It’s crazy how fast this season has flown by. But with Week 11 of the college football schedule already underway, several members of the Big XII conference are preparing for an equally crazy lineup, with bowls, bids, and rings on the line.
In an article I wrote earlier this week, I discussed how the Big XII conference’s one-loss teams ranked in relation to the College Football Playoff. Headlining the list, I ranked the No. 6 Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in the top spot, followed by No. 7 Kansas State, and then the No. 12 ranked, Baylor Bears.
Luckily for those who enjoy dramatic games, the Kansas State Wildcats are in Ft. Worth today to take on TCU, in what could be the final shot at the Big XII title, and a possible berth into the Playoffs.
Kansas State has been near perfect this season, with its only loss against elite No. 3 Auburn. And Committee members have obviously taken that loss lightly as the Wildcats only lost by six points against the Tigers. In fact, the Wildcats have actually received a favorable advantage because they played Auburn and thus, played the toughest non-conference schedule of the top ranked teams in the conference.
The Wildcats’ defense has allowed only 22 plays of over 20-yards this season, whereas TCU has amassed 57 plays of over 20-yards. While Kansas State’s defense is in the upper echelon of discipline, it falls short on forced turnovers at seven, compared to the Horned Frogs’ 26 turnovers.
Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett has put up 684-yards this season and five touchdowns, and only needs just 156 more yards to unseat his father, Kevin Lockett, as K-State’s all-time leading receiver. With No. 23 West Virginia next week, and No. 10 Baylor on Dec. 6, senior quarterback Jake Waters knows his name could be in the Heisman discussion as a serious contender. So expect mature decision-making and sustained drives out of him today to help the Wildcats finish this season without complications.
Speaking of, yesterday TCU announced that star junior running back, B.J. Catalon will be out today, as he sustained an upper body injury in last weekend’s win against WVU. Catalon has put up 439-yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground this season, as well as 14 receptions for 163-yards and a touchdown receiving.
He will likely be replaced by junior running back Aaron Green, who accounts for 45 carries over 378-yards and three touchdowns on the season.
The No. 15 ranked Oklahoma Sooners are hosting No. 12 Baylor today. Many billed this as the Big XII’s most anticipated game at the start of the season, but despite some major in-conference losses between the two, since their first meeting in 1974, Baylor has yet to beat the Sooners IN Norman.
To put it lightly, if the Bears can pull this off, and if Kansas State beats TCU today, December 6 in Waco, Tex. could be the deciding game on who takes the Big XII title. No pressure, though.
Although Oklahoma is favorited to win by oddsmakers, an important juxtaposition stat to touch upon is that Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty has thrown 17 touchdown passes of 20-yards or longer, compared to the Sooners’ pass defense, which has allowed the most touchdown passes over 20-yards in the Big XII. Despite Oklahoma’s four interceptions, it’s going to have to find ways to isolate targets with clean containment in order to hold Baylor’s air assault to a minimum.
The No. 23 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers are in Austin today to take on the Texas Longhorns, an important opportunity to capitalize because of what’s on the line for Texas.
Texas senior wide receiver John Harris was just named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list for his contributions so far, and is on his way to being just the sixth player in Texas’ history with 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. With Texas’ offensive lineman Darius James ruled out after suffering a knee injury in practice, head coach Charlie Strong and offensive coordinator Joe Wickline are going to have to make sure that whoever gets shuffled in can keep quarterback Tyrone Swoopes upright. The ‘Horns have just six offensive linemen and a redshirt freshman available today.
A win today over the Mountaineers is imperative in order for the Longhorns to keep their Bowl dreams alive, but the odds are definitely stacking up against them, with Oklahoma State and TCU still left on the schedule.
*Section Photo credit to Michael Thomas, Associated Press; Featured Photo (above) credit to Matt Barnard, Tulsa World
