Entering the second weekend of the college football season, the Big XII is split between teams looking to build on their opening performances, and teams that are looking to rebound after poor starts.
Here is a look at the Big XII schedule for this weekend.
Conference Games
West Virginia at No. 16 Oklahoma
The first Big XII conference game of the season looks to be an interesting one, as both teams don’t have incredibly stable quarterback situations. After pulling out a win in the last few minutes last week against William & Mary, the Mountaineers have to wonder if Paul Millard, who played decently but did not excel, will be their starting quarterback the rest of the season, or if they will turn to Florida State transfer, Clint Trickett.
And for the Sooners, redshirt freshman Trevor Knight had his own struggles, only completing 11 of his 28 attempted passes. However, Knight does add a second dimension to the Sooner offense, as he ran for over 100 yards last week in their win over Louisiana-Monroe.
The deciding factor of this game will be who has more offensive firepower, and that advantage goes to the Sooners. Oklahoma has receivers Jalen Saunders and Sterling Shepard, as well as running back Damien Williams, where West Virginia’s only real offensive weapon is running back Charles Sims.
Predicted Winner: Oklahoma
Non-Conference Games
No. 13 Oklahoma State at
UT-San Antonio
Oklahoma State is coming off a big win against SEC opponent, Mississippi State. Although the game itself was mediocre as a whole, they were still able to start the season on the right foot.
J.W. Walsh has officially been named the starter at quarterback this week against UT-San Antonio, so look for the Cowboys to begin building a rhythm on offense and get back to the aerial attack the country is so accustomed to seeing from them.
Predicted Winner: Oklahoma State
No. 15 Texas at BYU
BYU is coming off a Week 1 loss to Virginia, and will be looking to rebound against the Longhorns, who began their season with a lopsided 56-7 win over New Mexico State.
The key matchup of this game will be Texas cornerbacks, Quandre Diggs and Carrington Byndom, against wide receiver Cody Hoffman, who is probable for the game after missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury. If they can keep Hoffman from making an impact, the Longhorns should have no problem keeping the Cougars from putting up big points.
For the Longhorns offense, David Ash just needs to continue his play from last week, where he contributed over 430 total yards and five touchdowns. If he plays like he did last week, the Longhorns should take care of business.
Projected Winner: Texas
Buffalo at No. 23 Baylor
The Bears picked up an easy win to start the season, defeating Wofford 69-3. They face their first FBS opponent, Buffalo, led by linebacker Khalil Mack, who is coming off a monster game against Ohio State, where he absolutely terrorized the Buckeyes offense.
Look for Baylor, similar to Ohio State, to run the ball a lot against the Bulls. Lache Seastrunk is a workhorse who will force Buffalo to stack the box, allowing receiver Tevin Reese to make big plays downfield.
Predicted Winner: Baylor
SE Louisiana at No. 24 TCU
TCU is coming off a tough loss to LSU last week. They will look to earn their first win of the season against FCS opponent, SE Louisiana.
It won’t be a cake walk, as the Lions are quarterbacked by Oregon-transfer, Bryan Bennett. However, the Horned Frogs have a strong secondary, led by potential 1st-round draft pick, cornerback Jason Verrett, and should be able to limit Bennett from making any big plays.
Predicted Winner: TCU
Louisiana-Lafayette at Kansas State
Kansas State began their 2013 season as one of the seven FBS teams to lose to an FCS opponent, falling to North Dakota State, 24-21.
However, junior college-transfer, quarterback Jake Waters, was impressive, passing for 280 yards and two touchdowns. If he can have a similar performance, look for the Wildcats to rebound.
Predicted Winner: Kansas State
South Dakota at Kansas
Unlike the rest of the Big XII, Kansas opens their 2013 season on Saturday. The Jayhawks return leading rusher, James Sims, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. However, many of their key players for this season are transfers: Chris Martin, a defensive end from Notre Dame, Nick Harwell, an accomplished receiver from Miami (OH), and quarterback Jake Heaps, formerly of BYU.
It will be interesting to see how these new players fuse with the rest of the Jayhawk roster. If they mesh early, Kansas should have no problem winning their first game of the season.
Predicted Winner: Kansas
Stephen F. Austin at Texas Tech
Freshman walk-on Baker Mayfield dominated in his debut, passing for over 500 yards and four touchdowns against SMU.
Look for Mayfield, along with receiver Eric Ward and tight end Jace Amaro, who missed the first half of last week’s game due to a suspension, will look to continue the Red Raider aerial assault against Sam Houston State.
Projected Winner: Texas Tech