Big 12 football picks: Week seven results

Case McCoy and the Texas Longhorns stole the show on Saturday with their incredible 16-point victory over the Oklahoma Sooners. TCU and Baylor’s deficiency on offense made my day at Vegas a world of hurt as I stumbled again on picking the lines.

Oct 12, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Malcolm Brown (28) runs the ball against Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Frank Shannon (20) during the second quarter of the game during the Red River Rivalry at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

I should probably stop picking lines. But that’s not going to happen, because I never learn my lesson.

Ever.

Texas 36, Oklahoma 20

Even worse than being wrong on the lines was how wrong I was on Blake Bell. 12 of 26 passing, 133 yards, zero touchdowns, and two picks for a guy that was previously clean in that statistic. Case McCoy is getting a little too much love, and it was more thanks to Johnathan Gray and Malcolm Brown combining for 243 yards on the ground in 52 attempts that made this game so one-sided. The meltdown of a 1-2 start has quickly evaporated for the Longhorns, and they don’t have to worry about the top two teams in the Big 12 until the last two weeks of the season.

TCU 27, Kansas 17

Five turnovers for TCU, and they were still able to pull out a 10-point victory at home. It was the Horned Frogs’ ability to outgain the Jayhawks on the ground by 161 yards (that margin is large thanks to Jake Heaps smacking a -39 in scrambling in the box score) that helped them control the clock. Both teams are dreadful offensively when it comes to Big 12 standards, but there’s a reason why Kansas has lost 23 straight conference games.

Baylor 35, Kansas State 25

The Bears became human thanks to two things: the Wildcats holding Baylor’s rushing attack to 114 yards, and running the ball down their throats with 327 yards on 58 attempts. Most of that running game produced by Kansas State was from Daniel Sams with 199 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. Could a weakness finally be exposed for the Bears?

Current records

• Straight up: 33-9 (LW: 3-1)
• At the spread: 12-22 (LW: 1-3)
• Over/under: 17-17 (LW: 2-2)