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Saturday Staff Picks: November 1, 2014

The staff tries to overtake Marshall this weekend as we make the picks for this week.

Big 12

Iowa State vs. No. 18 Oklahoma

Jamie Plunkett

Oklahoma 45, Iowa State 20 - Oklahoma doesn't lose another game this season, which helps TCU out tremendously. Iowa State gave Texas a run for their money last week, and probably should have won, but they won't even sniff the Sooners today.

Marshall Weber

Oklahoma 35, Iowa State 17 - Pretty clean win for Oklahoma. They had a big drop off in October, but they should get their footing back in November. A nice warm-up against the Cyclones will get them ready for their big matchup against Baylor next weekend <----Haha remember when that was the biggest Big 12 matchup of the year. Still should be fun though.

coachmelissa

Oklahoma 38, Iowa State 13 - OU has had a tough month since falling at TCU, but a bye week and a home game verses the Cyclones should get them back on track. ISU battles in every game they play, and they will be tough, but they don't have the horses on D to slow down Semaje Perine and Sterling Shepherd. Trevor Knight, who has been inconsistent at best, plays just well enough, and the Sooner D, led by Striker and co, dominate.

Hawkeyed Frog

Oklahoma 56, Iowa State 20 - If this game had come straight after the Kansas State loss I'd give Iowa State a puncher's chance of pulling the upset here, but Stoops knows how to settle his guys after a loss and a Bye week will only help that cause.  OU announces their return to the Big 12 title chase with an emphatic rout of the Cyclones (Even if by Big 12 rout standards it's a little lacking).

No. 13 Baylor vs. Kansas

Jamie Plunkett

Baylor 56, Kansas 17 - Kansas is terrible, and Baylor is looking to get back on track after a loss to West Virgina. I could see something like TCU/Tech happening in this game if Baylor is really pissed off.

Marshall Weber

Baylor 13, Kansas 9 - For the sake of comedy, and curses on Halloween, I really really wanted to pick Kansas. But I won't. I will however, give Baylor an unlucky 13 points.

coachmelissa

Baylor 63, Kansas 24 - Kansas has played much better, but doesn't have the results on the scoreboard to show it. Baylor has been in a bit of a mini slump, but as I have been saying all year, Kansas is the cure for what ails ya. Bryce Petty and co try to match TCU's point total against Tech, but fall short, as they get a little sloppy with the ball late. Kansas makes enough noise on offense to keep things respectable ish.

Hawkeyed Frog

Baylor 200, Kansas 17 - Coming off of a bye in which they saw TCU rewarded for mercilessly pummeling Texas Tech, Baylor will attempt to reenact the famous Georgia Tech-Cumberland game against Kansas by playing their starters the whole way in the hopes of moving up the polls themselves.  Sadly they fall just short in both of their goals and are actually passed in the next playoff poll by another SEC team, but you know what they say- sucks to B U.

Texas Tech vs. Texas

Jamie Plunkett

Texas Tech 28, Texas 20 - Yeah, I'm actually picking Tech in this game. I think they're embarrassed after last week (who wouldn't be?) and the fact that they have a chance for redemption against Texas, in Lubbock, sets this upset up perfectly.

Marshall Weber

Texas 27, Texas Tech 24 - Tech is to Texas what Kansas State is to Texas. Despite the spread, I'll take the Texas. Swoopes and Co. finally put everything together at the right time and ruin Halloween weekend in Lubbock.

coachmelissa

Texas 34, Texas Tech 20 - I just don't see how Tech wins another game this year. With their tail firmly between their legs and their QB hobbled, they will be no match for a Texas D that has vaulted itself in to the conversation for one of the top in the country. Tyrone Swoopes, who has looked pretty good in recent weeks, picks apart the Red Raider "D", and the UT running game, which has shown the ability to be excellent, bullies its way to a big day on the ground.

Hawkeyed Frog

Texas 20, Texas Tech 14 - The Longhorns head into the Twilight Zone and come out on the other side with a win that will pretty well drive the stake into Tech's fringe bowl hopes.  The Texas Tech offense is better than the Texas offense on paper by a lot, but the Longhorns have the running game (and running QB) to frustrate Tech's defense and keep drives alive, while the Texas defense is much better than the Raider defense.  That trumps the home field advantage.

No. 9 Kansas State vs. Oklahoma State

Jamie Plunkett

Kansas State 31, Oklahoma State 24 - Kansas State struggles a bit in this game, but they put away the Cowboys to remain atop the Big 12.

Marshall Weber

Kansas State 38, Oklahoma State 20 - Kansas State has a tough November. This will be a nice break. It's not the best look for Oklahoma State passing up Doug Meacham and for a especially team that's been so prolific on offense in recent years.

coachmelissa

Kansas State 37, Oklahoma State 24 - Kansas State has flown just slightly under the radar nationally, as they have rolled off win after win since throwing away the Auburn game. The combination of Waters and Lockett is one of the best in the country, and they have only gotten more in sync as the season has rolled on. Oklahoma State is facing a do or die game here, and will give everything they have to hold off the Cats. Unfortunately, it's not enough, and K State makes quick work of the Pokes to set up their showdown in Cowtown.

Hawkeyed Frog

Kansas State 39, Oklahoma State 17 - The Cowboys score with a few deep balls, but the Wildcats balanced offense pummels Oklahoma State at home in a big way, setting up the showdown of the Big 12 season... part 3?  It seems like every week is the Big 12 showdown of the season, doesn't it?  Still, OSU is not a balanced offense, and you need that if you're going to threaten the Wildcats (especially in Manhattan).

No. 7 TCU @ No. 20 West Virginia

Jamie Plunkett

TCU 35, West Virginia 31 - This game will be close, and thanks to the weather, it won't be as high scoring as people think. Couple the weather with teams that actually have decent defenses (despite what people are saying), and this is going to be an incredible game. Hopefully the win brings GameDay down to Fort Worth next weekend against the Wildcats.

Marshall Weber
TCU 49, West Virginia 38 - TCU's scored on their first drive in every game but the Oklahoma State game. If they want to give themselves the best chance of winning, they're going to have to do it in Morgantown. Amid the horrible weather, getting behind early in the game would be a death sentence for TCU. This is also TCU's third road game, one was against SMU, and we all know how the other one went. Defensively, we all know how good (West Virginia) Kevin White is. But unlike Baylor, West Virginia doesn't have the deep arsenal of receivers that will hang 58 on TCU purely on killshots. Sure, Mario Alford is great, but It's going to be more like Sterling Shepard and Oklahoma. White will undoubtedly make plays, but he won't make or break the game. Plus, if Oklahoma State can contain him, so can the Frogs.

coachmelissa

TCU 38, West Virginia 31 - This is such a tough game to predict. The Eers are so good at home - basically a completely different team. They beat the last team that came in ranked in the top 10, and almost knocked off the Sooners when they were still thought to be the best team in the conference and one of the best in the land. And you throw in GameDay to rile up those students even more? Yeesh. It's going to be crazy out in Morgantown and I really wish I was going to be there to see it first hand. The weather looks cold and snowy, but the Frogs come in blazing hot, so hopefully that isn't a factor. This will be Boykin's chance to show he is a legit Heisman contender in front of a national audience, and we will get tons of pub in the lead up. Though he has effectively stiff-armed it to this point, don't think he doesn't know that if the Frogs go in and win, and he plays like he has been, he won't jump to near the top of the list.

Hawkeyed Frog

TCU 48, West Virgina 34 - I think the elements may actually favor TCU in this one, as the Frogs have a much more robust running game than the Mountaineers, so despite being a southern team, the Frogs have the right personnel to be able to take advantage of a cold and rainy day in West Virginia.  I think the Frogs force enough turnovers to cancel out the horrors that Kevin White (West Virginia Kevin White) will enact on... TCU's Kevin White.  The Frogs score a late TD to chalk up a little in the way of style points, but this is a one possession dogfight throughout.


Around the Country

No. 4 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Auburn

Jamie Plunkett - Ole Miss 28, Auburn 17
Marshall Weber - Auburn 28, Ole Miss 24
coachmelissa - Ole Miss 24, Auburn 21
Hawkeyed Frog - Auburn 34, Ole Miss 24

No. 5 Oregon vs. Stanford

Jamie Plunkett - Oregon 41, Stanford 35
Marshall Weber - Oregon 38, Stanford 21
coachmelissa - Oregon 34, Stanford 17
Hawkeyed Frog - Oregon 48, Stanford 30

No. 22 UCLA vs. No. 12 Arizona

Jamie Plunkett - Arizona 31, UCLA 28
Marshall Weber - Arizona 35, UCLA 13
coachmelissa - UCLA 27, Arizona 24
Hawkeyed Frog - Arizona 37, UCLA 20

No. 14 Arizona State vs. No. 17 Utah

Jamie Plunkett - Arizona State 38, Utah 27
Marshall Weber - Arizona State 24, Utah 20
coachmelissa - Utah 31, Arizona State 28
Hawkeyed Frog - Utah 24, Arizona State 20

Miami vs. North Carolina

Jamie Plunkett - Miami 24, North Carolina 17
Marshall Weber - Miami 24, North Carolina 21
coachmelissa - Miami 34, North Carolina 28
Hawkeyed Frog - Miami 3, North Carolina 2