Here we are staring down the barrel at Week 6, and WVU is getting a much-needed recuperation after the dramatic, gritty win in Ft. Worth on the road. Fortunately for football fans, lots of action is still happening this week with a direct impact on the latest standings of the conference. West Virginia is in third place in the conference behind undefeated Oklahoma and Texas, but Week 6 does not disappoint. This week features the Red River Rivalry neutral site game played annually between Oklahoma and Texas, determining who is the alpha of the conference in this small snapshot.
Before we get into the breakdown of the Big 12 matchups this week, here is a look at the current standings if you just wanted a little jolt of excitement seeing us so close to the top.
| TEAM | BIG 12 RECORD | PCT. | OVERALL RECORD |
| Oklahoma | 2-0 | 1.000 | 5-0 |
| Texas | 2-0 | 1.000 | 5-0 |
| West Virginia | 2-0 | 1.000 | 4-1 |
| Kansas State | 1-0 | 1.000 | 3-1 |
| BYU | 1-1 | .500 | 4-1 |
| Kansas | 1-1 | .500 | 4-1 |
| TCU | 1-1 | .500 | 3-2 |
| Baylor | 1-1 | .500 | 2-3 |
| Iowa State | 1-1 | .500 | 2-3 |
| Texas Tech | 1-1 | .500 | 2-3 |
| Oklahoma State | 0-1 | .000 | 2-2 |
| UCF | 0-2 | .000 | 3-2 |
| Cincinnati | 0-2 | .000 | 2-3 |
| Houston | 0-2 | .000 | 2-3 |
Kansas State (3-1) @ Oklahoma State (2-2) [K-State favored by 11.5]
Kansas State is back in action along with Oklahoma State after their respective bye weeks, playing this one on a Friday night headed into the weekend. All eyes are focused on what the Wildcats will do to pave their path back to defend their crown as the reigning Big 12 Champion. They should not have much of an issue getting the job done in Stillwater with a shell-shocked Cowboys program this season.
Predicted to Win: Kansas State decisively wins.
(12) Oklahoma vs. (3) Texas [Texas favored by 6.5 points]
If you wanted to see the Red River Rivalry while it still has relevance for the Big 12, this is a noon kickoff, making it likely one of the marquee matchups of this time slot in the coming weekend. Both teams enter undefeated on the season, meaning one of them will take a pretty steep drop in the conference standings by not finishing on the right side of this score. I think the Longhorns are riding high right now and were not stalled by the Jayhawks, but this will likely be their final remaining test of the season. It’s almost a touchdown in favor of UT, but it’s time for the world to see if Oklahoma has what it takes.
Predicted to Win: Texas in an aptly named shootout.
UCF (3-2) @ Kansas (4-1) [Kansas favored by 2.5 points]
Both of these programs did not have a Week 5 that they expected. The Jayhawks, without their starting quarterback, were picked apart in Austin. The Golden Knights, also without their starting quarterback, choked in the 4th quarter to give up a 26-point lead to lose in the final minutes against the underwhelming Baylor Bears. I think that UCF takes advantage of KU being without Jalon Daniels this week and pulls away late.
Predicted to Win: UCF if no QBs unexpectedly return.
TCU (3-2) @ Iowa State (2-3) [TCU favored by 6.5 points]
TCU needs to remind everyone that they went to the CFP and National Championship last year, and the best way to do that is to get back to their winning ways. They get served up a pretty soft punching bag this week in Iowa State, who is coming off a pretty brutal loss to Oklahoma last weekend.
Predicted to Win: TCU bounces back big.
Texas Tech (2-3) @ Baylor (2-3) [Baylor favored by 1.0 point]
Is Baylor back? No, I don’t think so. They pulled together something entertaining to watch last weekend and took advantage of a serious momentum shift against UCF. It might take more than that to shift gears for the whole season and take down a Tech team that might be clicking after coming off a win on the road against Holgorsen’s Cougars. They want to stay relevant in the conference by winning the ones they are supposed to, and this is example #1. I think they get the job done in Waco.
Predicted to Win: Texas Tech in a nailbiter.
If these predictions come to fruition, Kansas State would be tied with West Virginia for second with a 2-0 conference record and 4-1 overall, and Oklahoma would be in third, tied with TCU and Texas Tech. The New standings could look like:
- Texas (6-0, 3-0)
- Kansas State (4-1, 2-0)
- West Virginia (4-1, 2-0)
- Oklahoma (5-1, 2-1)
- TCU (4-2, 2-1)
- Texas Tech (3-3, 2-1)
- BYU (4-1, 1-1)
- Kansas (4-2, 1-2)
- UCF (3-3, 1-2)
- Baylor (2-4, 1-2)
- Iowa State (2-4, 1-2)
- Oklahoma State (2-3, 0-2)
- Cincinnati (2-3, 0-2)
- Houston (2-3, 0-2)
Photo Credit: NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
