Mandatory Credit: Photo by Brandon Wade/AP/Shutterstock (13468037b) Quarterback Max Duggan (15) celebrates the game winning touchdown in double overtime of an NCAA football game against Oklahoma State, in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU won 43-40 in double overtime Oklahoma St TCU Football, Fort Worth, United States – 15 Oct 2022
College Football Around the Region Preview, Week 12: No. 4 TCU looks to stay undefeated at Baylor; Texas Tech heads to the Iowa tundra
No. 4 TCU HORNED FROGS (10-0, 7-0 Big 12) at BAYLOR BEARS (6-4, 4-3 Big 12)
Last Week: TCU: Won, 17-10 at No. 18 Texas, Baylor: Lost, 31-3 vs. No. 19 Kansas State
Game Time: Saturday, 11 a.m. CT
TV/Radio: FOX/SiriusXM 199 & 203
Sonny Dykes’ first season at the helm of the TCU Horned Frogs football team has exceeded all expectations regardless of what happens the rest of the way, but it’s hard to blame TCU fans for dreaming big at this point. The Frogs have catapulted all the way up to No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings after last weekend’s impressive win in Austin. They are now just three wins away from making their appearance in the National Semifinal undeniable. Most impressive about TCU’s 17-10 win on the Forty Acres was that it showcased the team’s versatility and willingness to adjust to different styles of football. The Frogs had scored at least 34 points in every game this season, so it was plenty reassuring to see the defense step up when the offense faced more adversity than it had all season. This week, TCU heads southeast to Waco for a date with the struggling Baylor Bears.
Baylor, in sharp contrast to TCU, has not lived up to the lofty expectations they set for themselves in 2022. The Bears entered last weekend with a Big 12 Championship Game appearance still within the realm of possibility, but they can all but kiss those dreams goodbye after being blown out at home by Kansas State. The 31-3 defeat felt like rock bottom for Baylor, especially disappointing given that they had won three in a row before the crucial loss. Quarterback Blake Shapen failed to pass for a touchdown for a second straight week but was intercepted twice by a Wildcats’ defense that controlled the football game all night. Baylor has fallen to the Horned Frogs each of the last two seasons, but last season’s 30-28 loss in Fort Worth was especially painful as it knocked Baylor out of College Football Playoff discussions entirely. Surely, Dave Aranda’s team is hungry for revenge – and eager to wipe the taste of last week’s blowout loss from their mouths while derailing the Frogs’ undefeated season.
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (5-5, 3-4 Big 12)
Last Week: Won, 43-28 vs. Kansas
This Week: Saturday, 6 p.m. CT at Iowa State (4-6, 1-6 Big 12)
TV/Radio: FS1/SiriusXM 380
Texas Tech heads to Iowa State Saturday for what should be a frigid night under the lights in Ames, Iowa. With 20-30 mile per hour winds expected and temperatures dropping into the single digits as the night goes along, two teams fighting for bowl eligibility will do so in conditions that will test their mettle and desire. A win for the Red Raiders would ensure them a well-earned bowl berth in a season that’s seen them take on six ranked teams, but the Cyclones will undoubtedly have different ideas. Iowa State, sitting at 4-6, needs to top both Tech and TCU if they hope to make a bowl themselves. Texas Tech has played almost exclusively high-scoring games this season, averaging 34 points per game while allowing nearly 30 – but if Iowa State’s resume is any indication, the Red Raiders may need to play a different style to win this one. Despite their losing record, the Cyclones are only allowing 16.7 points per game this year – unlike other schools in the Big 12, it’s their offense that has been their undoing. Texas Tech used their run game to pull away from Kansas last week, and they’ll likely want to lean on that strategy again in Saturday night’s blustery, freezing conditions.
BEST OF THE REST AROUND TEXAS
(All games played Saturday unless otherwise specified)
FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION
No. 21 Tulane 59, SMU 24 (Thursday)
UTSA at Rice, noon. CT
Florida International at UTEP, 3 p.m. CT
Arkansas State at Texas State, 4 p.m. CT
FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUBDIVISION
Southern Utah at Sam Houston, noon CT
Incarnate Word at Northwestern State, 1 p.m. CT
Houston Christian at Tarleton State, 2 p.m. CT
Tennessee State at Texas A&M Commerce, 2 p.m. CT
Stephen F. Austin at Abilene Christian, 2:30 p.m. CT
Lamar at McNeese, 7 p.m. CT