Big 12 Conference: Week 9 Predictions

Week 9 is a huge week in the Big 12. The game of the week will feature the Oklahoma Sooners and the Kansas State Wildcats. K-State is 7-0 and is tied for first in the Big 12 conference. A win this week against Oklahoma and they are very much in contention for the conference title.

Oklahoma State will get tested by the high-powered Baylor Bears, and Texas A&M looks to keep their conference title hopes alive against Missouri.

This should be a great weekend in the Big 12. It's time to get to the predictions (all times are Central).

Missouri @ #16 Texas A&M (-10): 11:00 am (FX)

Last year the Missouri Tigers dominated Texas A&M 30-9 in College Station. After the loss, the Aggies won six straight games before losing to LSU in the Cotton Bowl. This year both teams are completely different. A&M is 5-2 and playing good football and the Tigers are 3-4 and are in danger of missing a bowl game.

The Tigers are 1-6 in their last seven road games and will need a big performance out of sophomore quarterback James Franklin if they want to pull off the upset this year. Franklin has really struggled with turnovers the last couple games but lucky for him Texas A&M ranks 118th in the country in turnovers forced.

I look for the Aggies 19th ranked pass offense to have a lot of success against the struggling pass defense of Missouri. Senior quarterback Ryan Tannehill could have another big game. The Aggies are only 2-5 against the spread this year and are 1-4 against the Tigers but I think they get it done this year.

Prediction: Texas A&M 35-28

#9 Oklahoma (-13) @ #8 Kansas State: 2:30 pm (ESPN)

The game of the week in the Big 12 is Oklahoma at Kansas State. ESPN's College Gameday had their hotel rooms reserved in Topeka, KS and planned on coming to Manhattan before Oklahoma was upset by Texas Tech.

The Sooners have not played that well in their last two games. They have turned the ball over several times and Landry Jones has struggled with his accuracy. Oklahoma has the No. 4 passing offense in the country while Kansas State's pass defense is only ranked 87th in the country. This could be a big advantage for the Sooners.

But the Wildcats just keep on winning. This will be the fifth time in their last six games that they will be underdogs but they are undefeated and ranked No. 8 in the country. Wildcat quarterback Collin Klein averages 95 rushing yards per game and has rushed for 14 touchdowns.

Unfortunately for Klein and the Cats, the Sooners rank 27th in the nation in run defense and Oklahoma is the best defensive team they have faced all year.

I hate picking against Kansas State but I think they finally get beat this week. I do think that 13-point spread is way too high but I'll take the Sooners in a close game.

Prediction: Oklahoma 31-28

Baylor @ #3 Oklahoma State (-14): 2:30 pm (ABC)

The Cowboys are the hottest team in the conference right now. Baylor has the offense to keep up with the Cowboys but their defense is one of the worst in the country.

The Bears offense ranks No. 2 in the country led by Robert Griffin III. Griffin III has thrown 22 touchdown passes and only two interceptions, but I think if Baylor wins they do it on the ground. The Cowboys give up 186 rushing yards per game which is 90th in the country so running back Terrance Ganaway has a chance to have a big game.

Oklahoma State will have no trouble scoring against the 100th ranked defense in the country. Justin Blackmon has been quiet recently but I expect that to end this week. Cowboys win in a high-scoring game.

Prediction: Oklahoma State 42-34

Kansas @ #24 Texas (-28): 6:00 pm (LHN)

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this one. The only question in this game is, can the Jayhawks finally hold a team under 45 points?

If it's going to happen this would be the week to do it. Texas has a pretty mediocre offense only averaging 30 points per game and don't have much firepower at quarterback.

The Longhorns have dominated the Jayhawks, going 8-0 against them and are 7-1 against the spread. I expect much of the same this week but it wouldn't shock me if Kansas covers the 28 point spread.

Prediction: Texas 42-24

Iowa State @ #20 Texas Tech (-14.5): 6:00 pm (FSN)

Is this a let down game for Texas Tech coming off their upset of Oklahoma or do they keep rolling?

Iowa State is really struggling and even if Tech comes out flat, I don't think Iowa State has the ability to score enough to beat Tech. The Cyclones offense ranks 80th in the country and that's clearly not good enough to beat Tech.

The Red Raiders were very impressive against Oklahoma and I expect them to keep rolling towards their matchup against Texas. Quarterback Seth Doege is completing 69 percent of his passes with 22 touchdowns and only four interceptions. The Cyclones pass defense isn't terrible but they aren't good enough to shut down the Red Raiders.

Prediction: Texas Tech 41-24