Staff Big 12 Picks ATS - Week 3
| Staff Member | Record |
|---|---|
|
Gabe |
12-4-1 |
|
Mason |
10-6-1 |
|
Alec |
9-7-1 |
Oklahoma at Nebraska +11, 11:00 AM FOX
Mason: I am taking the Sooners. I think they are the superior team and I know there might be some fear of the Mickey Joseph bump after firing Scott Frost, but I just believe Nebraska is that bad of a team, it won’t matter. The Sooners also will have something to prove after their slow start against Kent State and the tight game they played last year with Nebraska. Boomer!
The Pick: Oklahoma -11
Alec: Nebraska just fired their head coach after two games into the season. That will either lead to a rally and a close game or a blowout. I'll take the side of a blowout, give me the Sooners at -11.
The Pick: Oklahoma -11
Gabe: Eleven points feels significantly too low for Nebraska considering the recent firing of Scott Frost and the three-point loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday. Maybe I’m insane, but I’ll say Nebraska keeps it close under interim head coach Mickey Joseph, who was injured by Oklahoma while playing quarterback for the Cornhuskers.
The Pick: Nebraska +11
Texas State at Baylor -30, 11:00 AM FS1
Mason: That is a big number, which makes me a little weary. The Bears also let me down last weekend in Provo, but Texas State is bad this season. They sit at 1-1, they beat FIU who only beat FCS Bryant by one. The blowout loss to Nevada for Texas State was by 24 points, and with no Jay Norvell, Carson Strong or Romeo Doubs, Nevada lost this past weekend to Incarnate Word. I am going to Sic Em one last time.
The Pick: Baylor -30
Alec: Texas State used to be called TMU in my favorite TV show ever, Friday Night Lights. If Eric Taylor was coaching I bet the spread would be smaller than 30.5 points. But the Bears need to gain confidence in Blake Shapen at quarterback. This is a tough one, but I'll take the Bears.
The Pick: Baylor -30.5
Gabe: Baylor’s passing game left a lot to be desired as the late evening of last Saturday turned into Sunday morning. Quarterback Blake Shapen and the Bears were unable to ever find trust in the passing game and came up short in double overtime against future Big 12 foe BYU in Week 2. I’ll say they bounce back at home against a Texas State team that should be dominated.
The Pick: Baylor -30.5
Towson at West Virginia -31.5, 12:00 PM ESPN+
Mason: West Virginia needs a win in a very bad way, 0-2 start with a Thursday trip to Blacksburg approaching, the best time for a win is against an FCS team. JT Daniels hasn’t been the main reason the Mountaineers have lost this season, but similar to Adrian Martinez at Nebraska, he has made his mistake at the worst possible time. He has thrown a go-ahead pick-six to Pitt and the game-losing pick-six to Cobee Bryant of Kansas last week. I hate to do it with a big number, but historically Towson is never close in these games so I am taking the Mountaineers.
The Pick: West Virginia -31.5
Alec: Well, West Virginia lost to Kansas and Pitt in dramatic fashion in each of the first two weeks of the season. The line of scrimmage needs to improve for the Mountaineers to get out of the Big 12's basement.
The Pick: Towson +31.5
Gabe: If this isn’t a cathartic victory for the Mountaineers things will get even bleaker in Morgantown. I think it will be a much-needed drubbing by West Virginia to get their first win of the season.
The Pick: West Virginia -31.5
Ohio at Iowa State -18, 1:00 PM ESPN+
Mason: The Bobcats are playing their second straight “buy game,” after getting tossed around by Penn State last weekend. Iowa State is coming off the high of finally beating Iowa. It’s tough to gauge the Cyclones properly after playing an FCS team and a team with a bad offense. Iowa State has surprisingly faired well at dominating their inferior non-conference opponent at the FBS level in recent years. I will probably regret going with another favorite, but here we are.
The Pick: Iowa State -18
Alec: I believed in Iowa State last week against their arch-rivals, Iowa. I think the Cyclone offense will start to perform a bit better against a MAC opponent with Hunter Dekkers leading the charge. Give me the Cyclones at -18.
The Pick: Iowa State -18
Gabe: Iowa State snapped a six-game losing streak in the CyHawk game last week. Maybe an emotional letdown allows Ohio to hang and keep it within the number. I’ll take the Bobcats.
The Pick: Ohio +18
Tulane at K-State -14.5, 2:00 PM ESPN+
Mason, Alec, Gabe: K-State -14.5
Kansas at Houston -9.5, 3:00 PM ESPNU
Mason: Reality check time in Houston, but for who? The Jayhawks might fall back to Earth, but Lance Leipold has proven he is too good of a coach for that. Houston lost to Texas Tech last week, even though the Red Raiders gave the ball away a few times and will probably finish in the bottom third of the Big 12. I think Houston probably wins, but Kansas is going to keep it inside the 9.5.
The Pick: Kansas +9.5
Alec: Houston was the Group 5 Cinderella entering the season, and just two weeks into the year the glass slipper has already shattered into a million pieces. Kansas has become the Power 5 Cinderella around the country. I'll take the Jayhawks to cover.
The Pick: Kansas +9.5
Gabe: Through two weeks, Jalon Daniels has led the Jayhawk offense to the highest scoring mark in Division 1 football. Houston has played two straight games featuring multiple overtimes. I think Daniels keeps up the KU success and the Jayhawks are in another close one.
The Pick: Kansas +9.5
Texas Tech at NC State -10, 6:00 PM ESPN2
Mason: Another grind coming for Texas Tech after the double-overtime game with Houston last week. I think NC State has enough in the tank to cover the ten they are favored by.
The Pick: NC State -10
Alec: I was a believer in NC State entering the season, and the Week 1 scare vs. East Carolina didn't knock me off the bandwagon completely. Devin Leary is the better QB in this matchup. I'll take the Wolfpack.
The Pick: NC State -10
Gabe: NC State entered the year with sky-high expectations and are ranked 16th in this week’s AP Poll. The Wolfpack survived their Week 1 scare at East Carolina, and I think they’ll survive this visit from the Red Raiders with a convincing win.
The Pick: NC State -10
Arkansas Pine Bluff at Oklahoma State -54.5, 6:00 PM ESPN+
Mason: This is a giant number for the Cowboys to get to. Their offense can definitely do it, but can the circumstance of the game and their defense make sure to not let one sneak past the goalie? The last time Oklahoma State beat a team by 55 points or more, was in 2015 against a startup UTSA. History says I should go with the Golden Lions, but something tells me the Cowboys break the 60-point mark and miraculously cover this large number.
The Pick: Oklahoma State -54.5
Alec: Not a chance i would ever consider putting money on this game with a line that big.
The Pick: UAPB +54.5
Gabe: If you’re betting on this game you might have a problem. Oklahoma State defeated Arizona State, 34-17, during Week 2. Just about everything has to go perfectly in order to cover a line that is nearly eight touchdowns so I’ll err on the side of Mike Gundy taking his foot off the gas before the Cowboys get started with Big 12 play.
The Pick: UAPB +54.5
UTSA at Texas -12.5, 7:00 PM Longhorn Network
Mason: It would be very Texas to lose this game. But this UTSA team isn’t quite as good as last year’s and the Roadrunners are coming off their second straight overtime game after beating Army last week, by three. Bijan Robinson should be able to carry the load for the Longhorns.
The Pick: Texas -12.5
Alec: If Quinn Ewers is starting at QB, I'm hammering the Longhorns. But instead, it's Hudson Card, and the health of his ankle is a concern. This feels like the type of game Bijan Robinson should go nuts in. But this is UTSA's Super Bowl.
The Pick: UTSA +12.5
Gabe: Texas’ quarterback Quinn Ewers hurt his collarbone during the Longhorns’ loss to Alabama. Without him, more Hudson Card isn’t necessarily a great recipe for UT success. I’ll say the Roadrunners are able to keep it close in this one.
The Pick: UTSA +12.5