Last week was a good one for picks here on the Big 12 blog, with my only miss coming in one of the week's toss-ups, when I picked Baylor to beat Tech.
Last week: 5-1 (.833)
Overall: 46-7 (.867)
Here's who I've got for this weekend's games:
THURSDAY
Kansas State 21, Kansas 20: Kansas matches up with K-State really well, and look for Jayhawks linebacker Justin Springer to have another huge game like he did against Georgia Tech. But Daniel Thomas' day will be bigger, giving the Wildcats another narrow victory.
SATURDAY
No. 21 Missouri 27, Texas A&M 24: Toughest pick of the week, no doubt. See me explain it in a video this afternoon.
No. 5 Nebraska 31, Texas 14: I don't feel great about this pick, but if you remove all the tough-to-assess, intangible aspects of this game, this is what I think happens. Mack Brown-coached teams after a bye week and after playing Oklahoma are scary, but I still expect Taylor Martinez to break at least one or two big runs and gash the defense for plenty of 5- to 8-yard runs. An angry Nebraska team that -- regardless of what they'd like to tell the media this week -- remembers last year's game and what should be a raucous crowd may cancel out some of Texas' urgency for a win and preparation over the past two weeks.
No. 20 Oklahoma State 44, Texas Tech 38: Sixty-six years since the Cowboys have won in Lubbock? Time to reset that clock. The more touches for Kendall Hunter, the better, but the Cowboys make more defensive stops and knock off the Red Raiders.
Baylor 24, Colorado 20: The next two games are the biggest in a long time for Baylor football. That may be lost on folks outside Waco, but the Bears shouldn't need to be reminded. Brian Norwood's defense gets back on track against the Buffs and the Bears take advantage.
No. 6 Oklahoma 34, Iowa State 20: Oklahoma has been unable to blow anybody but Florida State away, and that will continue this week. So what if Iowa State might not have Alexander Robinson? They beat Nebraska without him and Austen Arnaud last year, and Shontrelle Johnson is a solid backup for Robinson. This is a resilient bunch, but the defense surrenders a big, big day to DeMarco Murray.