TCU-Baylor and Red River Shootout Highlight Vegas Big 12 Predictions Week 7
Saturday Blitz Vegas Big 12 Predictions Week 7
Game of the Week
No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs at No. 5 Baylor Bears
Line: Baylor by 8
Can they do it again? The TCU Horned Frogs shocked the world last week by upsetting Oklahoma, but in the eyes of many, they revealed more about Oklahoma than themselves. It also affirmed the belief for those who say Baylor should be the top Big 12 team. Well, now here’s a shot at Baylor the Horned Frogs have earned. That makes for a really interesting Big 12 game that you certainly are not going to want to ignore.
Under Gary Patterson, TCU has a pretty strong track record of upsetting Top 10 teams and beating ranked teams on the road. Both of those things are possible this weekend. In order to do that, the Horned Frogs and that vaunted defense need to be as great, particularly in the secondary, as they were last week. Bryce Petty is a major upgrade in competition, though, so that could be very hard going forward. Meanwhile, as Trevone Boykin played like a superstar last week against Oklahoma’s great front seven, he’s going to have to do it again. His dual-threat abilities will need to be used all night if TCU is going to pull off this upset. That could be easier against Baylor, but the urgency to score is much greater since the Baylor offense is so much better than Oklahoma’s.
Baylor, meanwhile, needs Bryce Petty to play great. Oklahoma lost because TCU can shut down the run, and Trevor Knight wasn’t able to loosen it up at all because he couldn’t do anything. Credit for that also goes to the secondary for TCU. But Petty is much more capable than Knight, and he has got to show that against the Horned Frogs. Otherwise, this could be a very difficult night for him and his teammates at home. Remember that this TCU team struggled last year, so despite the program being good in the past against ranked teams on the road, this one could be different, and if Petty can get the crowd going early, that could be enough for the win. The Bears also need to have this defense that has looked great all year to step up again against Boykin. This defense is not proven yet, beating up on cupcakes, but this is its chance to prove itself. Stopping Boykin and great play by Petty equals a win.
Prediction
Baylor is not Oklahoma. The Bears aren’t as strong on the front seven, meaning Boykin could be even better against them than he was against Oklahoma. But Baylor’s offense actually has a quarterback in Bryce Petty, unlike Oklahoma who has a glorified running back in Trevor Knight. Petty will be the difference, showing up on the biggest stage when the moment is the brightest, and he will lead the Bears to a huge win at home. But the Horned Frogs will still earn some respect because this team is not going to roll over and die. They will give Baylor a huge fight.
Baylor: 31 TCU: 24