The heart of conference play has officially started for the Big XII, as all five matchups this week are conference games. For some, this is the start of conference season. For others, this is an opprtunity to either build on their early momentum, or rebound from opening losses, like Oklahoma State, who suffered an early-season setback against West Virginia to open conference play last week.

Here are previews to this week's Big XII conference games.

Thursday Night

Texas (2-2, 1-0 Big XII) vs. Iowa State (1-2, 0-0 Big XII)

Iowa State begins Big XII play one week after notching their first win of the season. Against Tulsa last week, the Cyclones finally got their offense going, adding a running game to an already decent passing game, as Aaron Wimberly rushed for over 100 yards.

Texas had a bye week after opening their Big XII season with a victory over Kansas State. Against the Wildcats, Texas finally found a way to slow down opposing run games. However, they lost starting linebacker Jordan Hicks for the season, as he suffered his second season-ending injury for in as many years.

The focal point of Iowa State’s offense will have to be opening running lanes for Wimberly. Texas has good athletes in the secondary with Quandre Diggs, Carrington Byndom, and Adrian Phillips, so mixing up their play-calling will be necessary to help give Richardson time to throw.

For Texas, they need to find a way to sync their defense. Against BYU and Ole Miss, their pass defense was very good, but their run defense was poor. Against Kansas State, it was the opposite. The Longhorns will have to play teams like Oklahoma, Baylor, and Oklahoma State later this year, so they need to take advantage of the weaker portion of their Big XII schedule to notch wins and fix the problems on defense.

Predicted Winner: Texas

Saturday Night

TCU (2-2, 0-1 Big XII) vs. #11 Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 Big XII)

TCU struggled in the first half last week against TCU, but was able to score 41 points in the second half. Trevone Boykin showed that he is capable of leading this offense after Casey Pachall went down with a season-ending arm injury. However, Boykin cannot start like he did last week, as Oklahoma has a significantly better defense than SMU.

For Oklahoma, Blake Bell proved that his first start was not a fluke, throwing for 232 yards and two touchdowns, helping lead the Sooners over Notre Dame. It will also be important to establish a running game, especially if Devonte Fields, TCU’s star defensive lineman, will be unable to play due to a nagging foot injury.

The interesting matchup to focus on in this game is to watch who Jason Verrett, the TCU cornerback, will cover. Oklahoma has a couple legitimate receivers in Jalen Saunders and Sterling Shepard. Whoever Verrett covers will likely be a non-factor, so it will be key for the other receiver to get open more often to help Bell.

Predicted Winner: Oklahoma

West Virginia (3-2, 1-1 Big XII) vs. #17 Baylor (3-0, 0-0 Big XII)

West Virginia shocked the nation last week, upsetting Top-15 ranked Oklahoma State, one week after getting throttled by Maryland, 37-0. For the third time this season, West Virginia seems to finally have settled on a quarterback, this time in Florida State-transfer Clint Trickett, who threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys. It was a decent performance, but he will need to play much better against Baylor and their high-powered offense.

Baylor has been unstoppable so far this season, scoring 69, 70, and 70 points in their first three games. Bryce Petty has been incredibly efficient, throwing for over 1,000 yards on less than 70 pass attempts, and Lache Seastrunk is averaging almost 10 yards-per-carry. It is easy to see that they have one of the best, if not the best, offenses in the nation. You can read my thoughts on why Baylor is a Top-10 team here.

West Virginia’s defense has been inconsistent this season, so it is absolutely necessary for their offense to keep up with Baylor’s, an incredibly daunting, and unlikely, task. Baylor simply has too much firepower.

Predicted Winner: Baylor

#20 Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0 Big XII) vs. Kansas (2-1, 0-0 Big XII)

Despite the 4-0 start, Texas Tech has had plenty of struggles, most notably, the inconsistency at the quarterback position. Baker Mayfield started the season hot, but struggled mightily in the Red Raiders last two times, getting pulled from each game. However, backup Davis Webb also played poorly in their last game against Texas State. He played bad enough that coach Kliff Kingsbury put Mayfield back into the game after already pulling him.

Kansas quarterback Jake Heaps finally developed a rhythm with his receivers last week, throwing for 279 yards. However, he will need to cut down on his turnovers, as he has thrown four in Kansas’s first three games. As usual, James Sims will be a consistent presence in the running game.

Texas Tech’s defense has been very good this year, so the key to watch in this game will be the Red Raiders quarterback play. Whoever the starter is, someone will need to get the offense back on track. They are on an early track to contending for the Big XII title, and will need consistency from the position if they want to have a chance.

Predicted Winner: Texas Tech

Kansas State (2-2, 0-1 Big XII) vs. #21 Oklahoma State (3-1, 0-1 Big XII)

Last week’s loss to West Virginia will leave a bad taste in Oklahoma State’s mouth. Expect them to come out firing, led by quarterback J.W. Walsh. Walsh was able to throw for 322 yards and three touchdowns, but threw two interceptions and only completed 20 of his 47 pass attempts.

Kansas State started out both, their season and conference play, to North Dakota State and Texas respectively. Luckily for them, they won their next two matchups after their loss to North Dakota State, which proves they can rebound. Unfortunately, those wins came against Louisiana-Lafayette and UMass, and not a team of Oklahoma State’s caliber.

Last week, Oklahoma State allowed over 300 yards against West Virginia, so that will be how Kansas State will have to attack. The Cowboys have defensive tackle Calvin Barnett (ranked 15th in eDraft’s NFL Draft lead columnist, Jon Dove’s Top-50 NFL Draft prospects) in the middle filling up running lanes, so any attempt to run will be futile.

The key matchup will be Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert against Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett, who caught 13 passes for 237 yards against Texas.

Predicted Winner: Oklahoma State