Things to watch in the Big 12 Conference in Week 10:
GAME O
F THE WEEK
No. 10 Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 Big 12, No. 9 CFP) at Oklahoma State (6-2, 4-1). The last scheduled Bedlam series game could be for much more than long-lasting bragging rights since the rivals go into the final month of the regular season as part of a five-way tie for the conference lead. The Sooners, who are going next season to the Southeastern Conference, are coming off a loss last week at Kansas. Oklahoma State has a four-game winning streak.
Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel is the Big 12 leader with 287.8 yards passing per game with a league-best 19 touchdowns. The Cowboys are 4-1 since Alan Bowman, the former Texas Tech and Michigan quarterback whose two older sisters played soccer at Oklahoma, took over as their starter.
While Oklahoma State won at home two years ago and made the Big 12 title game, the Sooners have dominated the series overall with a 91-19-7 lead. Oklahoma has won 17 of the last 20 meetings, and is 20-7 in their Big 12 matchups.
BEST MATCHUP
No. 25 Kansas State (6-2, 4-1) at No. 7 Texas (7-1, 4-1, No. 7 CFP) in another matchup of teams that are part of that five-way tie atop the Big 12 standings. The defending Big 12 champion Wildcats are coming off a 41-0 win over Houston a week after beating TCU 41-3 in a rematch of last year’s title game. K-State is second in the Big 12 averaging 37.4 points per game, and Texas is fourth at 34.5 points a game. They are also the top two scoring defenses: Kansas State has allowed 127 points (15.9 per game), just ahead of Texas at 128 (16.0 ppg). Texas has won six in a row in the series.
IMPACT PLAYER
West Virginia cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. had two interceptions and a pass breakup last week against UCF and is the Big 12 leader with two passes defended per game. The Minnesota transfer has four interceptions and been credited with 12 pass breakups this season. Only Iowa State’s Jeremiah Cooper has more picks with five, but no other Big 12 player has more than eight pass breakups.
RUN, RUN, RUN
Oklahoma State sophomore Ollie Gordon II has five consecutive 100-yard rushing games, and run for more than 270 in each of the last two games, after averaging only six carries in the Cowboys’ three non-conference games. He is now the nation’s leading rusher at 135.9 yards per game. The Big 12 has four running backs at more than 100 yards a game — the other four major conferences have five combined. Texas sophomore Jonathon Brooks averages 115 yards per game while Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks (111.4 ypg) and TCU’s Emani Bailey (106.4 ypg) went into their Thursday night game against each other ranked 3-4 in the Big 12.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Iowa State (5-3, 4-1), the fifth team tied atop the Big 12 standings, hosts Kansas on Saturday. The Cyclones will be trying to get to 5-1 in conference play for the second time in four seasons after never doing that before. … Kansas safety Kenny Logan Jr. had 10 tackles in the win over Oklahoma. That pushed his career total to 346, the most for an active FBS safety and one short of LeRoy Irvin’s school record for a defensive back set from 1976-79. … Houston and Baylor meet Saturday for the first time since the last Southwest Conference season in 1995. … Big 12 newcomers UCF and Cincinnati, who play Saturday, are the only teams without a conference win.
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