. From there the West Virginia defense was able to keep Iowa State at bay. Now that WVU is bowl eligible, they should be able to get to seven wins with lowly Kansas coming to Morgantown to finish the season this Saturday.

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5, 4-5; Loss vs. Baylor, 52-45; Last Week: 5th)
The Red Raiders certainly his their peak earlier in the season and really just limp into the a bowl game. Texas Tech lost their last four of five games after winning their first six of seven, so really a sour note to end with for Tech. Regardless the Red Raiders are bowl eligible and will wait to see how the final weekend plays out to see where they end up going to a bowl. Odds are it’ll be the Buffalo Wild Wings, Holiday, or Car Care Bowl for Tech.

9. Iowa State Cyclones (6-6, 3-6; Loss vs. West Virginia, 31-24; Last Week: 7th)
Paul Rhoad’s team didn’t make it easy for WVU and played really well at times. Freshman quarterback Sam Richardson showed the ability to get outside the pocket with his feet and make elusive plays. Richardson ran for 119 yards against West Virginia. The Cyclones have a BYE the final week of the season, so they like Texas Tech will play the waiting game to see where they end up going bowling.

10. Kansas Jayhawks (1-10, 0-8; BYE; Last Week: 10th)
Kansas has one more shot to get that lone conference win. If Charlie Weis can dial up a way to run the football effectively against a decent run fitting WVU defense, the Jayhawks have a shot to make that happen. Kansas has been close a couple of times this year to getting that conference win with tough a four point loss to Texas and overtime heart breaker against Texas Tech.

Rivalry week is always the greatest weekend of the season, so many thrilling games regardless of the records. Notre Dame solidified its spot in the BCS National Championship by beating rival USC. Both Alabama and Georgia took care of business against their rivals Auburn and Georgia tech setting up an SEC Championship determining who will take on Notre Dame. Here’s how latest projections look.

BCS BOWL GAMES
BCS National Championship – BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2
(Monday Jan. 7th – 8:30 PM – Sun Life Stadium)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
What a season by Brian Kelly and his Irish, finishing undefeated leaves no question marks in terms of getting the National Championship. Maybe the greatest run of going from unranked to start the season, all the way to number one by the end of the regular season, what Notre Dame did this year was special. Their defense led by Manti Te’o, Louis Nix and Dan Fox provided the Irish with a defense that could slow any opposing offense down. Winning on away from Notre Dame Stadium in Ireland in Week One against Navy, in East Lansing against at the time No. 10 Michigan State, in Norman against then No. 8 Oklahoma and finally yesterday capping the season in the Coliseum against a USC team with nothing to lose proved the Irish worthy of a trip to South Beach. For Alabama, they absolutely annihilated poor Auburn in the Iron Bowl. The Tide’s 49-0 win has them ready for the SEC Championship Game against Georgia. If they get by Georgia, Alabama will return to the National Title for the third time in four seasons.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – BCS Big 12 No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Thursday Jan. 3rd – 8:30 PM – University of Phoenix Stadium)
Kansas State Wildcats vs. Oregon Ducks
The Wildcats come off the BYE week, ready to take on Texas in the final game of the regular season. K-State is out of the title picture for sure now that Notre Dame clinched a spot in the game, so the best the Wildcats can do is clinch the Big 12 conference and go to the Fiesta Bowl. K-State should be ready to take on Texas who has been inconsistent all year long. If Collin Klein and company do that, they’ll be in the Fiesta Bowl. For Oregon, it stinks the Ducks won’t play for a Pac-12 Championship because that means no Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Regardless, Chip Kelly’s squad will get at at-large bid into a BCS game because of their body of work. Oregon is done for the regular season, but a blowout win against rival Oregon State in the Civil War is sill a nice way to end the season.

Allstate Sugar Bowl – BCS SEC No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Wednesday Jan. 2nd – 8:30 PM – Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Florida Gators vs. Oklahoma Sooners
It is weird how things work because Florida lost to Georgia in the regular season, but Georgia is going to lose their second game of the season when they play Alabama in the SEC Title Game this Saturday, so because of that Florida gets the nod with one loss to play as the SEC’s representative in the Sugar Bowl. The Gators looked awfully good running the ball with Mike Gilislee against hated rival Florida State en route to a 37-26 victory in Tallahassee. For Oklahoma it may not have been the year they wanted to have, but they’ve won two straight overtime games against WVU and Oklahoma State, while in those games Landry Jones has looked really good. Oklahoma is a nice draw in the BCS and will be a good matchup for Florida.

Rose Bowl Game – BCS Big Ten No. 1 vs. BCS Pac-12 No. 1
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 5:00 PM – Rose Bowl)
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Stanford Cardinal
For all the talk about how bad the Big Ten has been, Nebraska has won game they should have won. Their only losses have come to Ohio State, who didn’t lose a game this season and UCLA who is playing for a Pac-12 title. The Cornhuskers have just won games in a down Big Ten. The Cornhuskers should be able to beat Wisconsin who they beat 30-27 earlier this year in Saturday Big Ten Title Game. As for Stanford, that win against Oregon last week has done wonders because now Stanford looks like they will play in the Rose Bowl. If they can beat UCLA for the second straight week they’ll get to do that.

Discover Orange Bowl – BCS ACC No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Tuesday Jan. 1 – 8:30 PM – Sun Life Stadium)
Florida State Seminoles vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The Seminoles didn’t look great against Florida, but then again not many teams have this season. If they weren’t out of the title picture yet, now they are for sure, but for FSU it doesn’t really matter because they should be able to steam roll Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship. And for the Big East’s Bid, boy did Rutgers blow a golden opportunity. With Louisville falling to UConn, all Rutgers would have had to do is beat Pitt and they already would have clinched the Big East’s berth. Now since Rutgers lost to Pitt, they’ll have to play Louisville in a de facto Big East Title game this Thursday night in Piscataway. The winner of the game will be Orange Bowl bound.

NON BCS BOWL GAMES
GoDaddy.com Bowl – MAC No. 1 vs. Sun Belt No. 2
(Sunday Jan. 6th – 9:00 PM – Ladd-Peebles Stadium)
Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves

BBVA Compass Bowl – SEC No. 8/9 vs. Big East No. 5/C-USA
(Saturday Jan. 5th – 1:00 PM – Legion Field)
Ole Miss Rebels vs. Pittsburgh Panthers

AT&T Cotton Bowl – Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3/4
(Friday Jan. 4th – 8:00 PM – Dallas Cowboys Stadium)
Texas Longhorns vs. LSU Tigers

Heart of Dallas Bowl – Big 12 No. 8 vs. C-USA No. 5
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – Noon – Cotton Bowl)
Iowa State Cyclones vs. SMU Mustangs

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl – Big Ten No. 4/5 vs. SEC No. 6
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – Noon – EverBank Field)
Wisconsin Badgers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

Capital One Bowl – Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 1:00 PM – Florida Citrus Bowl)
Michigan Wolverines vs. Georgia Bulldogs

Outback Bowl – Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3/4
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 1:00 PM – Raymond James Stadium)
Northwestern Wildcats vs. Texas A&M Aggies

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl – ACC No. 6 vs. SEC No. 7
(Monday Dec. 31st – Noon – LP Field)
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Hyundai Sun Bowl – ACC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 4
(Monday Dec. 31st – 2:00 PM – Sun Bowl)
Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Oregon State Beavers

AutoZone Liberty Bowl – C-USA No. 1 vs. Big East No. 5/SEC No. 8/9
(Monday Dec. 31st – 3:30 PM – Liberty Bowl)
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Bowling Green Falcons

Chick-fil-A Bowl – ACC No. 2 vs. SEC No. 5
(Monday Dec. 31st – 7:30 PM – Georgia Dome)
Clemson Tigers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl – C-USA No. 3 vs. MWC No. 4/5
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 11:45 AM – Amon G. Carter Stadium)
East Carolina Pirates vs. Air Force Falcons

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – Navy vs. Pac-12 No. 6
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 3:15 PM – AT&T Park)
Navy Midshipmen vs. Arizona State Sun Devils

New Era Pinstripe Bowl – Big 12 No. 7 vs. Big East No. 4
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 3:15 PM – Yankee Stadium)
Baylor Bears vs. Syracuse Orange

Valero Alamo Bowl – Pac-12 No. 2 vs. Big 12 No. 3
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 6:45 PM – Alamodome)
UCLA Bruins vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl – Big 12 No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4/5
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 10:15 PM – Sun Devil Stadium)
TCU Horned Frogs vs. Michigan State Spartans

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl – ACC No. 7 vs. SEC
(Friday Dec. 28th – 2:00 PM – Independence Bowl)
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks* vs. San Jose State Spartans*

Russell Athletic Bowl – Big East No. 2 vs. ACC No. 3
(Friday Dec. 28th – 5:30 PM – Florida Citrus Bowl)
Louisville Cardinals vs. NC State Wolfpack

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas – Big 12 No. 6 vs. Big Ten No. 6
(Friday Dec. 28th – 9:00 PM – Reliant Stadium)
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Purdue Boilermakers

Military Bowl – Army vs. ACC No. 8
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 3:00 PM – RFK Stadium)
Ohio Bobcats* vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders*

Belk Bowl – ACC No. 5 vs. Big East No. 3
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 6:30 PM – Bank of America Stadium)
Duke Blue Devils vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl – Pac-12 No. 3 vs. Big 12 No. 5
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 9:45 PM – Qualcomm Stadium)
USC Trojans vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

Little Caesars Bowl – Big Ten No. 7 vs. MAC No. 2
(Wednesday Dec. 26th – 7:30 PM – Ford Field)
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Kent State Golden Flashes

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – C-USA No. 2 vs. MWC No. 5
(Monday Dec. 24th – 8:00 PM – Aloha Stadium)
Central Florida Knights vs. Fresno State Bulldogs

R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – Sun Belt No. 1 vs. C-USA No. 6
(Saturday Dec. 22nd – Noon – Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs*

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl – MWC No. 1 vs. Pac-12 No. 5
(Saturday Dec. 22nd – 3:30 PM – Sam Boyd Stadium)
Boise State Broncos vs. Arizona Wildcats

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl – Big East No. 6 vs. C-USA No. 4
(Friday Dec. 21st – 7:30 PM – Tropicana Field)
Ball State Cardinals* vs. Rice Owls

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl – BYU vs. MWC No. 2
(Thursday Dec. 20th – 8:00 PM – Qualcomm Stadium)
BYU Cougars vs. San Diego State Aztecs

Gilden New Mexico Bowl – MWC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 7
(Saturday Dec. 15th – 1:00 PM – University Stadium)
Nevada Wolfpack vs. Washington Huskies

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – WAC No. 1/2 vs. MAC No. 3
(Saturday Dec. 15th – 4:30 PM – Bronco Stadium)
Utah State Aggies vs. Toledo Rockets

By upsetting Kansas State, Baylor has set up a situation where the Big 12 Conference could have nine bowl eligible teams. Now the K-State probably won’t go to the National Title Game, the Big 12 will have one team represent the conference in the Fiesta Bowl and the next best school will get an at-large bid.

1. Kansas State Wildcats (10-1, 7-1; Loss vs. Baylor, 52-24; Last Week: 1st)
If there was a team that could have handled being number one or shrugged off the supposed Sports Illustrated Jinx, most would have said Bill Snyder’s team could handle it. Unfortunately for K-State they couldn’t handle the pressure of being number one and had the wheels come off against a potent Baylor offense. Yes, the Wildcats had their injuries, Ty Zimmerman sat out, and Tyler Lockett dressed but didn’t play a ton, but K-State uncharacteristically made some mistakes. They committed seven penalties and lost the turnover battle, both something that rarely happens with this team. Regardless, if K-State beats Texas after the BYE week the Wildcats will make a trip to the Fiesta Bowl.

2. Oklahoma Sooners (8-2, 6-1; Win vs. West Virginia, 50-49; Last Week: 2nd)
Oklahoma survived a wild game in Morgantown, but their defense did get exploited by WVU’s offense. Nevertheless, Landry Jones was cool under pressure and dominated a bad West Virginia defense. Jones threw the ball all over the field throwing for 554 yards and six touchdowns. Four of those six went to Kenny Stills who caused problems for WVU all day. Oklahoma is looking more and more like the team people thought they would be before the season. The Sooners still have a shot at getting that at-large BCS bowl bid, if they can beat rival Oklahoma State and take down TCU on the road.

3. Texas Longhorns (8-2, 5-2; BYE; Last Week: 3rd)
The week off has given Texas some time to heal up. Mack Brown made that clear during the weekly teleconference. Now that Texas is all healed up they should be poised for a Cotton Bowl run if they can beat TCU on Turkey Day and if they play well against Kansas State on the final Saturday of the season, the Longhorns will have a date in Jerry’s World.

4. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-3, 5-2; Win vs. Texas Tech, 59-21; Last Week: 5th)
Oklahoma State has turned into one of the most consistent programs across the country. What Mike Gundy has been able to accomplish in his eight plus years there, makes what Oklahoma State’s doing so impressive. The fact that the Cowboys were down to their third string quarterback, Clint Chelf and have rattled off two straight wins with Chelf against WVU and Texas Tech, just shows that Gundy’s system is understood by all of his players. This Cowboys team is young too which means they should be working to just get better for next year in addition to whatever bowl game they get selected to.

5. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-4, 4-4; Loss vs. Oklahoma State, 59-21; Last Week: 4th)
The Red Raiders have been really inconsistent over the past month of the season. Since beating West Virginia, Texas Tech have lost three of five and a Red Raider defense that was in the top fifteen in the country has given up 40 plus points in three of those games. Despite that Seth Doege is still playing well during the latter part of his senior year. The Red Raiders will get to go to a lower tier bowl game.

6. TCU Horned Frogs (6-4, 3-4; BYE; Last Week: 6th)
After a much needed BYE, playing ten consecutive weeks, the Horned Frogs are set to play Texas on Thanksgiving. Gary Patterson has done so much with this freshman latent team especially when looking all the things have happened in the program. A win in Austin against Texas would just add already to what TCU has done this season.

7. Iowa State Cyclones (6-5, 3-5; Win vs. Kansas, 51-23; Last Week: 8th)
Bowl eligible for a second straight season, took it to the Kansas Jayhawks with a different style of play this past week. Paul Rhoads decided to play Sam Richardson, who hadn’t taken a snap all year, and it paid off. Richardson threw 250 yards and four touchdowns. The Cyclones will either go to the Car Care Bowl or Pinstripe Bowl depending on how they play against West Virginia this Saturday.

8. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-5, 2-5; Loss vs. Oklahoma, 50-49; Last Week: 7th)
Tavon Austin was special on Saturday night against Oklahoma. Scoring two touchdowns, his 344 rushing yards, 82 receiving yards and a Big-12 record setting 572-all purpose yard performance gave WVU a spark that they had been looking for all season long. WVU’s offense clicked like it did earlier in the season putting up 778 yards of total offense, but the defense and missed extra point gave the game away. WVU now losers of five straight, have to win against either Iowa State or Kansas if they want to be bowl eligible. The last time the West Virginia didn’t go to a bowl game was the 2001 season.

9. Baylor Bears (5-5, 2-5; Win vs. Kansas State, 52-24; Last Week 9th)
All of a sudden Baylor is probably going to be bowl eligible. With games left against a Texas Tech team not playing its best football and Oklahoma State, the Bears who everyone thought was down and out pulled off a great upset against Kansas State. What the Bears were able to do defensively has to be one of the shocks of the season. Having given up 35 plus points in five out of their six conference games coming in, being able to hold Collin Klein and company to just 24 was incredible.

10. Kansas Jayhawks (1-10, 0-8; Loss vs. Iowa State, 51-23; Last Week: 10th)
Just get through the season. The Jayhawks need the BYE week to prepare for West Virginia on the final week of the season. If KU can somehow beat WVU, they’ll be able to salvage that one conference win.

Another wild weekend in college football shakes the BCS picture completely. Out of the championship picture for now is Oregon who loss to Stanford and Kansas state who fell to Baylor. So now insert Notre Dame and once again Alabama or Georgia, the winner of the SEC championship.

BCS BOWL GAMES
BCS National Championship – BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2
(Monday Jan. 7th – 8:30 PM – Sun Life Stadium)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Finally, Notre Dame is getting some respect. Yes, it took K-State and Oregon losing, but Brian Kelly’s squad is staring square in the face of a trip to Miami for a trip the National Title. The Irish finally shut doubters up by blowing out Wake Forest. This year when Notre Dame should have maybe blown out an opponent, they haven’t. But with a 38-0 shutout win over Wake, gave Notre Dame some style points. Also add the fact that the Irish defense has yielded more than 17 points only once says a lot about this Irish team. If Notre Dame can get by a down rival USC team this week they’ll for sure be in Miami. Now looking at Alabama, the Tide if they win next week against Auburn in the Iron Bowl and then in the SEC Championship game, Alabama will return to the National Championship for a second straight season.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – BCS Big 12 No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Thursday Jan. 3rd – 8:30 PM – University of Phoenix Stadium)
Kansas State Wildcats vs. Oregon Ducks
Poor Bill Snyder, if there was any team that could handle being, it should have been Kansas State. Coming into their game with Baylor, Kansas State was the most disciplined team in the country. Against Baylor they committed seven penalties. Also, the Wildcats were the nation’s leader in turnover margin. Against Baylor, Collin Klein threw three interceptions. And finally a defense that had been dominant all year, got run off the field by Baylor’s potent offense. Nevertheless, K-State will still win the Big 12 title and get to the Fiesta Bowl. As for Oregon, their loss was equally as bad. Coming into their game with Stanford they we’re nation’s leading offense in points scored. Stanford held those mighty Ducks to 14 measly points in a soggy Eugene. Now that Stanford has the tie breaker, Oregon will likely take an at large bid and take on K-State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Allstate Sugar Bowl – BCS SEC No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Wednesday Jan. 2nd – 8:30 PM – Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Florida Gators vs. Oklahoma Sooners
The Gators will also benefit from Oregon’s and K-State’s loss because now that the SEC Championship game winner is headed to the national title means that the loser will have two losses which then puts a one-loss Florida team ahead. Because of that the Gators will head as the SEC’s representative in the Sugar Bowl and go to their first BCS Bowl game since the 2009 Sugar Bowl. As for Oklahoma, the Sooners will get an at-large, because a Florida-Oklahoma matchup is very attractive. The Sooners proved that they can win in a tough situation. Though it was close, yesterday what they did to hold off WVU was impressive.

Rose Bowl Game – BCS Big Ten No. 1 vs. BCS Pac-12 No. 1
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 5:00 PM – Rose Bowl)
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Stanford Cardinal
The Cornhuskers will be the Big Ten Champs. After five straight wins, the Cornhusker are running away with the Leaders Division and has a tie breaker over Michigan. If Nebraska can beat Wisconsin who will represent the Legends Division because Ohio State is ineligible then it’ll be a trip to the Rose Bowl for Nebraska. On the Pac-12 side of things, Stanford helped themselves by beating Oregon because now Stanford holds the Pac-12 North tie-breaker over Oregon and Stanford will play for a Pac-12 Championship likely against UCLA who they also play the final week of the regular season. Stanford will go to their third straight BCS bowl game.

Discover Orange Bowl – BCS ACC No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Tuesday Jan. 1 – 8:30 PM – Sun Life Stadium)
Florida State Seminoles vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The ‘Noles have an outside shot at the National Title now that there are a bunch of one-loss teams, but in a weaker ACC they won’t get in. Add that fact that they’ll probably lose to Florida next week, sends the ‘Noles will go to the Orange Bowl as the ACC Champion. For the Big East’s automatic bid, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will be in their first BCS Bowl Game in school history.

NON BCS BOWL GAMES
GoDaddy.com Bowl – MAC No. 1 vs. Sun Belt No. 2
(Sunday Jan. 6th – 9:00 PM – Ladd-Peebles Stadium)
Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks

BBVA Compass Bowl – SEC No. 8/9 vs. Big East No. 5/C-USA
(Saturday Jan. 5th – 1:00 PM – Legion Field)
Ole Miss Rebels vs. Connecticut Huskies

AT&T Cotton Bowl – Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3/4
(Friday Jan. 4th – 8:00 PM – Dallas Cowboys Stadium)
Texas Longhorns vs. LSU Tigers

TicketCity Bowl – Big Ten No. 7 vs. C-USA No. 5
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – Noon – Cotton Bowl)
Bowling Green Falcons vs. Middle Tennesseee Blue Raiders

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl – Big Ten No. 4/5 vs. SEC No. 6
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – Noon – EverBank Field)
Wisconsin Badgers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

Capital One Bowl – Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 1:00 PM – Florida Citrus Bowl)
Michigan Wolverines vs. Georgia Bulldogs

Outback Bowl – Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3/4
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 1:00 PM – Raymond James Stadium)
Northwestern Wildcats vs. Texas A&M Aggies

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl – ACC No. 6 vs. SEC No. 7
(Monday Dec. 31st – Noon – LP Field)
Duke Blue Devils vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

Hyundai Sun Bowl – ACC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 4
(Monday Dec. 31st – 2:00 PM – Sun Bowl)
Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs. USC Trojans

AutoZone Liberty Bowl – C-USA No. 1 vs. Big East No. 5/SEC No. 8/9
(Monday Dec. 31st – 3:30 PM – Liberty Bowl)
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Missouri Tigers

Chick-fil-A Bowl – ACC No. 2 vs. SEC No. 5
(Monday Dec. 31st – 7:30 PM – Georgia Dome)
Clemson Tigers vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl – C-USA No. 3 vs. MWC No. 4/5
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 11:45 AM – Amon G. Carter Stadium)
East Carolina Pirates vs. Air Force Falcons

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – Navy vs. Pac-12 No. 6
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 3:15 PM – AT&T Park)
Navy Midshipmen vs. Washington Huskies

New Era Pinstripe Bowl – Big 12 No. 7 vs. Big East No. 4
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 3:15 PM – Yankee Stadium)
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Syracuse Orange

Valero Alamo Bowl – Pac-12 No. 2 vs. Big 12 No. 3
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 6:45 PM – Alamodome)
UCLA Bruins vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl – Big 12 No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4/5
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 10:15 PM – Sun Devil Stadium)
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl – ACC No. 7 vs. SEC
(Friday Dec. 28th – 2:00 PM – Independence Bowl)
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Baylor Bears

Russell Athletic Bowl – Big East No. 2 vs. ACC No. 3
(Friday Dec. 28th – 5:30 PM – Florida Citrus Bowl)
Louisville Cardinals vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas – Big 12 No. 6 vs. Big Ten No. 6
(Friday Dec. 28th – 9:00 PM – Reliant Stadium)
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Michigan State Spartans

Military Bowl – Army vs. ACC No. 8
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 3:00 PM – RFK Stadium)
Ball State Cardinals vs. Virginia Tech Hokies

Belk Bowl – ACC No. 5 vs. Big East No. 3
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 6:30 PM – Bank of America Stadium)
NC State Wolfpack vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl – Pac-12 No. 3 vs. Big 12 No. 5
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 9:45 PM – Qualcomm Stadium)
Oregon State Beavers vs. TCU Horned Frogs

Little Caesars Bowl – Big Ten No. 8 vs. MAC No. 2
(Wednesday Dec. 26th – 7:30 PM – Ford Field)
San Jose State Spartans vs. Kent State Golden Flashes

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – C-USA No. 2 vs. MWC No. 5
(Monday Dec. 24th – 8:00 PM – Aloha Stadium)
Central Florida Knights vs. San Diego State Aztecs

R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – Sun Belt No. 1 vs. C-USA No. 6
(Saturday Dec. 22nd – Noon – Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Arkansas State Red Wolves vs. Marshall Thundering Herd

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl – MWC No. 1 vs. Pac-12 No. 5
(Saturday Dec. 22nd – 3:30 PM – Sam Boyd Stadium)
Boise State Broncos vs. Arizona Wildcats

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl – Big East No. 6 vs. C-USA No. 4
(Friday Dec. 21st – 7:30 PM – Tropicana Field)
Ohio Bobcats vs. Rice Owls

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl – BYU vs. MWC No. 2
(Thursday Dec. 20th – 8:00 PM – Qualcomm Stadium)
BYU Cougars vs. Fresno State Bulldogs

Gilden New Mexico Bowl – MWC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 7
(Saturday Dec. 15th – 1:00 PM – University Stadium)
Nevada Wolfpack vs. Arizona State Sun Devils

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – WAC No. 1/2 vs. MAC No. 3
(Saturday Dec. 15th – 4:30 PM – Bronco Stadium)
Utah State Aggies vs. Toledo Rockets

WVU Head Coach Dana Holgorsen

WVU Offensive Coordinator/WR Coach Shannon Dawson

WVU WR Tavon Austin

WVU FB/WR Cody Clay

Now as the stretch run starts to shape up it’ll be interesting to see what happens throughout Big 12 country this weekend. Games between Texas Tech and Oklahoma State , WVU and Oklahoma will determine the bowl picture. And the game between Baylor and K-State has National Title implications for the Wildcats. Here’s how it will play out:

BYE WEEK: Texas Longhorns, TCU Horned Frogs

No. 23 Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-3, 4-3) vs. No. 24 Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-3, 4-2)
(Boone-Pickens Stadium; Saturday – 3:30 PM; FSN)
Game Overview: This is a game of two teams that have surprised a lot of people this season. Before the season the Red Raiders were supposed to be fighting to stay out the conference basement, while Oklahoma State started the season with an ugly loss nonconference loss to Arizona which included 15 penalties and four turnovers from the Cowboys in the game. So is it a little surprising that these two are playing perhaps for the right to go to the Alamo Bowl or an outside the Cotton Bowl? Absolutely, Texas Tech has played well and consistently led by their senior quarterback Seth Doege. The Tech gunslinger, Doege has torn up opposing defenses throwing for 3345 yards and 34 touchdowns this year. He’s been almost impossible for opposing defenses to get a strangle hold on. In addition, the Raider defense could be in for a bounce back performance after last week’s not-so-great showing against Kansas. This week against Oklahoma State they’ll face an offense identical to West Virginia’s offense. Earlier this year that Tech defense held WVU to only 14 points offensively. On the other side of the football the Cowboys will either go with Wes Lunt or Clint Chelf tomorrow at quarterback. In their weekly game notes, both Lunt and Chelf are listed as the number one guy, so Coach Gundy could go either way on that. Regardless, it is pretty amazing how Oklahoma State has been able to overcome the quarterback carousel that they’ve had to deal with this year. The Cowboys have been very good in winners of their last four of five.
Coach Speak: Last week in Texas Tech’s game against Kansas, during the third quarter Coach Tommy Tuberville, got upset after Tech was penalized for too many men on the field. At that point Tuberville took his frustration out on assistant coach Kevin Oliver and slapped the headset off of Oliver’s head. At his weekly press conference, Tuberville addressed the incident. “After watching the film when I got home, it was obvious what a lot of people were upset about. It upset me, too. You don’t do things like that, and it was obvious I reached up, grabbed his headset and pulled on it, in the heat of the battle, some things happen, and sometimes you’d like to take back,” Tuberville told local media. “We’re fighting hard. I’ve apologized to Kevin. We talked. Of course, we talked 30 seconds after that for the rest of the game, because I talk to him more on the headset than I do anybody else because he helps me chart special teams.”
Key Matchup: Texas Tech Run Defense vs. OK State RB Joseph Randle; If Oklahoma State wants to win this one, they will have to run the ball successfully against Texas Tech’s run defense. Last week Tech gave up 390 yards on the ground to Kansas, the week before gave up 163 yards rushing to Texas and against K-State gave up 193 rushing yards. Now Joseph Randle has been fantastic who’s rushed for over 1000 yards already. Expect Randle to run wild on this Tech defense.
Prediction: Oklahoma State Cowboys 51, Texas Tech Red Raiders 44

Iowa State Cyclones (5-5, 2-5) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (1-9, 0-7)
(Memorial Stadium; Saturday – 7:00 PM; FSN)
Game Overview: Paul Rhoads’ Iowa State Cyclones are within one win of being bowl eligible for the second straight season. The Cyclones have caused a lot of trouble to Big 12 opponents and have worked hard to get back to bowl eligibility status. They have been very good on defense as the only team in the Big 12 besides Oklahoma to not give up forty points to an opponent all year long. Iowa State will need a performance from their backs Shontrelle Johnson and James White in order to keep pressure off of Steele Jantz or Jared Barnett. When Kansas has the football expect the Jayhawks to pound it. The quarterback play at Kansas has been awful, so Charlie Weis has leaned heavily on James Sims and Tony Pierson. And despite the terrible record if Kansas who averages 213 yards on a ground a game, can control the clock maybe they have a shot to get the first conference win.
Coach Speak: “It’s something that you don’t have to talk about, it’s something that media likes to talk about that sixth win and bowl eligibility, but teams and coaches don’t need to, we can count. We realized when that games comes and what that means,” said Iowa State Coach Paul Rhoads about the idea of clinching another bowl berth.
Key Matchup: Iowa State LBs vs. KU RBs; After losing Jake Knott, it is pretty obvious that Iowa State has lost a lot at not only the linebacker spot, but as a defense. This week Iowa State needs other guys like AJ Klein and Jeremiah George to step up because if they don’t those two backs, Sims and Pierson could have another good day for Charlie Weis.
Prediction: Iowa State Cyclones 23, Kansas Jayhawks 14

No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners (7-2, 5-1) vs. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-4, 2-4)
(Milan Puskar Stadium; Saturday – 7:00 PM; FOX)
Game Overview: West Virginia has the opportunity to play spoiler this weekend when No. 12 Oklahoma comes to town. WVU has a shot to knock Oklahoma out of the BCS bowl picture. Since Kansas State is in line to go to the national championship, Oklahoma would be that next team into represent the Big 12 in the Fiesta Bowl. OU has played outstanding pretty much throughout the season except for losses to K-State and Notre Dame led by their defense, run game and smart play from Landry Jones. Oklahoma’s defense ranks 20th nationally in total defense and has slowed some of the better offenses in the conference. With athleticism all around, Oklahoma’s defense will lean on their one on one matchups, not only in the secondary but up front as well. As for the OU offense, between Damien Williams, Brennan Clay, Dominic Whaley and Blake Bell, the Sooners will try to control the clock by running the ball with those guys to open the passing game with Landry Jones. If they have their way with the WVU defense, the game will be over quickly. As for West Virginia, offensively they have to keep up with Oklahoma and defensively they have to force Landry Jones to turn the football over. If West Virginia can handle that, it is possible that the Mountaineers can win in a shootout. West Virginia’s offense against TCU and Oklahoma State has resembled the group that the nation saw the first five weeks of the season. The past two weeks Geno Smith has thrown for 624 yards and 5 touchdowns with a healthy Stedman Bailey and dynamic Tavon Austin at receiver. But if WVU wants to be the offense that puts up 50 plus points they need production from the run game. During the four game losing streak, West Virginia has only averaged 93 yards on the ground. In order for the offense to operate at the highest level WVU has to find balance this week.
Coach Speak: “We’re still fighting for the same thing that you were a week ago, that we were a couple weeks ago, which is too get better each week, try to win the game and try to improve your bowl status and figure out why we play this game that we love,” WVU Head Coach Dana Holgorsen said earlier this week, “We’re looking for bodies that play with a tremendous amount of effort because it means a lot to them. We will continue to look for guys that bring effort, bring energy get out there and play hard because playing the game of football means a lot to them.” Holgorsen reiterated this throughout the week. With departures of Travers Copeland and Ivan McCartney, guys like Cody Clay and Ryan Nehlen who Holgorsen refers to as “try hard” guys have to step up.
Key Matchup: Oklahoma CBs vs. WVUs WRs; Oklahoma loves its one-on-one matchups, especially in the secondary. This week those guys Aaron Colvin and Demontre Hurst, who are extremely talented will be matched up with two Biletnikoff Award Finalists in Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. This could serve well for West Virginia because the best guy will win these matchups. It is tough to pick against the speed of Austin and Bailey. In one on one situations these guys will be even tougher to stop then when they up against a zone defense. If West Virginia does win this game, it’ll be because Austin and Bailey both had huge games along with WVU quarterback Geno Smith.
Prediction: Oklahoma Sooners 52, West Virginia Mountaineers 45

No. 1 Kansas State Wildcats (10-0, 7-0) vs. Baylor Bears (4-5, 1-5)
(Floyd Casey Stadium; Saturday – 8:00 PM; ESPN)
Game Overview: Kansas State is steamrolling towards a National Title. Now number one in the BCS for first time in school history and number in any poll for the first time since 1998, the Wildcats just have that feel of a national title bound team. Led by Heisman frontrunner Collin Klein who has 2020 yards passing, 748 yards rushing and 31 total touchdowns playing behind an offensive line that doesn’t make mistakes means that K-State’s offense will continue to have success this week against the nation’s worst defense, the Baylor Bears. Baylor’s offense can score with anyone in the country, but that might be mute this week because of how sound K-State’s defense is. Against spread type teams, K-State held Oklahoma to 19 points, WVU to 14 points, Texas Tech to 24 and Oklahoma State to 30. So if Nick Florence will have to play out his mind in order to beat Kansas State. The Wildcats still lead the nation in turnover margin and are still the least penalized team in the country and until that changes, neither Baylor nor Texas next week will be able to keep K-State from the title game.
Coach Speak: “You know I’m honored and pleased to be where we are, but things aren’t any different,” said Kansas State Head Coach Bill Snyder about being number one in the country. “It isn’t anything that we are paying a lot of attention to, and we’re just honored to be there.” The Wildcats will continue their business-like approach en route to a national title. Snyder knows how to handle success and because of that his team has learned how to handle success.
Key Matchup: K-State DB Ty Zimmerman vs. Baylor QB Nick Florence; It’ll be interesting to see if Florence keeps tabs on where Zimmerman is on the field during the game tomorrow night. Florence has been prone to the interceptions, having thrown 11 picks this season and more than one pick in three games. Now, Zimmerman is an absolute ball hawk, being the nation’s fifth leading guy interceptions with five this season. If Florence turns the ball over to Zimmerman or any of the K-State defenders it’ll be a long a night for the Bears.
Prediction: Kansas State Wildcats 43, Baylor Bears 21