With only three conference games this week, all of the focus will be on the Oklahoma State vs. Baylor matchup. eDraft will publish an article with an in-depth of preview of that game later this week. However, there are two other games in the conference this week.
Here is a preview of the other Big XII games this week.
#20 Oklahoma (8-2, 5-2 Big XII) vs. Kansas State (6-4, 4-3 Big XII)
Oklahoma heads into this week with Trevor Knight as their starter once again, after Blake Bell suffered a concussion last week against Iowa State. Knight started the season for the Sooners, but was supplanted by Bell after Knight suffered an injury of his own.
Knight is a dual-threat quarterback, who early on in his career, has been a much better runner than he has a passer. This season, Knight has 272 passing yards, but 309 rushing yards. However, this style of play will be important for the Sooners success this weekend.
Kansas State’s strength is ball control. Using both Jake Waters and Daniel Sams at quarterback, the Wildcats do a great job creating long drives through a mixture of passing and rushing plays. The Sooners do have a strong defense that should be able to keep Kansas State in check, but they will need the offense to be able to sustain drives if they don’t want to suffer an upset.
The key for the Sooners will be running the ball effectively with Knight and their stable of running backs, and use the passing game to keep the defense honest. They proved last week this method can be effective, however, they will need to do it again against a much tougher opponent.
Projected Winner: Kansas State
Kansas (3-7, 1-6 Big XII) vs. Iowa State (1-9, 0-7 Big XII)
As a polar opposite to the Oklahoma State-Baylor game, which will help settle who will eventually win the conference, this game will likely settle who finishes in last place.
Kansas is coming off their first conference win in three seasons, and they won it by effectively running the ball. James Sims rushed for 211 yards and quarterback Montell Cozart rushed for another 60.
Iowa State lost their first conference game of the season on what was widely viewed as a questionable call against Texas, and they have seemed absolutely deflated since. After that game, they played Texas Tech close, but have been demolished nearly every week since. On top of that, they have suffered from horrible quarterback play.
Last week, Oklahoma tore the Cyclones apart on the ground, finishing the game with 405 rushing yards, including 100-yard performances from Damian Williams and Trevor Knight. After the week that Sims had against West Virginia, it looks like Kansas’s offense should be able to do enough to help them earn their second conference win of the season.
Projected Winner: Kansas