The tossups have been friendly to my picks this season, but they'll be tested once again this week with a few tough calls.
I'll be in Fort Worth on Saturday to see if TCU can spring the upset on No. 4 Oklahoma.
Be sure to tune in to Big 12 Live on Saturday night at 11 CT. You can watch on Fox Sports Southwest, Midwest and other regional Fox affiliates. I'll be on with Gary Reasons, Jon Berger and Ric Renner to break down Week 6 with highlights, interviews, insight and opinion. It's the only show on the planet devoted solely to Big 12 football, so check it out if you aren't already a faithful viewer.
You can also follow my work on Facebook and follow me on Twitter. It's always fun on game days.
On to the picks!
Last week: 5-0 (1.000)
Overall: 33-2 (.943)
Oklahoma State 37, Iowa State 17: Sam Richardson is Iowa State's leading rusher this season. That's a problem, because he's also its starting quarterback. The Cyclones have struggled to get backs Aaron Wimberly and Devondrick Nealy going this year and the Cowboys feast on the one-dimensional offense. Pass rushers Emmanuel Ogbah and Jimmy Bean go nuts in the second half with OSU nursing a lead.
Oklahoma 27, TCU 24: TCU is good enough to win this game, but my gut tells me Oklahoma is too complete to drop this game. How's this for an unbelievable stat: TCU is just 1-7 at home all-time in Big 12 play. The only win came last year over Kansas. It's a little fluky, perhaps, but I doubt that trend changes against a team of Oklahoma's caliber. Samaje Perine and Oklahoma's offensive line win an outstanding battle up front against TCU's defensive tackle duo of Chucky Hunter and Davion Pierson.
Baylor 44, Texas 17: No game this season will have a more important first quarter. If Texas can fluster Baylor to a rough start on the road and sustain drives on offense, this will be a game. The Longhorns can compete if they jump out to a quick 10-0 lead. If Baylor does what Baylor more often does and leads 14-0 halfway through the first quarter, this will be very, very ugly. Texas was tied with the Bears at halftime last year with the Big 12 title on the line. Texas has the corners and defensive line to slow down Baylor's offense, but safeties Mykelle Thompson, and Adrian Colbert have to be there to help over the top. That's not easy considering how Baylor spreads its receivers. My guess is this game ends somewhere in the middle of those two scenarios. Baylor is prone to slow starts on offense on the road, but against the Bears' improved defense, Texas won't take advantage on offense.
West Virginia 51, Kansas 13: Horrible matchup against an angry bunch of Mountaineers still smarting from last year's loss. Clint Bowen's debut as Kansas coach will come in a difficult environment and not go well. Clint Trickett and Rushel Shell have big days.
Kansas State 41, Texas Tech 31: K-State is much more apt to take advantage of Texas Tech's weakness in run defense than Oklahoma State was a week ago. This pick is assuming Davis Webb is healthy. If he's not, you can subtract about 17 points from Texas Tech's total. Webb has practiced in full pads this week, and I'm betting the pain in his left shoulder will go away once the adrenaline starts flowing. He'll keep Texas Tech in it with a solid performance, but the Wildcats' ball control offense keeps the Red Raiders at arm's length most of the day.
