Tag: Big 12 championship predictions

Kelley Ford projections favor Texas in potential Big 12 title matchup

One metric would favor Texas by 14.5 points against likely Big 12 title opponent Oklahoma State.

The Texas Longhorns appear to be headed toward a Big 12 title game. Aside from the team’s 10-1 record and consistent product throughout the 2023 season, a few metrics favor Texas to make the championship game in Arlington.

Data analyst Kelley Ford shared conference title projections on Monday. According to the projections, the Texas Longhorns have a 94% chance to make the conference title game. The Oklahoma State Cowboys are given a 74% chance to reach Arlington.

Ford shared who would be favored to win the potential matchup. The model projects the Longhorns as 14.5 point favorites over the Cowboys.

Texas recent struggles’ against Oklahoma State are well documented. Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian alone is 0-2 against the Cowboys. Nevertheless, the projections make sense based on what we have seen from both teams this year.

Oklahoma State is heavily dependent on running back Ollie Gordon for offensive production. Texas has the No. 5 run defense in college football allowing just 82.7 yards per contest. If the teams play to a draw when Oklahoma State runs the ball, the Longhorns’ talent should overwhelm.

Texas has a strong chance to bring home its first Big 12 title since 2009. It can secure its place in the game with a win over Texas Tech on Friday.

Final game-by-game predictions for the Texas football season

Let’s predict the 2023 season for Texas after offseason developments.

There’s only one more Saturday without college football before the 2023 season kicks off. Our opinions are starting to solidify.

We recently shared our standings prediction, but given Iowa State’s betting scandal our prediction changes. We don’t think the Cyclones will beat the Longhorns without an experienced starting quarterback. And there’s a real possibility that’s what Iowa State will be up against when game planning to defeat Texas.

There are only a handful of games Texas could lose given roster depth and talent advantages. The Longhorns’ most likely losses would come against Alabama, Baylor and TCU on the road, Oklahoma on a neutral site and Kansas State and Texas Tech at home. Some of those games are still extremely unlikely losses.

Let’s predict the 2023 season for Texas.

Ranking the most likely Big 12 championship scenarios

Texas can solidify Big 12 championship contention on Saturday.

The Texas Longhorns (5-2) travel to Stillwater to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-1) this weekend. The game has significant implications for the Big 12 title race.

In most seasons, the title game features teams with two losses or less. Although chaos could result in a three-loss title game participant this year, no two-loss team is a lock for a spot in the championship game.

Since both teams have already dropped a game in conference play, Saturday’s bout could be the deciding factor in who plays in the final game. The two biggest competitors for a title bid face each other on the same day.

Kansas State (5-1) travels to Fort Worth to face the undefeated TCU Horned Frogs (6-0). Neither team has dropped a conference game this season.

Let’s look at the most likely championship scenarios.

Where Texas stands among Big 12 championship contenders

Looking at the five conference contenders most likely to make the Big 12 championship game.

The Big 12 championship picture got clearer on Thursday night. The West Virginia Mountaineers handed the Baylor Bears their second conference loss of the season. With that loss, Baylor fell from the ranks of conference title favorites.

No team in the conference is yet eliminated, but there’s a significant separation between the bottom and top half of the league. Oklahoma and Iowa State are both 0-3 in conference, while Baylor, Texas Tech and West Virginia have already lost twice. Barring chaos, those five likely won’t make the championship game.

Texas stands at 2-1 in conference play heading into their home game against Iowa State. The Cyclones could be the Longhorns’ least difficult remaining game, but shouldn’t be considered an easy win.

Let’s look at the five conference contenders most likely to make the Big 12 championship game.

Texas Football: Game-by-game predictions and storylines ahead of fall camp

Here are pre-camp predictions and storylines for each game on Texas’ schedule this season.

Fall camp begins in Austin soon, and we have a good idea what team will take the field in the season opener. While starting positions are still up for grabs, the roster that will emerge from the tunnel is now on campus.

Freshmen offensive linemen will show whether or not they are ready for playing time. Certainly, they will look lost at times, as we have often seen from returning linemen. We will see which five have the strongest grasp of the offense and work the best together.

Linebackers could determine what defense Texas most often deploys. Pete Kwiatkowski would welcome the emergence of David Gbenda or Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey as reliable linebacking options.

Here is a look at how I see the 2022 college football season playing out for Texas, along with potential storylines ahead of each matchup.