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No. 17 Oklahoma trying to stay in Big 12 title race, with No. 7 Texas the league's final CFP hope

2023-11-09 19:59
West Virginia has beaten Oklahoma only once since joining the Big 12 in 2012
No. 17 Oklahoma trying to stay in Big 12 title race, with No. 7 Texas the league's final CFP hope

Things to watch in the Big 12 Conference in Week 11:

GAME O F THE WEEK

West Virginia (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) at No. 17 Oklahoma (7-2, 4-2). Since joining the Big 12 in 2012, the Mountaineers have beaten Oklahoma only once — 23-20 in Morgantown last November on a field goal as time expired. The Sooners are coming off back-to-back road losses that pretty much ended any hope of making the four-team College Football Playoff in their final Big 12 season before moving to the Southeastern Conference. They are the only team to beat seventh-ranked Texas, yet no longer control whether they make the league championship game after losses at No. 19 Kansas and 15th-ranked Oklahoma State.

After going into the season picked to finish last in the 14-team league and with coach fifth-year coach Neal Brown on the hot seat, the Mountaineers are already bowl eligible. They have won their last two games and could still make the Big 12 title game, but have to keep winning and get a lot of help. West Virginia lost to Oklahoma State, but doesn't play Texas, the other league co-leader, or any of the trio of teams that West Virginia and Oklahoma are currently in a five-way tie with for third place — Iowa State, Kansas or Kansas State.

BEST MATCHUP

No. 7 Texas (8-1, 5-1, No. 7 CFP) at TCU (4-5, 2-4). While the Horned Frogs are just trying to get bowl eligible a year after being the national runner-up, they are 8-3 against Texas since joining the Big 12. This is the last scheduled meeting between the instate rivals whose campuses are less than 200 miles apart. The SEC-bound Longhorns are the Big 12's last hope for a CFP berth this year, and are trying to win their first conference title since 2009. Texas has scored 30 points or more in each of its first nine games of a season for the first time in program history.

IMPACT PLAYER

Kansas junior cornerback Mello Dotson has returned interceptions for touchdowns in each of the last two games. He is the fourth Jayhawks player to have have two Pick-6s in the same season, but the first in consecutive games. The Jayhawks host Texas Tech, whose 12 interceptions thrown are the second-most in the league behind TCU's 13.

BOWLING FOR SEVEN

Six Big 12 teams already have the six wins needed for bowl eligibility, and that list will grow by one after Iowa State and BYU — both 5-4 — play in Provo. The league has eight guaranteed bowl slots. The Cyclones had been to five bowls in a row before missing out last year. BYU, which has been to bowls 17 of the last 18 seasons, has gone from a 4-1 start this season to losing three of its last four games. Those losses were by an average margin of nearly 31 points a game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Oklahoma State sophomore Ollie Gordon II has six consecutive 100-yard rushing games, and is the national leader with 136.1 yards per game. He also leads the nation with runs of at least 20 yards (17) and of at least 30 yards (13). ... Cincinnati last week had two 100-yard rushers in the same game for the third time, a single-season school record. It has been a different duo each time: Corey Kiner and Ryan Montgomery last week vs. UCF; Kiner and Myles Montgomery against Baylor; and Ryan Montgomery and quarterback Emory Jones against Miami.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll