Big 12 Conference Week 4 Preview

Short and sweet.

Time to cut to the chase...

Oklahoma @ Cincinnati:

The Sooners have survived a couple of scares against their 'lesser' opponents in Utah State and Air Force, and then put a whooping on their 'stronger' opponent in Florida State.

Are they simply playing to the level of their competition, or are the Utah State and Air Force games signs of concern?

Excellent question, and we may well get our answer this weekend as the Sooners take to the road for the first time this season.

With head coach Bob Stoops being a native 'Ohioan', he'll have many friends and family attending this game with the short drive from Youngstown.  Look for Bob and company to get up early on the Bearcats who are showing some serious signs of struggling of their own under first year head coach Butch Jones.  While Jones has long been an understudy under Brian Kelly, the 2010 Bearcats are a far cry from the 2009 Bearcats.

Look for the 'Cats struggles to continue, and for Stoops and company to put this one away early...

Oklahoma 45,  Cincinnati 13

Texas vs. UCLA:

UCLA couldn't beat Kansas State in Manhattan.  Any thoughts of the Bruins taking down the mighty Longhorns in Austin will be squelched awful early.

Texas may well have the best defense in the country, and the Bruins are still trying to find some offensive fluidity under QB Kevin Prince.  Those struggles on offense for the Bruins should continue, and the 'Horns will score a TD on defense at the same time.

Take the 'Horns in what looks to be a possible 'trap' game having played Texas Tech last week and their Red River Rival in Oklahoma on tap next week.

Texas 38,  UCLA 3

Texas A&M:  BYE

Texas Tech:  BYE

Baylor @ Rice: 

This should be a pretty competitive contest.  Obviously, Rice and Baylor share a lot of similiar kind of talent from Texas that simply wasn't cherished by the bigger and stronger in-state schools.

Rice gave Texas a bit of a game for a half when they met in Week 1, and the Bears have shown some resolve this year in welcoming back favorite son Robert Griffin at QB.

In a game that could come down to some 4th quarter heroics, look for Griffin to be the master of those heroics as Baylor takes care of business on the road.

Baylor 31,  Rice 27

Oklahoma State:  BYE

Nebraska vs. South Dakota State:

An embarrassing schedule-filler for the Huskers as they take on an 0-2 FCS Jackrabbit squad.

Look for the Huskers to get a lot of playing time for the reserves as they score early and often in putting away an opponent that Coach Pelini and the current AD Department will not allow to be scheduled in future seasons.

Nebraska 59,  SDSU 7

Missouri vs. Miami, OH:

No doubt about it, the Tigers have struggled a bit this year in pulling out wins over Illinois and San Diego State.  So much so, that TJ Moe needed a 68-yard TD reception in the waning minute against the Aztecs to secure a victory for Missouri last week.

Can we expect more thrilling moments in Columbia this weekend?

Maybe.  Miami (OH) is one of the most improved teams in the country this year fresh off of a 1-11 season in 2009.  After giving Florida everything they wanted in "The Swamp" in Week 1, the Redhawks have strung together two straight wins over Eastern Michigan and Colorado State.

If the Tigers aren't ready to play, they can easily be upset in this contest against a team that is gaining confidence and momentum each and every week that they play. 

However, I'd look for the Tigers to mend up some problems after what must have been a tough and grueling week of practice to get the mentality of this squad set straight.  With a BYE week following this contest, the Tigers have no excuses for a poor performance this week.

Missouri  38,  Miami (OH)  17

Colorado:  BYE

Kansas vs. New Mexico State:

If there is ever an opponent to get healthy against, then look no further than New Mexico State. 

In the early up and down season of the Jayhawks, they have an incredible opportunity to lay some wood and put a hurtin' on an opponent before they swing into Big 12 play.

Coach Gill has upped the ante this week on player rules in which they have to turn in cell phones on Friday morning, and are not allowed to be with 'the ladies' after 10:00 PM on any given night.

Look for a focused bunch of Jayhawks as they take out some frustration on an undermanned Aggie squad.

Kansas 41,  NMSU  13

Kansas State vs Central Florida:

Very interesting contest.  While Kansas State is sitting at a comfortable 3-0 this season including a win over UCLA, they haven't been all that spectacular outside of stud RB Daniel Thomas.

Tough wins over Missouri State and Iowa State have shown some serious vulnerability to this team, and UCF has enough athletes and players to make this game well more than competitive and could pull the outright upset.

In fact, I'll call for the upset in this one...

Central Florida 34  Kansas State 27

Iowa State vs. Northern Iowa:

The Cyclones are one of a few teams this year that does not have the luxury of a BYE week.  After a tough loss to conference rival Kansas State last week, Northern Iowa looks like the last game that Iowa State could possibly win this year.

Northern Iowa is a very respectable FCS team.  Right now they are the #15 ranked FCS school in the country and have shown to be more than pesky with their in-state brethren from Iowa and Iowa State in the past. 

While I won't call for the upset here, the Cyclones need to be very ready and very prepared to take on this very tough FCS school full of a bunch of Iowa natives that would like nothing more than to put down one of their in-state 'bigger' schools.

Iowa State  26,  Northern Iowa 23