Big 12 Football: Week 8 Matchups and Predictions

Six conference games are on the slate for this week.

Except for the two teams at the top of the Big 12 standings, Oklahoma and Texas, there’s plenty of parity among the teams, which makes predicting the outcomes challenging. This week, there are six conference matchups, with four of those difficult ones to predict. But alas, I will, and if it’s like Week 7 last week, I probably won’t do so well.

TCU takes on Kansas State in Week 8 while BYU hosts Texas Tech.  :: Brian McLean, On Assignment Photo/KillerFrogs

2023 Big 12 Predictions Results

On the season, I am 39-26 (.600) in predicting Big 12 games. For the second straight week, last week, I went 1-4. The only game I got right was Kansas State winning at Texas Tech.

Here are the previous predictions from earlier this season:

• Week 1 – 10-4
• Week 2 – 10-4
• Week 3 – 8-5
• Week 4 – 5-3
• Week 5 – 4-2
• Week 6 – 1-4
• Week 7 – 1-4

Big 12 Week 8 Matchups and Predictions

All times listed are Central Time.

#6 Oklahoma (6-0, 3-0) vs. UCF (3-3, 0-3)

Saturday, 11 a.m., ABC

The Sooners are looking hot. And they are coming off a bye week, so they should be well rested. Look for the Knights to still be in search of their first-ever Big 12 conference win. Oklahoma, behind the effort of Dillon Gabriel, will have no problem in this one.

Pick: Oklahoma

Cincinnati (2-4, 0-3) vs. Baylor (2-4, 1-2)

Saturday, 11 a.m., Big 12 Now on ESPN+

If it weren’t for that miraculous 4th quarter-come-from-behind win over UCF earlier this season, we’d be looking at two teams looking for their first conference win. This is one of four tough picks this week. In my mind, it’s a toss-up. I think, though, that Baylor Tears will continue to flow, and Cincinnati will get that first conference win.

Pick: Cincinnati

West Virginia (4-2, 2-1) vs. Oklahoma State (4-2, 2-1)

Saturday, 2:30 p.m., ESPN

Here are two teams already exceeding expectations of how their seasons would go. Neal Brown at West Virginia went from being on the hottest of hot seats to a team in the top half of the standings. And after a loss at home to South Alabama, everyone thought OSU’s season was toast. The Pokes have had wins the last two weeks over Kansas State and Kansas. Ollie Gordon, OSU’s running back, went wild last week with some insane numbers. I think OSU’s hot streak continues, and West Virginia’s luck ran out on that Hail Mary last week.

Pick: Oklahoma State

Houston (3-3, 1-2) vs. #8 Texas (5-1, 2-1)

Saturday, 3 p.m., Fox

Like Oklahoma, Texas is coming off a bye week. An already hot team with a week of rest will be too much for the Cougars. Texas is a 23.5-point favorite. The over/under is 61.5. Watch for Quinn Ewers to lead his team to a huge win, more than the spread and more than the over.

Pick: Texas

BYU (4-2, 1-2) vs. Texas Tech (3-4, 2-2)

Saturday, 6 p.m., FS1

Here’s another toss-up. BYU got thrown around like a rag doll last week. But Tech only looked great in wins over Tarleton and Houston. I think the Cougars figure out what went wrong last week and will look more like the team that went into Fayetteville and got the win.

Pick: BYU

Kansas State (4-2, 2-1) vs. TCU (4-3, 2-2)

Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN2

Both teams had freshmen quarterbacks last week, each with impressive games. Josh Hoover for the Frogs looked impressive, throwing 58 times for 439 yards. Avery Johnson carried the ball 13 times for the Cats and had five rushing touchdowns. Last week, I picked against TCU, and TCU won. I’m tempted to do that again. But I will pick the Frogs, as the TCU defense will figure out how to contain Johnson while the TCU offensive line shines again, giving Hoover another great game.

Read our complete preview of KSU here.

Pick: TCU

Big 12 Bye Weeks

• Iowa State (4-3, 3-1)
• Kansas (5-2, 2-2)

TCU Football Week 8 Opponent Preview: Kansas State Wildcats

---

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!

Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well. Download the KillerFrogs app on Google Play or in the A