TCU vs. Oklahoma State Preview & Prediction

“It’s unbelievable”, TCU coach Gary Patterson said.

That stretch of the season begins this weekend.

As a result, the collective remaining schedule will allow the Big 12 contenders to play their way up. Even if my favorite team is playing, I still analyze both sides to see who has the edge and what they can do to come out successful against one another. Phantom Calls calls aside, Oklahoma State played three very underwhelming games in a row; at Texas, Kansas State, and at West Virginia.

This week features what is easily the biggest game of the season, to date, for the Cowboys. Freshman running back Joshua Thomas also gets carries for the Cyclones, and has 205 yards and six touchdowns.

There is no team more desperate for a win than West Virginia.

“I don’t think the conference needs help, but if that’s an image or perception, then yeah”, Briles said. It’s gotten better, he said. “That’s why he is the way he is”.

Even though both programs are undefeated, this still feels like a David vs. Goliath game to me. “The same can be said for Josh and quite a few others”.

The Frogs will be up against a unit led by a duo of quarterbacks, sophomore starter Mason Rudolph and senior reserve J.W. Walsh. I’ve finally come to the realization that Lego Man Yurcich at his fastest will never look like more than a jog compared to the Holgerson and Monken offenses of the past. That’s partly explained by not scheduling an FCS opponent this season, although the Utes faced downtrodden Fresno State and exploited Oregon’s defense for 630 yards. After welcoming TCU to Boone Pickens Stadium, the Cowboys will host Baylor and Oklahoma.

Sheperd is riding a 23-game reception streak and is coming off a 2014 season which saw him lead the team with 737 receiving yards.

Last year was the third year and TCU’s only loss was at Baylor, a 61-58 donnybrook won by the last team with the ball.

Vanderbilt at No. 10 Florida (-19), Noon: Vanderbilt’s defense is giving up just 18.5 points per game. The Cyclones have to win three out of their last four, but they also have to play three out of their last four games on the road. But injuries and attrition seems has led to a perceived weak defense that may be holding the Frogs back.

You can’t turn on the SEC Network without hearing somebody utter “Ole Miss still controls its own destiny.’ True enough, and the Rebels handled a tough chore last week against Auburn”. “I’d use the word “a grind” is what we have to do”.

Where the committee ranks the Bears on Tuesday will tell us a lot. A large reason for that is the squad’s success at getting to the quarterback. The Cyclones (3-5, 2-3) are almost four-touchdown underdogs going to Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1), which is still in contention for its ninth Big 12 title and maybe a spot in the playoff. The Cowboys’ resiliency could be put to the test during their next couple of games. He recorded his ninth sack of the season in Saturday’s win at Texas Tech, and he has at least one sack in 13 of the Cowboys’ 16 games. Defensive ends Emmanuel Ogbah and Jimmy Bean have combined for 14 1-2 sacks and 24 tackles for losses.

“If they can play at the level they need to for us, then we’ll have a chance to win more of those games than we lose”, Patterson said. After playing to a 1-1 tie following two overtime periods, the Bears moved on to the semifinals by winning the shootout, 7-6.

The College Football Playoff Committee released its intial rankings this week and guess what, the rankings don’t matter. The team with the best record in November will win the Big 12 and have the best opportunity to represent the conference in college football’s playoff. Oklahoma State has won three of the last four meetings against the Frogs.

The offense will in all likelihood have to win this game for the Frogs.

Iowa State’s offensive numbers this season are very comparable to what they are allowing opponents on defense. The Frogs rely on the air-raid style offense, but that all starts with protecting Boykin. Granted they’re not in the redzone as much as most teams are, as they create more big plays than most teams do, but again, for the Horned Frogs to boast the 63rd-best red zone offense in the country is worrisome, especially given how polished they are elsewhere.