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#5 TCU 48, Texas 10
Maybe this one will get the attention of the playoff committee. When it mattered, the Horned Frogs stepped up and got it done. Complete domination is one way to describe this one, and the TCU defense was the true story of the game. If you leave out the 73-yard swing pass for a Texas touchdown in the fourth quarter, the Horned Frog defense stood tall all game. They forced six turnovers, including four interceptions of Texas QB Tyrone Swoopes, and returned both a fumble and an interception for immediate touchdowns. Iowa State is the only team that stands between TCU and at least a heated debate about playoff inclusion.
As for Texas, did Charlie Strong proclaim that there would never be a six loss Texas team again or did I miss that?
#7 Baylor 48, Texas Tech 46
Baylor was up 42-17 halfway through the third quarter. At that point, who would have thought that it would take a Baylor field goal with 3:44 remaining and a failed Texas Tech two point conversion in the final two minutes to secure a victory? Add a Bryce Petty concussion, and the fact that the Bears have to play K-State next weekend to have any shot of making the top-4, and it could get really interesting really fast. TCU dropped out of a playoff spot with a close win over a terrible Kansas team, and I suspect that Baylor will pay the price for such a close outing against the Red Raiders. It just doesn’t look good when the opponent throws for 598 yards on your defense.
West Virginia 37, Iowa State 24
Iowa State’s quest to go winless in the conference is alive and kicking thanks to a defeat to West Virginia on Saturday. West Virginia backup quarterback Skyler Howard had a pretty nice debut as a starter. He went 21 of 40 for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Howard also ran it seven times for 69 yards. West Virginia’s regular season is over, they just have to await which lower tier bowl they will be participating in. Iowa State travels to TCU.
Up-to-date Big XII Standings:
TCU 10-1, 7-1
Baylor 10-1, 7-1
Kansas State 9-2, 7-1
Oklahoma 8-3, 5-3
West Virginia 7-5, 5-4
Texas 6-6, 5-4
Oklahoma State 5-6, 3-5
Texas Tech 4-8, 2-7
Kansas 3-9, 1-8
Iowa State 2-9, 0-8