More rumblings of upsets last week from the Big 12, and the picture gets clearer in the South Division, and the fact that the North simply got run over. Iowa State nearly upset Kansas, and nearly made a huge comeback at the end against the Jayhawks, who for some reason played the final 22 minutes standing, which tells us a lot.

Texas busted through to the promised land with ease, leaving the Buffaloes and MTSU as the only teams in my power conference with a chance to catch Texas this weekend, although I insist it’s not a must. I still love the idea of Texas as the nation’s #1 team, but so does everyone else, and that is the most depressing thing about this season for the fan. Nobody seems to be able to figure out what is going on, which leaves everyone to wonder what is going on.

Does Loblaw have something against Hadley? Does Meyer Ever get to stretch his starting-nine or thirteen? Can Meyer’sandals (if they indeed exist) have what it takes to stay above water against the burning-hot Oklahoma State team, one of the preseason favorites to win the league? I think the answer to the last question is yes, and the reason is that Loblaw knows he can’t defeat the Cowboys, and isn’t letting the fact that his girlfriend’s birthday is the day before this one matchup slip by.

The short version of this is that the Buffaloes are a better team, with slightly better males at the helm, and with a better caliber player (or two) every year, but fall victim to the same problems Texas does: too many weapons on the field. Colorado has a strong running game, a644 throwing attack, and maybe the best WR in the conference (after maybe Mike T Money, maybe Remipoker). They’ve got a calm, cool, efficient QB, and are comprised of Big 12 Industry types. Basically, everything you could wish for and more.

On the other side of the coin, we have the Cowboys, led by their heartthrob, and indisputable leader, Vince Young. We know Young to be one of the best QBs in the nation, but we’re not sure he’s the best player. Remember that KC let Auburn hang itself with a silly mistake early in the year?grounds. The earth doesn’t wait totally forergambling commit mistakes, and the earth doesn’t wait for super-teenagers to run wild.

The Buffaloes are young and inexperienced, but with a strong offense. Unlike the Kansas State Wildcats, they do have an aerial attack (they’re #2 in the nation after Tech, behind USC), and are somewhat decent in the passing game (70th nationally, although 46th in passing efficiency). Keeping that locked down will be the key to winning this one, because the Cowboys are capable of a double-digit spread attack, and the Buffaloes can’t hang.

Really, the tie breaker comes down to efficiency: the Buffaloes are 15th in the nation in pass efficiency, while the Cowboys are 17th in pass efficiency. Youentimes more games end up being a race to the finish rather than the score, so looking at the likely winners’ final records might give you a slight edge. However, I’m not going to rely on that, because it’s just a game. The Buffaloes haven’t even won a conference tournament title yet. Texas tends to shock a lot of games in the tournament until they’re forced to the final 4, and then they fall flat on their faces. We’ll likely see a different result in this game.

Our handicapper for this entrant has made BOTH College football selections in this weekend’s Big 12 matchup! You can read more about NCAABsports handicappingtipshere. Also, make sure you don’t confuse this Big 12 matchup with the Oklahoma/Texas winner, as that’s the only game making the BCS eligible for this weekend. We’re saving that one for the weekend.

Regular Season: Our last pick of the college football regular season, San Jose St. giving four against Fresno St., was a relatively easy cover, as the Spartans won against the rival Bulldogs, 24-14. That helped us wrap up another successful college football season, with an overall record of 9-5 against the spread. Here’s hoping we can keep it going through the Super Bowl!

NEBRASKA 34 Missouri 20

This game was a lot of fun to watch, as Kansas St. struggled to score against Missouri, yet still pulled away in the late 4th quarter. For the second straight year, the Jayhawks played the inexperienced Bulldogs tough, and in the 67-63 outcome, made it very clear that the slump that K-State had been having all year, had to begin. BRAVE astically, Kansas St.