CFB Week 9 Staff Picks
Trick or treat! For some teams it will be trick and for others it will be treat. We'll find out which teams tricked us into thinking they might win and which teams are scary good today https://www.bceoutlet.com/Neto_Okpala_Jersey-123. Our staff made some predictions for games in the Big 12 and around the nation and I can guarantee you every staff member got at least one pick right! Let's take a look at the Big 12 slate and preview the top games from around the nation.Texas No. 6 Oklahoma StateThe last time the Horns traveled to Stillwater the Cowboys upset a No. 6 ranked Texas team. Now, the roles are reversed and Texas will be looking to return the favor. Oklahoma State's defensive unit has been the talk of the Big 12 but they'll get a big test taking on a legit Texas offense. I have too many concerns about the Texas offensive line and the Texas defense to take the Longhorns in this one. I do think Sam Ehlinger has a big day passing and on the ground, and I think coach Tom Herman will throw the kitchen sink at this game in an attempt to pull the upset and turn the season around for the Longhorns. Robert Whetsell was our only staff member to pick the Horns and the rest have Oklahoma State improving to 5-0 on the season https://www.bceoutlet.com/Donovan_Cahill_Jersey-71. No. 23 Iowa State KansasIowa State suffered a tough road loss at Oklahoma State last weekend. The Cyclones will bounce back this weekend with a road game at a Kansas squad that likely won't win a game this season. Kansas has been terrible so far this season and offensive star Pooka Williams opted out of the season. Iowa State should roll big in this one to improve to 4-2 on the season. Our entire staff has Iowa State over Kansas this afternoon. No. 16 Kansas State West Virginia Kansas State has climbed to No. 16 in the AP Poll after dropping its season opener to Arkansas State. West Virginia dropped its last game to Texas Tech. I don't really know what to think about either team. I think Kansas State gets exposed at some point, but I'm not sure West Virginia is the team to do it. Neither team has an explosive offense so this could be a low scoring battle. Phillip Slavin and Robert are both rocking with West Virginia while the rest of the staff has Kansas State escaping Morgantown with a win. This is normally must-watch football in the Big 12. TCU and Baylor have been responsible for some high-scoring shootouts over the years. That likely won't be the case this weekend. Baylor has dropped games to Texas and West Virginia this season and TCU's offense is struggling almost as much as Baylor's is. With that being said, I like the quarterbacks in this game. I think Max Duggan is a wild card who makes the TCU offense good enough to compete with any team in the league on any given day, but could also play down to the talent of the bottom teams in the conference. Charlie Brewer is a talented quarterback but I'm still not sure the new coaching staff fully trusts him based on the play calling. This is a must-win game for two teams who have struggled in recent weeks in conference play. Our staff likes TCU in this one. No. 24 Oklahoma Texas Tech Oklahoma has turned its season around with two wins over Texas and TCU after dropping games against Kansas State and Iowa State to open conference play. The Sooners still need to string together a handful of wins to get back into the Big 12 title conversation. They'll also need Iowa State and Kansas State to lose three games, or for Oklahoma State to lose two games if the Sooners beat the Cowboys. Oklahoma and Texas Tech have provided some memorable games over the years. The shootout between Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes comes to mind. This year won't be as interesting. It'll be freshman Spencer Rattler against transfer Henry Colombi. I have Oklahoma by a few scores in this one, and the rest of our staff has Oklahoma over a floundering Texas Tech team as well. Games Around the NationThe primetime ABC game was a lot more intriguing last weekend before Penn State dropped its opening game at Indiana. The Nittany Lions dropped to No. 18 and Ohio State jumped two spots to No. 5. Ohio State should win this one on the road, though Oklahoma State fans will be cheering for Penn State. Cincinnati faces Memphis as it looks to tighten its grip on the best team in the Group of Six. Arkansas takes on Texas AM and could jump into the top-25 for the first time since 2016 with a win. Michigan hosts Michigan State at the Big House after an impressive road win over Minnesota https://www.bceoutlet.com/Jake_Byczko_Jersey-144. LSU travels to play Auburn in a matchup between two struggling SEC teams. Here's who our staff has in games around the nation. Let us know who you have in the games today in the comments!