1. UT Longhorns
Can you believe they actually paid me for this prediction? Captain Obvious has nothing on this choice: the Longhorns must win against Iowa State this Saturday — a program that blanked UT 24-0 when the offense was run by Tyrone Swoopes. Now that the senior is a back-up occasionally plugged in as a glorified goal-line option, and Shane Buechele is proving himself as the future of the Longhorns offense, Texas has absolutely no excuse in dropping this game. Even Coach Charlie Strong expressed his confidence in running the table throughout the rest of the season. Then again, what employer wouldn’t express self-confidence when he has the barrel of unemployment pointed at him?
The move by Coach Strong to bring in offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert was genius; keeping longtime defensive coordinator Vance Bedford — only to demote him to a secondary coaching position where most of the Longhorns defensive struggles lie — was asinine. The hot seat is scalding right now, to the point that Coach Strong is shifting in his coaching chair uncomfortably. A loss this weekend will burn his hind-end out of Darrell K. Royal, where the only aloe vera relief resides outside of Austin.
2. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Already, the Lubbock faithful are murmuring for Ryan Gosling’s Kliff Kingsbury’s gorgeous head after Tech was upset against Kansas State. The fourth year coach is barely above .500 (22-21) with the Red Raiders, and is too busy making the offense beautiful to care about the ugly defense, like a sorority including only the aesthetically pleasing in their house. The exclusion is costing Texas Tech big this season: the offense is the second best, averaging 55.2 points per game; the defense is one of the worst, sacrificing 38.6 points per game.
Coach Kingsbury faces a daunting task Saturday against No. 20 West Virginia (4-0). The bright spot is stud quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Even with his arm dangling from its socket against the Wildcats, he put up 600 total yards on a defense ranked fourth nationally. West Virginia’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme has limited Tech to 30 points per game in two years; Coach Kingsbury is 0-2 in his career against the Mountaineers. A victory would solidify the Red Raiders position as a legitimate competitor in the Big 12; a loss would push them back to 3-3, struggling to gain admittance into their fourth bowl game in six years.
3. Baylor
The Bears bye week was a PR nightmare. First, the now former Title IX coordinator resigned and publicly accused Baylor of bribing her with hush money. Then, the university was hit with their fourth Title IX lawsuit. Finally, former Coach Art Briles served as a guest coach for the Cleveland Browns. Perhaps that last one was punishment for Coach Briles unethical handling of sexual assault claims against his players, but the moral compromising of the Waco program continues to grow more sinister as time passes.
The worst possible scenario for the CFP is Baylor running the table and entering into playoff eligibility. Therefore, every weekend game is a must-win game for Coach Jim Grobe’s program. Even with one loss blemishing their record, it’s unlikely that the Playoff committee would allow the Bears anywhere near the CFP, instead relegating them to a lesser bowl game.
Currently, the No. 11 Bears show no sign of slowing down. An easy win should be in store against the Jayhawks Saturday, and will be at the halfway point to a perfect 12-0 record. Despite the optimistic start, the chances of an undefeated season are slim. The Bears have compromised depth from losing crucial recruits in the offseason, and have yet to show anything remarkable in five victories. Even if they lose once, their non-conference schedule severely lacked in quality opponents, and will hurt them come the postseason.
