Weekend Warzone: Big 12 roundup week 8

Welcoem to the Weekend Warzone where we break down what happened in the Big 12 this week and how the FoW crew made out in their predictions. The cheese stands alone atop the Big 12 this week and results are starting to paint a clear order of Big 12 teams, with TCU sadly finding itself in the also-ran category. To the results!

Iowa State 10, @ Oklahoma State 31

How I wish we could have that Iowa State game back. The Cyclones were repeatedly stymied by a generally suspect Oklahoma State defense, while the fired up (and uglied up- it's still a week too early to be dressing as pumpkins, guys) Cowboys had a relatively simple time carving up the clones on the ground and through the air. J.W. Walsh may have solidified his grasp on the starting position... only to be ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Will this mean the return of freshman phenom Wes Lunt will have to be rushed? On the Iowa State side, the cyclones have fuve games left to win two, and Kansas is only one of those games. Next week would be a really good time to pick up win 5. Best Staff Pick: FungoFrog comes through with another big one, picking Okie State 42-12. Next week- Iowa State: Baylor Loser will have a hard time making a bowl. Oklahoma State: TCU The Boykin show comes to Stillwater. Nobody is sure what to expect.

Texas Tech 56, @ TCU 52 (3OT)

Damn it. Just... Damn it. From a Tech perspective, the game went about as well as you could have hoped. Doege was in and out of a rhythm all day, but when the game was on the line he stood tall and delivered time and time again. Tuberville brought out an aggressive gameplan in key moments and it really made the difference in this game between two teams that were exceptionally evenly matched. Best Staff Pick: We all picked TCU by less than a touchdown, so call it a wash. Next week- Texas Tech: @ Kansas State. Tech will be the biggest challenge left on the season for the best team in the Big 12. TCU: @ Oklahoma State. With Okie State's quarterback situation uncertain, this is a game the Frogs must win for bowl eligibilty.

Baylor 50, @ Texas 56

In a game where both sides decided to play Baylor style (that is, defense free) the result came down to who made the fewest mistakes. Baylor turned the ball over twice, resulting in two scores for the longhorns, so despite the bears outgaining the horns the Bears are walking away with a loss once more. Both teams were able to run on each other essentially at will, averaging over 5 yards per carry. Both teams were able to throw the ball at will, averaging over 8.5 yards per attempt each. They even had almost identical penalty yardage, both getting five penalties for 52 and 55 yards. What does this mean? Well, it means Texas is slightly better than Baylor, but not by much- in Waco the scores might have been flipped. Best Staff Pick: Me, woo! The Hawkster picked Texas by 7 in a high scoring 49-42 affair. That's pretty darn close. Next week- Baylor: @ Iowa State. The Bears will try and save their floundering season when they head to Ames to try to pick up one of the three games they need to go bowling. Texas: @ Kansas. As bad as Texas has looked, it hasn't lost to Kansas since the Frogs last won a national title. Mack Brown needs another win for a Bowl bid and to continue making up ground with the jaded alums for whom wins over Baylor are not enough to drown out being blown out by Oklahoma.

Kansas 7, @ Oklahoma 52

Would it be enough to say that Kansas is very bad, and OU is quite good? Kansas did play their young quarterback for the majority of the game, so Jayhawk fans have to be happy that the youth movement is underway instead of having no results and no future under Crist. The only downside for OU? Blake Bell didn't look very good throwing or running the ball. Nitpicky, but still. Best staff pick: FungoFrog once more. Everyone predicted an OU beat down, but Fungo was within 2 of having the perfect pick, guessing OU 50, Kansas 7. Next week- Kansas: Texas. If the Jayhawks play with as much heart as they did against Okie State at home, there's a chance. Oklahoma: Notre Dame. Oklahoma will either rise up to a position where they could be a national title contender again if they win and K-State and Oregon lose, or will have their at-large big hopes take a significant hit. My money is on the former.

Kansas State 55, @ West Virginia 14

Shame on the doubters. Kansas State imposed its will on West Virginia, Collin Klein won the Heisman hopeful duel in a big way (Seven TDs! Only two incompletions!) and the Mountaineer fans were leaving the game in the third quarter. West Virginia's offense does not do well in two circumstances- when they play defenses that will hit them in the mouth, and when they play offenses that keep them off the field. Kansas State had both. West Virginia will be a solid bowl team for the Big 12 this year, but it won't be a BCS one. Best staff pick: Myself and Ben Findley both picked K-State to roll, though I had more faith in the West Virginia offense. Oops. Next week- Kansas State: Texas Tech. No time to exhale for the Wildcats. This is a key game that will all but lock up the Big 12 title for the cats if they win- and they should. West Virginia: Bye. A week off to stop the tailspin and get prepared for another defense that will be looking to hit and pick off Geno Smith. This will be a big one for bowl seeding.