Around The Big 12: Longhorns Country's Week 6 Picks
So, here it is — the Red River Showdown.
No. 21 Texas Longhorns (4-1, 2-0 in Big 12) face No. 6 Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0) at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday morning. The game is always nationally significant. But, with the pair’s impending move to the SEC and Texas’ resurgence the past three weeks, the game has taken on so much significance that the ESPN College Gameday crew will be on site.
Plus, ESPN’s lead college football play-by-play announcer, Chris Fowler, will call his first Red River Showdown. Talk about storylines galore for an 11 a.m. kickoff, right?
It’s a truncated Big 12 schedule, with just three games on the ledger. West Virginia is in Waco to take on Baylor early. At 6 p.m., Texas Tech will host TCU.
READ MORE: Texas LB Luke Brockermeyer Embodies Red River Showdown
Nationally, there are plenty of big games, but none bigger than No. 3 Iowa hosting No. 4 Penn State in a huge Big Ten showdown. Two SEC games feature a pair of Top 25 teams, and a Top 10 team faces one of the most dangerous Group of 5 teams around.
With that in mind, LonghornsCountry.com's staff made gave their picks for the weekend's games. Check them out below:
Big 12 Games:
No. 21 Texas vs. No. 6 Oklahoma - 11:00 a.m.
You can see the Longhorns Country Staff's predictions for the Texas-Oklahoma game here.
West Virginia at Baylor, 11 a.m.
Matt Galatzan - Managing Editor/Publisher: I think Baylor is better than advertised. its going to a tough one against a solid Mountaineer defense, but the Bears win out.
Matt's Pick: Baylor
Cole Thompson - Columnist: Baylor plays more consistent and leads the Big 12 with seven interceptions. Call it a close matchup, but the Bears fund a way to head back home with pick up a W in the process.
Cole's Pick: Baylor
Matthew Postins - Staff Writer: West Virginia should not have lost last week to Texas Tech at home. Baylor’s loss to Iowa State on the road last weekend was forgivable. But neither team wants to end the day on a two-game skid. Give me the home team, but it will be close.
Matthew's Pick: Baylor
TCU at Texas Tech - 6 p.m.
Galatzan: Both of these defenses are very suspect, but TCU has the more reliable offensive attack with Max Duggan and Zach Evans. Give me the Frogs.
Matt's Pick: TCU
Thompson: Maybe Gary Patterson was just jealous he didn't trust the run game more against Texas' front seven. Whether or not he thinks running back Zach Evans needs a plethora of carries, 15 is too few for a talent such as his. This time, the carries from Evans literally carry the Horned Frogs to a road victory.
Cole's Pick: TCU
Postins: I couldn’t trust Texas Tech on the road last week, and look what happened? The Red Raiders beat West Virginia. TCU played a close game with Texas last weekend, and that defense tends to travel well. But the chess match between TCU head coach Gary Patterson and his former offensive coordinator, current Tech OC Sonny Cumbie, should be worth your time.
Matthew’s Pick: TCU
READ MORE: Why Brock Cunningham and Chris Beard Are The Perfect Match at Texas
NATIONAL GAMES
No. 4 Penn State at No. 3 Iowa – 3 p.m.
Galatzan: I am very interested to see what Iowa does here against what might be the best overall team they face in the regular season. They look explosive and can get after it on defense, and they have the advantage of being at home. Iowa close.
Matt's Pick: Iowa
Thompson: If there's one team I feel can go toe to toe defensively with Georgia or Alabama, it's Iowa. The Hawkeyes defense ranks second in points allowed (11.8) and is top 10 in total yards and run defense. The Nittany Lions head to Kinnick Stadium and will leave as the sun sets with a loss.
Cole's Pick: Iowa
Postins: I have a co-worker that will be livid with me if I don’t pick her alma mater. And I don’t need that.
Matthew's Pick: Penn State
No. 13 Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss – 11 a.m.
Galatzan: Both of these teams are looking to bounce back in a big way after tough losses. I think Ole Miss has the better overall team and Matt Corral is still the best quarterback in the country. Rebels by a slim margin.
Matt's Pick: Ole Miss
Thompson: A high-tempo offense against a defense that was torched on the ground by Georgia last week. In today's game, defense wins games, but offense win championships. Ole Miss rebounds in its SEC home opener.
Cole's Pick: Ole Miss
Postins: The Razorbacks looked human last week. The Rebels took their whooping from Alabama last week. This game should be much more competitive, with the Rebels edging this one out.
Matthew's Pick: Ole Miss
No. 2 Georgia at No. 18 Auburn - 2:30 p.m.
Galatzan: Georgia is better than everyone but maybe Alabama and its not particularly close.
Matt's Pick: Georgia
Thompson: There's no miracle at Jordan-Hare 2.0 this time around. Georgia has been my No. 1 team since the preseason and will remain there until someone can test Kirby Smart's defense.
Cole's Pick: Georgia
Postins: A BIG pitfall game for Georgia. The Bulldogs are getting healthy at wide receiver, but it’s likely quarterback J.T. Daniels won’t play. Is that, plus the game being at Jordan-Hare, enough to give Auburn the shot at an upset? The Tigers have a shot, but I think the Bulldogs pull this one out.
Matthew's Pick: Georgia
No. 1 Alabama at Texas A&M – 7 p.m.
Galatzan: Alabama by a billion.
Matt's Pick: Alabama
Thompson: I had high hopes for this game. I really did. It's not even that Alabama is significantly better than the Aggies. It's just amazing how wrong we were about A&M in Year 4 under Jimbo Fisher. Alabama by at least two touchdowns.
Cole's Pick: Alabama
Postins: Alabama is the standard, and A&M isn’t ready to meet the standard yet. Matthew's Pick: Alabama.
Boise State at No. 10 BYU – 2:30 p.m.
Galatzan: BYU is making the Big 12 look very smart for adding them into the fold, and there is no reason that won't continue here.
Matt's Pick: BYU
Thompson: Should they be in the conference already, BYU would have a valid argument to be the best team in 2021. They give the boosters and fans a bit more confidence of moving into the Power Five with a massive win over perhaps the most recognizable group of five program over the last decade.
Cole's Pick: BYU
Postins: Boise State is in a rough place, with losses to UCF, Oklahoma State and Nevada. The Broncos haven’t beaten a Power 5 team this season. BYU has beaten three, and the Cougars want to be undefeated when it faces Baylor next week. And the Cougars will be.
Matthew's Pick: BYU.
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