Assessing Oklahoma State and the Big 12 race
This week marks the halfway point for the Longhorns in Big 12 play. And the race is shaping up interestingly.
[Get FOUR MONTHS of Inside Texas Plus for $1!]
TCU – 3-0
K-State – 3-0
Texas – 3-1
Oklahoma State – 2-1
Kansas – 2-2
West Virginia – 1-2
Baylor – 1-2
Texas Tech – 1-2
Oklahoma – 1-3
Iowa State – 0-4
This week’s slate of games should provide longer term clarity for the conference.
Kansas at Baylor (-10) at 11am on ESPN2
This is a must-win for Baylor as injuries have begun to take their toll on the Jayhawks new found success.
West Virginia at Texas Tech (-6) at 2pm on FS1
The Mountaineers are not a good road team and Tech typically plays much, much better at home.
Texas (-6) at Oklahoma State at 2:30pm ABC
The Horns hit the road where success has been hard to find under Steve Sarkisian.
K-State at TCU (-3.5) at 7pm on FS1
For the second straight week, the Horned Frogs are at home in a battle of conference unbeatens.
**
The winner of the TCU-K-State game becomes the clear odds-on favorite to end up in Dallas for the Big 12 championship game in December.
But, the winner of Texas-Oklahoma State is not all that far behind, and will put themselves in the thick of the Big 12 race. The loser, however, would likely be forced to win out to have any shot of making it to Dallas.
Baylor’s hopes of repeating as conference champs seem dim but still somewhat alive. They must beat a KU team that has suddenly dropped two in a row after a 5-0 start to the season.
In Lubbock, this is one of those games that should be an easy victory for the Red Raiders. But it’s also the kind of game they have flubbed in years past. While neither team is expected to compete for a conference title, the loser will have three conference losses and would be all but eliminated from conference contention.
**
I get mad every time Texas goes to Stillwater.
The reason?
The field is so ridiculously close to the concrete walls on the sidelines and the end zones that it is just not safe for participants, especially not visitors who are unaccustomed to playing in that stadium.
I once asked former Texas athletic director Deloss Dodds about it and I remember him telling me there’s really nothing anyone could do. They’re not going to rip up a stadium or reduce seating.
When the Horns land in the SEC, I won’t be sad to lose the trips to Stillwater.
**
Some rightly point to the second half collapse in the OU game last season as the heartbreaker of 2021.
But, in my mind, the loss to Oklahoma State was the actual back breaker, the one that took the team’s soul. It, more than any other, was the loss that sent the season spiraling.
**
A year ago, Texas owned the first half of this game in Austin until Casey Thompson threw a pick six.
Then the Horns couldn’t move the ball effectively the rest of the game and the Horns’ defense couldn’t stop the run.
We’ll see just what improvements Texas has made year over year.
This season, Texas has a more solid foundation in the run game, which should keep them out of prolonged offensive droughts. And, conversely, the defense certainly appears more capable of stopping the run.
But will those factors be enough to push Texas over the top?
We’ll see on Saturday.
