This might just be the best weekend yet for Big 12 football match-ups given one particular point of note: the two basement dwellers are stuck with each other. Despite Iowa State's surprising win last week over Texas Tech, the Cyclones still belong in the same conversation as the Kansas Jayhawks in college football, so the fact that they both play each other this weekend means that there are other solid match-ups untainted by playing a weakling. Here's the full rundown of this weekend's Big 12 football schedule:
Texas Tech (5-3) at Texas (5-2) -- 11:00am CT, FX
The Red Raiders hope to rebound from last week's loss to Iowa State and Tommy Tuberville should have his kids ready to play. The Red Raiders have the No. 5 passing offense in the nation and the Texas Longhorns have the No. 20 passing defense, so this should be the key match-up to watch. Since Tech isn't going to be able to stop the Longhorns from running all day, they're going to have to do their damage through the air.
Kansas (2-6) at Iowa State (4-4) -- 11:30am CT, FCS
The Jayhawks must win this game to save Turner Gill's career. It seems like it's almost a given at this point that the coach is gone, so a last minute salvage of a season is the order for the Jayhawks. As for Iowa State, this is the best chance they have to string together a couple of wins and hope for some late season success for an upset bowl bid. For both teams, this is the game they've been waiting for.
Texas A&M (5-3) at Oklahoma (7-1) -- 2:30pm CT, ABC
This could either be a close one or a blowout for the Sooners. The Sooners have the second best passing attack in the country behind Landry Jones and the Aggies have one of the worst passing defenses in college football. Yet A&M has shown a toughness all season and will be looking to come back from last week's overtime loss to Missouri.
Missouri (4-4) at Baylor (4-3) -- 6pm CT, FSN
James Franklin looks like a future star if he can pare down his high-risk/high-reward performances and generate some consistency. Robert Griffin III is a current star. The two quarterbacks could use this as a chance to start or build upon a resume. Gary Pinkel needs to win this one to have a chance at 8 wins. Anything less will lead to much frustration in Columbia this off-season.
Kansas State (7-1) at Oklahoma State (8-0) -- 7pm CT, ABC
This is the match-up that everyone is waiting for. Bill Snyder's team already lost their chance for a Cinderella type of season but a major bowl is theirs for the taking if they can win one major game left on the schedule. As for OSU, K-State is the latest in a strong line of teams waiting to ruin their national championship hopes. For Brandon Weeden, the good news is that Landry Jones already gave them a blueprint of how to go after the Wildcats.