Big 12 Week Nine Winners: Time For More Chaos?

It was a bit of a mixed bag with the results from our week eight selections. The good news came in the form of a 5-1 Moneyline performance and another lock cashing. The “meh” news was a 3-3 showing against the spread. The bad news, which has been a trend for the season now, was another losing week on the totals at 2-4. With Arizona State taking down Texas Tech last week, the opportunity for more teams to grab a spot in the title game opened up. Was last week the start of more unpredictability to come? Or will the Big 12’s week nine winners get back to being very chalky? All lines are courtesy of FanDuel.

Is this finally the year? The Sunflower showdown kicks off the Big 12 week nine winners in the early window with the Jayhawks looking to end a 16-year losing streak to the Wildcats. Both teams enter the game coming off a bye week. Last time we saw Kansas State, they had shown signs of life offensively. Of course, the last time Kansas they were getting showered by tortillas (which turned out that would be the last time the tortillas flew in Lubbock) and getting run over in a 42-17 defeat. This appears to be the year where both teams have an even roster and both have playing making quarterbacks. Expect nothing but the best out of Avery Johnson and Jalon Daniels in this one. Feel confident in locking up the over in this one. As far as who wins it? The streak ends thanks to a last-second field goal by the Jayhawks.

Can BYU get some respect? The only remaining undefeated team climbed to the top spot in Last Word’s power rankings this week, but still remains outside the top 10 in the AP poll. Additionally, they are underdogs traveling on the road this week. Iowa State is a pretty beat-up team, but it was fortunate to have a bye week before this game. There is a level of “getting away with it” that hangs over this BYU team. The Cougars are a very good team and should be considered a contender for an appearance in the Big 12 title game. But, coming off a huge emotional win against their rivals and traveling on the road against a quality Matt Campbell team will finally end their unbeaten season. The upset (according to the rankings, not Vegas) continues to add to the drama in the Big 12 race.

For comparison, Texas Tech was a 48.5-point favorite against Kent State and a 24.5-point favorite against Oregon State. Can the Red Raiders channel the loss in a similar way to how Ohio State did last year against Michigan before finding a new edge to carry them to a championship? More specifically, can that edge be found in the passing game against their backup quarterback because he will be needed again? This game will be over by halftime as Texas Tech cruises.

In four Big 12 games, Dave Aranda’s team has yet to hold a team under 27 points. In the last two games, both of their opponents have reached at least 34 points. Meanwhile, Brendan Sorsby and the Cincinnati offense have scored at least 37 points in three of their four conference games. The scoreboard operator will be busy in this one. However, the two “shootouts” they have played this year have been one-score games. This is a game on the Big 12’s week nine card that could turn heads in the fourth quarter if Baylor is clicking offensively. With the total set at over nine touchdowns, and Last Word believing it will get there, Baylor will cover but come up just short of winning the game.

In conference play, West Virginia has scored the fewest points and is spiritually tied for last in points allowed (with 172, Oklahoma State is last with 174). TCU should roll in the game for an easy cover. But in all but one of their seven games this year, TCU’s opponents have gotten to 21 points. So, as bad as this Mountaineer offense has been, they should find the endzone a few times. As a result, Last Word is feeling bold with the Big 12 week nine winners and offering a second lock on the over in this one. Additionally, Sonny Dykes’ team covers this spread easily.

The big news heading into this game is the health of star wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. He is coming off possibly his most impactful game of the season, but has a lingering hamstring injury he suffered against Texas Tech. The availability report will come out after the publication of this, but early reports aren’t promising for Sam Leavitt to have his favorite target. If the Sun Devils were going on the road, they would be firmly in upset alert territory going against a solid Houston team. But with the game at home, the Sun Devils find a way to survive while Houston covers the touchdown.

It will be interesting to see how Utah responds. They are essentially three games back of both BYU and Texas Tech with only five games left. Meanwhile, Colorado has had two weeks to prepare and is riding the momentum of an upset win over Iowa State two weeks ago. If Kyle Whittingham still has this team united and focused, they should roll in this one. His track record suggests his team is far from punting on the season, so expect a big bounce back by the Utes.