What To Expect From College Football Week 6: Big 12

Big 12
Oklahoma gets Texas this week in the "Red River Shootout". The Sooners have won 3 straight in the series, but Texas always knows how to push the Sooners, and one fun note is that Texas has not lost a game since the Maryland debacle. Oklahoma had played poorly for 2 weeks up until blowing out Baylor last week, and they still got away with wins. A bad game by the Sooners this week could bite them and take away a playoff track.

West Virginia should roll against Kansas at home this week, and the entire state will be rooting wildly for Texas to take out Oklahoma. The Mountaineers are finally living up to expectations right now, and that could bode well as they get into the meatier part of their schedule in November. If they could get a leg up on the Sooners now by way of a Texas win, all the better.

Texas also knows that if they beat Oklahoma, they will find themselves in a position to be pushing for a Big 12 title game bid in December. Of course, winning out would be paramount, but a win against Oklahoma now, and say a win against West Virginia later, and Tom Herman turns off the heat.

Texas Tech is in an interesting position right now at 3-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play. A win against TCU would give them a winning record in Big 12 play, and would keep them one game from the top of the league. With some good bounces, you never know what could happen, and Kingsbury needs this win to sho people he can win when it counts, or win at all for that matter. A loss here would send TCU into a spiral as well.

Oklahoma State hates Iowa State, and for good reason. The Cowboys always crumble when in a pressure situation and playing the Cyclones. They are in yet another pressure spot, as they are 4-1 overall, but just 1-1 in conference play. A loss to Iowa State would basically severely damage the Cowboys moving forward, while getting ISU back in the game.

Kansas State is a mess, and there is a coaching staff at war with itself over the QB position. They still have a chance to claw back into the race, but this week's game at Baylor is an absolute must win situation for both teams. Baylor is coming off a blowout loss to Oklahoma last weekend, but is still better than expected, while Kansas State has come up well short of expectations. Maybe Bill Snyder should have called it quits after last season. Ego kills.

Coaches Who Need a Win This Week: Bill Snyder, Kansas State; David Beaty, Kansas; Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech