Week 10 Preview- What Games Impact The Sooners?
Oklahoma has a BYE week, so what else is going on in the Big 12? What games nationally should you watch that could impact the Sooners?
In the Big 12, Baylor started things off with a narrow home victory over Austin Kendall and the West Virginia Mountaineers. The game was a low scoring defensive struggle. Baylor’s special teams unit made a huge block on a game-tying field goal attempt late in the fourth quarter. After a forced punt buy the Mountaineer defense, the WVU offense had the ball with about 40 second remaining from their own four-yard line with a chance to drive down and tie or win the game.
Kendall completed a few easy passes but, without any timeouts, the Mountaineers came up short as the clock ran out as they failed to pick up a late first-down. Baylor remains unbeaten and moves to 8-0 on the year as WVU falls to 3-5.
Kansas hosts their in-state rivals this Saturday as the Wildcats who comes in to the game fresh off a shocking victory over OU. Will there be a hangover for the young KSU team? Can Les Miles get another victory notched under his belt?
Two weeks removed from firing their offensive coordinator, the Jayhawks have been putting up some points. A near victory at Texas and a big win over the Red Raiders, has the KU team believing. The same can be said for KSU. The showdown takes place at 2:30 on FS1.
On Saturday, Oklahoma State hosts TCU at 2:30 on ESPN. The story coming into the game is whether or not Tylan Wallace will be able to play. Reports surfaced on Thursday (Halloween) that the Biletnikoff worthy WR might have torn his ACL. There has not been a confirmation as to whether Wallace would play in the game. If he is unable to go, expect to hear the names, Stoner, Wolf, and Johnson a few more times.
TCU storms into Stillwater riding high after knocking off the Texas Longhorns. So much for Texas “being back.” Although TCU hasn’t played as well as they would have liked, two of their three losses are by a combined ten points. The Cowboys are a 2.5-point favorite. The game will be determined by which freshman quarterback makes the fewest mistakes. Expect Chuba Hubbard to run 30 plus times in the game.
Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, and Iowa State all are on a BYE week.
What are the national games to look forward to?
#8 Georgia vs #6 Florida played on a neutral site in Jacksonville, Florida. This game is HUGE. The implications will be felt nationally. The winner of this game sits in the driver seat to win the SEC East and remains alive for a potential playoff berth. The Bulldog offense has struggled, and it really hasn’t been pretty. Fromm had 35 passing yards in a game against Kentucky and has thrown only nine touchdowns on the year.
The Florida offense has seen a bit of a resurgence since Kyle Trask has taken over. After an injury to Franks, Trask has thrown for more yards and touchdowns than the Bulldog QB. Fromm is regarded as a potential high round draft pick. The showdown in Jacksonville will be epic.
#9 Utah vs Washington-- Why is this game important? Well, the Sooners sit behind the ninth ranked team in the AP poll. The PAC 12 is currently on course to pit the Oregon Ducks against Utah Utes in the Pac 12 title game. A loss by Utah on Saturday will eliminate them from playoff contention and also bump OU up a spot.
Washington isn’t a slouch. The Huskies are led by Jacob Eason, former Georgia Bulldog quarterback. Although UW comes into this game losing two of their last three, the Utes are only favored by three points. The Utah defense is elite--only allowing 10 points in their last three games. Expect a close game in which could come down to which defense can get a big stop late in the game.
Staying in the Pac 12, #7 Oregon heads to LA and takes on the USC Trojans. This game is big on so many different levels. The obvious one being the Ducks are looking to make the playoffs and just like Utah, a loss will eliminate them. The second storyline is Clay Helton, the head coach for USC is fighting for his job. Many people have speculated he is on the hot seat but, with losing two different QBs this season, how with the Trojans fair against the Ducks defense?
Oregon has playmakers on both sides of the ball-- led by Justin Herbert, a potential first-round draft pick. USC has played three top 25 teams in their last five—Shocking the Utes in one of those. Can they pull the stunner again?
Five of the top ten teams this week have BYE weeks, so the PAC 12 will be able to showcase what they have.
-by Austin Wood
