By Keith Whitmire
November 12, 2009

This week in the Big 12....

BIGGEST GAME: Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
This matchup has featured a lot of offensive fireworks over the years, but this season both teams have been known to play a little defense. The stakes are fairly high for Oklahoma State, which has bounced back from tough losses to Houston and Texas. Now the Cowboys need to close strong to finish with a 10-win season.

Quarterback Zac Robinson has been producing, even without Dez Bryant. The running game has been strong with Keith Toston and a now-healthy Kendall Hunter. The key will be whether the OSU offensive line can keep the Texas Tech pass rush out of Robinson’s way. When the Red Raider rushers sense a weakness, they can cause major problems. The Texas Tech offense has struggled at times this year with quarterback issues. Either Taylor Potts, the original starter, or Seth Doege, a onetime third-stringer, will get the call. The good news is the Tech running game has never looked better than when Baron Batch rushed for 123 yards and four TDs two weeks ago against Kansas.

It should be a fun one between two of the better teams in the Big 12 South.

THIS COULD GET UGLY: Texas A&M at Oklahoma
Pity the team that faces a Bob Stoops team coming off a 10-3 loss to Nebraska. The Sooners should be extra-motivated after an embarrassing offensive performance, including five interceptions from quarterback Landry Jones. This is not a good situation for a maturing Texas A&M team to face in Norman, Okla. The Aggies had several moments of immaturity in last week’s 35-34 loss at Colorado. The Aggies blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and will no doubt be looking for redemption themselves. Finding it against the OU defense is a tall order.

MORE GREAT D: Nebraska at Kansas
Poor Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing. He’s been battered around during conference play, taking his lumps while trying to pull the Jayhawks out of a four-game losing streak. This week he gets an up close look at Ndamukong Suh, Jared Crick and the rest of the ferocious Nebraska defense. Reesing has a lot of intangibles as a quarterback. One of them should be a strong survival instinct.

NOT THIS TIME: Texas at Baylor
Baylor’s still-wet-behind-the-ears quarterback Nick Florence had a breakout performance last week in an upset of Missouri. But this week, he has to worry about something breaking against Sergio Kindle and the rest of the Texas defense. Baylor had its big win last week, letting the rest of the conference know they still have a pulse. Texas has its eyes on the prize of a berth in the BCS championship.

THIS WEEK’S OUTLOOK
Texas 38, Baylor 10: Bears had their parting-shot win last week
Kansas State 35, Missouri 21: Snyder always beats the Tigers (Versus Preview)
Iowa State 24, Colorado 21: Buffs too inconsistent to win on the road
Nebraska 20, Kansas 12: Offensive explosion for the Huskers
Oklahoma 35, Texas A&M 13: Field goals won’t beat Sooners this week
Oklahoma State 38, Texas Tech 31: Cowboys’ defense will be challenged

During his 12-year stint with The Dallas Morning News Keith Whitmire was a Big 12 and national college football columnist. He resides in Dallas.