Big 12 Predictions - week 4

We have Big 12 football on Wednesday evening this week. Why? the WWL has programming spots to fill. Just be glad it's not a rerun of the 2005 World Series of Poker.

• Kansas State at Louisville - Willie and Friends played on Wed night in an effort to avenge their 2006 loss to Bobby Petrino's final Cardinals squad. The Cards seem to be in the ditch with Steve Kragthorpe as coach, which is puzzling considering how he turned around Tulsa. Pick: K State
• Cash Machine U hosts Miami (Fl) – this game is the showcase Big 12 game on ABC at 230. Both teams are ugly offensively. I’m thankful there’s a girls 8U softball game in Coppell conflicting with this telecast. On the other hand, I’ll be missing a great SEC matchup in Tennessee-Florida. The Canes defense is not their problem. The Aggies offense is their problem. I don’t see this turning out well for Coach Sherman, even though I’ll pull for the Aggies, I’m picking the ‘Canes.
• Baylor at Connecticut – There's not many matchups where you can say, "The girls basketball matchup is more interesting than the football matchup." If Art Briles and Robert Griffin weren't in Waco this year, this matchup would definitely be the case. Robert Griffin and his band of merry men travel to Storrs, CT to take on the UConn Huskies. The Bears are playing there second Fri night game in a row. The Huskies are undefeated against the Big 12. Their victory over the Cyclones in 2002 stands as their lone game against the Big 12. Connecticut is known as a “fundamental” team. Baylor is more of a charismatic team. Go with the Pentecostals. Pick: Baylor
• Colorado hosts West Virginia – the Mountaineers travel to Boulder to play on ESPN on Thursday night. The Mountaineers will be challenged by the high altitude and puzzled by the lack of moonshine near all those mountains. Nonethess, they should prevail. Pick: West Virginia.
• Iowa State at UNLV –the Cyclones own the Rebels, with a 4-0 record dating all the way back to 1995. We’ll see how they do with someone other than Dan McCarney leading the charge. UNLV surprised Arizona State last week. Iowa State surprised no one. This is the Saturday night game on the mtn network this weekend. I’d rather watch a PBS special extolling the virtues of bead art. Pick: UNLV.
• Sam Houston State at Kansas – Rhett Bomar takes the high rolling Bearkats to Lawrence, Kansas to play Phog U. The Bearkats (“where we thank the folks from Cincinnati spel reel good”) are 0-15 against Big 12 teams and have been outscored 68-687. Let that sink in for a minute. Pick: Kansas
• Buffalo host Missouri – Turner Gill gets the restraining order lifted and is allowed to travel to the Big 12. Buffalo is 0-2 against Big 12 schools, losing once each to Iowa State and Baylor. Missouri has been lighting up its nonconference foes this year. I don’t think this will be any exception. Pick: Missouri.
• Rice at Texas – Rice is 8-40 against UT in Austin. The last victory came in Oct 1965 when I was embryonic. I could be dead before it happens again. It’s the circle of life…Pick: Texas
• Massachusetts at Dust Pirates - The Minutemen travel to Lubbock for some unforeseen reason. They haven’t seen terrain that flat and ugly since they left the women’s dorms at Amherst. Pick: Dust Pirates.
• Nebraska, Boone State and the Sooners all have byes this week.