Bill Jones: My Take On The Big 12 Football Schedule
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Here's my quick take on the just released Big 12 football schedule.
We'll find out how good Texas is right off the bat. OU has a killer close to the season. TCU and Texas Tech each have as tough a five-game stretch as any team in football. Welcome to prime time, big time college football, TCU!
TCU: will open the league slate at Kansas on September 15, then play its first home conference game two weeks later against Iowa State. TCU will play at Baylor for the second straight year followed by a trip to Lubbock to play Texas Tech on October 20. The Killer Frogs killer close to the season: at OSU, at West Virginia, Kansas State and then marquee matchups at Texas and home against Oklahoma on December 1.
Texas: What a way to start conference play—at OSU, West Virginia, then OU on October 13. The Longhorns will close at home against TCU and at Kansas State on Dec 1. By the way, the TCU game tentatively is slated to be played on Saturday, November 24, but is expected to be moved to Thanksgiving night, presumably pending TV clearance.
Oklahoma: draws a short straw having to play newcomers West Virginia and TCU on the road. Both the Mountaineers and Horned Frogs are expected to be Top 15 teams to start the year but who knows where they'll stand by late in the year when the Sooners play them in a final three game stretch—at WVU, OSU, and at TCU.
Both Texas and OU may be hard pressed to be unbeaten heading into their matchup at the Cotton Bowl on October 13. The Sooners open against Kansas State and play at Texas Tech the week prior to the Red River Rivalry. OU hasn't won in Lubbock since 2003.
Texas Tech: 5-game stretch has Red Raiders playing OU, WVU, TCU, K-State, and Texas but at least they get the Sooners, Mountaineers, and Longhorns at home.
Baylor: toughest road trip right off the bat when the Bears try to give West Virginia its Big 12 baptism. Breaking in a new quarterback won't be easy with their first three league games at WVU, TCU, and at Texas.
Oklahoma State: can't complain with 5 home games, including Texas, TCU, and West Virginia all coming to Stillwater. The Cowboys probably have the most balanced Big 12 schedule of any team with five of their first seven games at home and no back to back matchups against heavyweights UT, TCU, WVU, and OU.
By the way, as we await the announcement of non-conference games for each school, Texas and Texas A&M both have open dates on November 17.
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