Predicting the Big 12 Season: Week 2

Week two is a prove it week in the Big 12 as there are many matchups across the Power Five conferences.

Previous: Week 1 

Week Two

Kansas 17 at Coastal Carolina 41

The Jayhawks head to a road matchup against one of the top Group of 5 teams in the country and things do not go well. CCU’s QB Grayson McCall picks apart the Kansas defense as he totals 300 yards and four touchdowns on the night. The Chants intercept Jalon Daniels twice and recover a fumble in the game. The Jayhawks struggle on both sides of the ball as they are simply overmatched by a veteran team with major aspirations this season.

Western Carolina 13 at Oklahoma 59

WCU went 1-8 last year with five losses by four scores or more. This is going to be UGLY. Spencer Rattler throws three touchdowns while Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray pile up 250 yards and three touchdowns. The defense shuts down WCU and the backups are in this game right after halftime.

Tulsa 16 at Oklahoma State 30

The Pokes won this game 16-7 a year ago in what was a very ugly football game and Tulsa has competed with them well the past two contests. Spencer Sanders has a big game against a Tulsa secondary that is rebuilding as he racks up over 300 yards passing and three touchdowns. Brennan Presley and Braydon Johnson each catch touchdown passes. The defense plays well only giving up 250 total yards of offense and forcing tow turnovers which allows the Pokes to keep a little bit of separation throughout. This one will be close for stretches but I expect OSU to be in control throughout.

Cal 20 at TCU 28

Hopefully this game is better than the 10-7 rock fight in the Cheez-It Bowl in 2018 when the two teams combined for nine interceptions and forced the nation to watch an overtime. One of the quarterbacks from that game is back and it is Cal’s Chase Garbers, he plays better in this one as he throws for 150 yards and two scores while adding 50 yards and a score on the ground. TCU QB Max Duggan passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 75 yards. TCU RB’s Zach Evans and Kendre Miller rush for 100 yards and a score in this slugfest. Both defenses play well as there are four turnovers in the game and for large chunks of it the stout defense force negative plays. Max Duggan hits Quentin Johnston for a touchdown to put the Horned Frogs up by 8 with just five minutes left. Garbers tries to lead Cal down the field to tie it up but he is intercepted by Trevius Hodges-Tomlinson and TCU runs the clock out after.

Iowa 17 at Iowa State 28

The game of the week in the conference is this matchup between Iowa and Iowa State in the annual Cy-Hawk matchup. Brock Purdy comes out firing as he hits Tarique Milton for a 40-yard strike and Charlie Kolar for a 20-yard touchdown to get the game started as ISU goes up 14-0. Iowa responds with two-straight long drives before half time to close the gap to 14-10. Iowa QB Spencer Petras finds Tyrone Tracy Jr. for a 15-yard touchdown as they take the lead 17-14. From that point on it is all Iowa State as Breece hall breaks of a 20-yard touchdown and a late 40-yard touchdown to lead the Cyclones to massive home win in a matchup they have not fared well with at all in recent history. 

Long Island 10 at West Virginia 47

This might be the worst non-conference game in the entire conference. LIU lost to Duquesne by 18 and Sacred Heart by 28 last season. They went 2-2 on the year after going 0-10 the year before. This will be a blow out. Leddie Brown runs for 150 and two scores while Jarret Doege throws three touchdowns with two of those going to Sean Ryan. The defense stifles LIU’s offense by holding them to under 200 yards of total offense and force three turnovers as this one gets ugly.

Texas 34 at Arkansas 37

Tough road challenge for the Longhorns in an old Southwestern Conference battle. Texas RB Bijan Robinson gets the game started with a. Couple gashing runs in the first quarter as he piles up 70 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter as the Longhorns jump to a 10-3 lead. Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson finds Treylon Burks and Hudson Henry for touchdowns on back to back drives as the Razorbacks take a 17-16 lead at half. In the second half both teams go back and forth with scores before the defenses get a couple stops heading into the fourth quarter. Casey Thompson finds Joshua Moore for a touchdown with just six minutes left as Texas goes up 34-30. The Razorbacks drive all the way down the field as KJ Jefferson throws strike after strike to Treylon Burks and De’Vion Warren. Jefferson leads them into the redone with just two minutes left as he throws a fade to the corner of the end zone and Treylon Burks comes down with is over D’Shawn Jamison as the Razorbacks pull of a big upset.

Texas Southern 6 at Baylor 52

Texas Southern has won five games the last four seasons, this team is really bad. Baylor still has not named a quarterback so it makes things tough but I’ll just say both play again this week. Gerry Bohanon totals 150 with a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown while Jacob Zeno throws for 200 yards and two scores. The running games gets going as Trestan Ebner, Abram Smith, and Qualan Jones combine for 250 yards and two scores. The defense absolutely dominates up front as they hold Texas Southern to under 75 yards rushing in a dominant performance. This is a blowout from start to finish.

Southern Illinois 21 at Kansas State 30

This is a little bit of a scary test for the Wildcats in Manhattan. SIU is a very solid FCS program that will compete in this matchup. Deuce Vaughn rushes for 100 yards and puts up 70 yards in the air to go along with two touchdowns. Skylar Thompson shows composure as he totals 250 yards and throws two touchdowns. TheWildcats defense steps up in a big way as they slow down the Salukis enough to pull away late but this will be a battle.

Stephen F. Austin 17 at Texas Tech 34

Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough performs well as he throws for 280 yards and two touchdowns. TTU WR Kaylon Geiger catches six passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. TTU RB SaRodorick Thompson rushes for 100 yards and a score as well. The defense plays well as Collin Schooler has two sacks and a forced fumble while Adrian Frye comes down with an interception. The Red Raiders win but this game will be closer than expected for stretches.

Big 12 Standings

1. Baylor — 2-0 (0-0)

1. Iowa State — 2-0 (0-0)

1. Kansas State — 2-0 (0-0)

1. Oklahoma — 2-0 (0-0)

1. Oklahoma State — 2-0 (0-0)

1. TCU — 2-0 (0-0)

1. Texas Tech — 2-0 (0-0)

1. West Virginia — 2-0 (0-0)

9. Kansas — 1-1 (0-0)

9. Texas — 1-1 (0-0)