Oklahoma (-11) vs. Texas - What should have been the biggest game of the weekend now looks like a fight for survival. The loser of this game will have two conference losses and is all but out of the race for the Big XII title. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy could still be woozy from last week making him vulnerable to the Oklahoma defense. The favorite in this game has won and covered the last four seasons so look for the Sooners to beat the spread.
Oklahoma State (+6.5) at Texas A&M - Dennis Franchione is no longer selling the secrets on how to beat his team. For that reason alone, Oklahoma State will not have a shot to pull off the upset here. The Aggies move to 2-0 in the conference and cover the spread. Aren’t you glad you didn’t pay $1,200 for that advice?
Likely Winners: Colorado (Baylor), Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech (Iowa State)
Likely Losers: Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas
Upset potential: Oklahoma State over Texas A&M, Kansas over Kansas State
"Hey, great idea, boss! Let's have nationally televised conference games at the same time as Game 1 of the MLB playoffs!"
"Excellent work, Dennis! You're getting a promotion!"
Parallel to the Red Sox/Angels and Cubs/Diamondbacks games Wednesday night were the Memphis-Marshall and Rice-USM games. Memphis kept Marshall winless in a highly emotional 24-21 win, honoring their slain teammate Taylor Bradford, who was shot and killed on-campus earlier this week. Meanwhile, Rice tried to stay winless, but they just couldn't blow a 31-7 lead. Southern Miss rattled off 22 unanswered fourth-quarter points to make it interesting, but the Owls held on 31-29. A failed two-point conversion was all that separated USM from a loss and an overtime game.
The Golden Eagles blew a great chance to lead the East. So now the ball's in UCF's court to make it 2-0 in the West with a win over East Carolina. ECU's no pushover, seeing as their normally sputtering offense kept up with Houston last week, so Central Florida's strong start to the season could be plundered by the scurvy dogs of Greenville, North Carolina.
In the West, Tulsa and UTEP may not be what one thinks of when talking about the Red River Shootout, but it is Texas and Oklahoma. No need to be picky here, it'll still be a shootout. These two teams combine to average 70 points a game and allow about 66. So it should be one of the more entertaining C-USA games of the year, and the winner advances to 2-0 in the division.
Article comments
1 - Pico
Josh:
Two things to look for with LSU/Fla. Number one will Tiger QB Matt Flynn be close enough to 100%? If not, that's where LSU will lose the game with turnovers, much as they did last year in the Swamp. Number two, can mlb Ali Highsmith and the rest of the Tiger front seven be effective at stopping Tebow's qb draws? Since Florida doesn't seem to be a running threat with their running backs, stopping Tebow will be crucial to stopping their running game. I expect the Gators to get a few big pass plays on LSU's man coverage but if they can't run, they can't win. Oh, and rain could be a factor, too.
BTW, one of this week's best SEC matchups was already played: #8 Kentucky losing at #11 S. Carolina 38-23. Woodson looked very mortal out there.