Oklahoma doubled up Baylor and Oklahoma State beat an improved Kansas team by 20. As for the rest of the Big 12…The Big 12 race is beginning to take shape with a clear top tier and bottom tier. That middle tier might get interesting though. Some teams look pretty good that might actually be pretty bad. Let’s examine week five.Standings1. Oklahoma Sooners2. West Virginia Mountaineers3. Texas Longhorns4. Oklahoma State Cowboys5. Texas Tech Red Raiders6. TCU Horned Frogs7. Iowa State Cyclones8. Kansas State Wildcats9. Baylor Bears10. Kansas JayhawksI did a little forecasting and moved Texas Tech below Oklahoma State because of the injury to Alan Bowman. Jett Duffey wasn’t horrible as his backup, but not great either. Time will tell how good or bad the rest of this season will be in Lubbock. Regardless, I hope Bowman has a quick recovery because that kid has a bright future. Oklahoma took back the #1 spot this week after a spotty performance from West Virginia. Let’s talk about last weekend and look ahead to next weekend in order…from the top!Oklahoma SoonersOU beat up on Baylor after Kyler Murray sat for disciplinary reasons. We may never know what those disciplinary reasons are, but we do know that Murray torched the Baylor defense like he was playing Cy Ranch with his alma mater, Allen High School, in the 6A Texas State Championship Game. Oh wait, that actually happened https://www.whoutletstore.com/Makell_Esteen_Jersey-74. He threw for 316 yards and five touchdowns that game. On Saturday, the Heisman candidate passed for 432 yards and six touchdowns. OU continues to roll through the Big 12 and once again look like favorites to win the conference behind a Hesiman worthy quarterback. Oklahoma gets Texas in another installment of the Red River Rivalry this weekend. This will be the first real test for Murray and the Sooners. They’re going up against a Texas defense that has looked great so far this season. Oklahoma should expect to win this game, though they shouldn’t take it lightly. As bad as Texas has been the past decade, and as good as the Sooners have been, this game has been a close affair every year. We’ll also get to find out if Texas sinks or swims this year in what should be another great game at the State Fair of Texas. In the '99 Red River Showdown, OU offensive coordinator Mike Leach planted a decoy play script during pregame warmups. The Longhorns found it, used it and fell behind 17-0 before realizing they’d been duped. Inside how it all happened: The offense has improved at KU, though the defense is still lacking. OSU got back to basics against Kansas and ran Justice Hill an appropriate amount. This is an encouraging performance for the program as they now look like they have something they can potentially build on. Things won’t get any easier for the Jayhawks this weekend when they travel down country roads to play at West Virginia. If Kansas can hang some points on the board and keep it respectable like they did against OSU, that’ll be good enough for this team https://www.whoutletstore.com/Tuli_Letuligasenoa_Jersey-23. Nobody expects them to be able to compete in games against the conferences best teams. Getting a Big 12 win is still a big deal for them. It’s about building on the success they’ve had so far this season. West Virginia should roll big in this one.Kansas beat Texas in football Barstool KU vs West Virginia MountaineersOklahoma continues to look good behind their Heisman candidate Kyler Murray. West Virginia’s own Heisman candidate Will Grier looks impressive as well, and this game might be as tight as the Heisman race is shaping up to be. I still have Oklahoma in a close one.Offensive Player of the Year:Kyler Murray: Oklahoma UniversityKyler continues to torch defenses and gain momentum in the Heisman race. Will Grier is the only player in the Big 12 that could catch him and that doesn’t look likely. It would likely take a great performance from Grier in a win over Oklahoma for him to take over my OPOTY vote. Defensive Player of the Year:Joe Dineen Jr: Kansas UniversityJoe Dineen Jr. recorded 10 tackles including a tackle for loss against OSU. His reign of terror on opposing backfields has continued into Big 12 play. He’s the most crucial piece to the Kansas defense and likely the only hope for the Kansas defense to help the Jayhawks win a Big 12 game.Big 12 Newcomer of the Year:Pooka Williams Jr: Kansas UniversityThe dynamic back for Kansas went for nearly 100 yards and a touchdown on the ground while also catching six passes for 60 yards against Oklahoma State. He’s the go to guy for Kansas when they need to put together a long drive. Without him, Kansas doesn’t have the potential to stay in games like they did last weekend.Freshman of the Year:Caden Sterns: University of TexasLittle Sterns has been the anchor of the secondary for the Longhorns so far this season. He’s been instrumental in holding opponents like Kansas State to just a few scores. He only recorded three tackles last weekend https://www.whoutletstore.com/Brody_Reese_Jersey-110, however, he has been outstanding this season.Coach of the Year:Lincoln Riley: Oklahoma UniversityThe Sooners continue to roll through the Big 12 under Riley’s leadership. Like I said last week, this one probably won’t change all year, unless we see a coach turn his program around mid season.Breakout Player of the Year: Tylan Wallace: Oklahoma State UniversityTylan caught four passes for 104 yards and a touchdown against Kansas. Landon Wolf actually led OSU in receptions and yards but Wallace still had a great game. He’s become the clear #1 guy in Stillwater and might hear his name in Biletnikoff talks pretty soon.

This Saturday’s Oklahoma Sate Spring games isn’t just the culmination of weeks of training, prepping, coaching and practicing. Nor is just a chance for fans to get their first look at OSU’s new starting quarterback, no offense under Sean Gleeson, or the new starters on the defensive line.This weekend Oklahoma State is expected to play host to somewhere around 80 high school recruitsfrom the 2020 class all the way to 2022who are all looking to get the feel of Stillwater and the OSU football program https://www.ltoutletstore.com/Jamarr_Chase_Jersey-5. While we don’t know every prospect who plans to make the trek to Payne County, we do know the identity of a few who have already announced their intentions on Twitter.2020 ProspectsInside Linebacker Corey Flagg, Jr.The three-star prospect from North Short in Houston, Texas announced his plans to visit Oklahoma State some time ago. He has offers from 15 programs, including OSU, Texas Tech, Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Miami, among others. He has also made a trip to Oregon and seems interested in the Ducks, though they have not yet offered.Flagg to me is an under the radar prospect, who tallied up 144 tackles, including 33 TFLs and four sacks, and forced five fumbles last season.OSU, Texas Tech, and Boston College are the leaders to land Flagg, though Miami has come on strong. Flagg has official visits to Texas Tech and Boston College coming up, but I think OSU has a strong chance to land him.Inside Linebacker Jeremiah “Jay” HarrisThe 6-1 https://www.ltoutletstore.com/Devonta_Lee_Jersey-85, 205-pound inside linebacker from Shadow Creek in Pearland, Texas will be making an official visit to Stillwater this weekend. Oklahoma State is one of 16 schools that have offered the three-star prospect so far, joining Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, and Boise State, among others.Last season for a Shadow Creek team that went 15-1, Harris racked up 90 tackles, including 19 TFLs and 15 sacks.Receiver Matt PolkAnother guy making an official visit this weekend is one of my favorite targets, three-star wide receiver Matt Polk. He’s the son former Oklahoma State safety Raymond Polk.Right now the 6-4, 210 receiver from Saguaro in Scottsdale, Arizona has nine offers, including OSU, Arizona, Cal, UCLA, Florida, Kansas, Tennessee, Purdue, and Northern Arizona. As of now OSU, Arizona, Cal, and UCLA are considered the front runners.I’ve watched his film a few times and really Polk. He would make a great addition to the roster and I think a good visit could go a long way for OSU this weekend. Outside Linebacker Robert WootenThe three-star prospect from Stafford, Texas is the first visitor on the list that doesn’t have an offer from Oklahoma State as of yet. He does have offers from 11 other schools including Texas Tech, Texas AM, and SMU who are considered the favorites at this time. It will be interesting to see if Wooten comes away from the weekend with a scholarship offer. If so, it would likely be a sign that he’s interested in Oklahoma State and enjoyed his experience in Stillwater.Playing at defensive end last season for Stafford, Wooten totaled 79 tackles, including 22 TFLs and 11 sacks in route to a first-team all-district selection. One of the four-star prospects that will be making his way to Stillwater this weekend is Hutto, Texas defensive end Landyn WatsonThe 6-3, 230-pound prospect currently touts 13 offers, including from OSU, LSU, Notre Dame, Baylor, Michigan State, Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, and TCU, among others.Waters earned first-team all-district honors after a sophomore season where he totaled 49 tackles, including 16 TFLs and five sacks .Running Back Javion Hunt The four-star running back from Carl Albert in Oklahoma City is ranked as the second best prospect in the state by 247 Sports. Despite that, he only has offers from Texas Tech, Ole Miss, and Memphis. I get the feeling that might change this weekend while Hunt is on an unofficial visit to Stillwater. It certainly doesn’t hurt OSU’s chances that Hunt plays on the Sooner 7-on-7team with a number of players including Stillwater quarterback Gunnar Gundy.Hunt is listed as a running back, but also played safety last season for Carl Albert.Tight End Ethan DownsSpeaking of highly-rated players, the top ranked player in Oklahoma for 2021 will be making a second trip to Stillwater in as many weeks. Downs was in Stillwater for a Spring practice back on April 10th, where he told that Oklahoma State is aggresively recruiting him to Stillwater.“I’ve been talking with Greg Richmond and with Joe Bob Clements https://www.ltoutletstore.com/Garrett_Nussmeier_Jersey-93, they’ve both been recruiting me,” Downs said of the Cowboys. "I’ve also been talking with the tight ends coach too."Downs primarily played defensive end during his freshman season, but moved to tight end for his sophomore year. That’s where Oklahoma State is targeting him to play.Oklahoma State was the first team to offer Downs, which could give them a leg up in his recruitment.

NBA Twitter is alive and well as the Eastern and Western Conference Finals roll on. The Atlanta Hawks upset the Milwaukee Bucks in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals while the Phoenix Suns take a 2-0 lead over the Clippers to Los Angeles for game three. In the midst of the Conference Finals was the NBA Draft Lottery, where the Detroit Pistons conveyed 14 percent odds into landing the top pick in the draft. While plenty of fans are talking about the Conference Finals, some couldn’t help but look ahead to July’s NBA Draft after the pecking order was officially set. That includes a thread of tweets that had Cunningham “weak” and…I will just let those tweets speak for themselves. Many Detroit Pistons fans chimed in on the thread as Cunningham is the presumptive No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. Detroit could still go in a different direction or trade the pick, but it is likely Cunningham becomes a member of the Detroit Pistons a month from now.Thread got me weak I’m not sure if Cunningham ever made the honor roll in his brief academic career at Oklahoma State but I am sure “Grade Cunningham” made an appearance or two at Arlington Bowie High School or Montverde Academy https://www.kswoutlet.com/Jackson_Smith_Jersey-97. Cade Cunningham runs up into the Detroit crowd to fight fansFade CunninghamOklahoma State fans are well aware of Cunningham’s great character, so I’m not saying this would ever happen, however, it wouldn’t be the first altercation involving an Oklahoma State basketball player and a fan. Shoutout to Marcus Smart https://www.kswoutlet.com/Jace_Friesen_Jersey-118. This tweet is funny because it also wouldn’t be the first time a Detroit Pistons player went into the stands to fight a fan. If you haven’t seen the Malice at the Palace, I suggest checking it out. I don’t expect “Fade Cunningham” to mean he’s running a fade but rather receiving one:Cade Cunningham in the barbershopFade CunninghamCade after we win the title: Parade CunninghamCunningham may or may not be able to turn a Detroit Pistons team that hasn’t won a playoff series since 2008 into a championship contender but I hope we get to see “Parade Cunningham” at some point in his career.Cade Cunningham after requesting out of Detroit because they haven’t made the playoffs in his first 2 seasons.Trade CunninghamThe Detroit Pistons made the playoffs in 2019 and were quickly eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks, but that doesn’t mean a playoff appearance is guaranteed when Cunningham arrives. As the New Orleans Pelicans are finding out with former No. 1 pick Zion Williamson, winning matters. The Pelicans have failed to make the playoffs in Williamson’s two seasons in New Orleans and it’s been reported that Williamson’s family members want him out of New Orleans and on a better team https://www.kswoutlet.com/Ryan_Henington_Jersey-121. That doesn’t mean much today but it could in a few years if the Pelicans don’t turn it around. Detroit could see “Trade Cunningham” if the organization doesn’t put together a winning team before long.Cade Cunningham makes a career in DetroitStayed CunninghamOn the flip side, things could work out in Detroit for Cade Cunningham. The Boston Celtics were coming off a losing season when Marcus Smart was drafted. Boston was able to turn its record around and Smart has been very public about his love for the Celtics and the City of Boston. Many fans of other lottery teams are already getting creative with trades for the No. 1 pick and a shot to draft Cunningham. If Detroit decides to keep the pick and draft the native Texan, we could see "Stayed Cunningham."Cade Cunningham gets recruited by SGA. Swayed CunninghamEventually, Cunningham will hit restricted, and then unrestricted, free agency. LeBron James infamously left his hometown of Cleveland when he hit unrestricted free agency because the team was unable to sign star-caliber players. James was swayed by Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade to link up with Chris Bosh to form a big three. If Cunningham is unhappy with the team that drafts him, he could be persuaded to join another team in free agency. Could we see “Swayed Cunningham” in a handful of years?Cade is a pinball wizard.Arcade Cunningham.Our own Phillip Slavin got off a few tweets in the thread. The salary slot for the No. 1 pick is over $8.3 million dollars in the first year and increases to over $9.2 million dollars by the third season. Pretty soon, Cunningham will be able to afford all the pinball and arcade games he wants to play. Maybe we will get to see “Arcade Cunningham,” perhaps on a future father-daughter date.Cade throwing side eye at Ben Simmons: Shade CunninghamOur last entry is “Shade Cunningham.” Oklahoma State fans enjoyed this version of Cade during two Bedlam wins during his time in Stillwater. If Cunningham does end up on the Pistons, embattled Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons could be a player that Cunningham throws some shade at. Of course, Simmons may no longer be employed by the 76ers by the time Cunningham makes his NBA debut after a horrendous showing in the NBA Playoffs. Either way, Cunningham will face Simmons at one point or another.

Tonight in Lubbock https://www.omroutlet.com/Matt_Corral_Jersey-15, the Oklahoma State Cowboys pulled off two bits of history. The first and more obvious one is that with the win, the Cowboys will be in their first Big 12 Championship game ever. The second is that this is the first time Texas Tech has been shut out since 1997. Yep, 1997! The last time the Red Raiders were shut out was against the then 2nd ranked Nebraska https://www.omroutlet.com/Dj_Beckum_Jersey-118, whose quarterback was… wait for it, Scott Frost. Yes, that Scott Frost It’s been a long time since Texas Tech got shut out. It was a sloppy affair, featuring 17 combined penalties, including one from Texas Tech fans for throwing beer cans onto the Red Raider field a delay of game penalty on Texas Tech due to disconcerting signals. The Cowboys also missed opportunities for touchdowns and had to settle for field goals from Tanner Brown, who went 3 for 3 on field goals 2 for 2 on extra points. The Cowboys were once again impressive and dominant on the defensive side of the ball https://www.omroutlet.com/Sam_Williams_Jersey-156, allowing only 108 yards. In his second start, Donovan Smith had a much different performance than his first start, throwing only 83 yards in this outing. In Smith’s first start, he threw for 322. The Cowboy defense held Texas Tech to 25 rushing yards… on 26 attempts. Their leading rusher was their backup QB Behren Morton, who rushed for 15 yards on two carries. Surprisingly, the Red Raiders only had one turnover, a fumble recovered by Malcolm Rodriguez. They fumbled the ball four times. The Cowboys had five sacks on the game, adding to their FBS leading total which is now at 42. The offense had a decent showing. Spencer Sanders had another good outing going 17 of 31, throwing for 239 yards with a passing touchdown as well as six rushing attempts for 48 yards and a rushing touchdown. Those were the Cowboys only two touchdowns of the game. The passing touchdown went to John Paul “Jingleheimer” Richardson, who caught six passes for 41 yards and that lone passing TD. Tay Martin had more yards than Texas Tech with 130 yards on seven catches. Oklahoma State’s leading rusher was Dominic Richardson, who carried the ball 20 times for 84 yards. Jaylen Warren only carried the ball 12 times for 37 yards, he didn’t play as much due to “not being 100%” according to be Mike Gundy postgame. With the victory, the Cowboys are now 10-1, making them the tenth team in Oklahoma State history reach 10 wins or more. Joining the 1984, 1987, 1988, 2010, 2011, 2013 the teams from 2015 through 2017. They will face Oklahoma in Bedlam in Stillwater two days after Thanksgiving at 6:30pm on ABC. If Oklahoma State wins, they will face Baylor at ATT Stadium in Arlington.

It’s high noon… Teven Jenkins gets scouted: With the draft just a few months away, more and more scouting reports are getting released on the daily. This weekend Brandon Thron of the Trench Warfare newsletter gave his thoughts on the different offensive lineman in this year’s draft. This included Oklahoma State’s own Teven Jenkins. Jenkins has a phenomenal backside cut-off showing very good quickness out of his stance to intersect the off-ball linebacker and drive him across the field on the angle he found him on https://www.oscoutlet.com/Custom_Jersey-152. Jenkins also used the same Hamilton technique that he did in pass protection early in the game on an angle-drive block to get underneath the defender and create displacement. He fell off another angle-drive block against Mathis when the DE went inside then spun back out, leaving Jenkins off-balance. Trence Warfare Interview with Dillon Stoner: Here we have some more fantastic pre-draft content. This is an interview with formere Oklahoma State wide receiver Dillon Stoner. He chatted with Cover1 about his days at Oklahoma State, his high school recruitment and they got to talk about some of Stoner’s film clips. This was a great segment. "I can’t imagine it going much better for me. It was great and I was surrounded by a lot of great coaches and great guys so I couldn’t have enjoyed my high school experience any more than I did."Russ jumped in after this and asked Stoner if he was recruited for track out of high school and if he ever considered doing it in college:“Not as much. I think everyone knew I was really focused on football and that was what I wanted to do. Track I had a very love-hate relationship with it https://www.oscoutlet.com/Cameron_Murray_Jersey-117. Looking back and it was fun but I don’t miss it quite… https://www.oscoutlet.com/Jake_Schultz_Jersey-130. at all really. I don’t miss it at all.” Cover1 Where does Oklahoma State fall among programs with Top-25 wins?: 247 Sports created a list of the programs with the most win against teams inside the top-25. Oklahoma State surprisingly landed on the list. Mike Gundy’s program has 25 wins against top-25 teams within the last decade. Oklahoma State may not have quite the national recognition as some of the other teams on this list, but Mike Gundy has certainly fostered a culture of consistency in his 16 seasons and counting in Stillwater. The Cowboys’ 2011 season saw the program beat five ranked opponents on the way to narrowly missing out on the BCS National Championship Game. 247 Sports Around the Big 12: What West Virginia’s schedules look like in the next few years.

Trick or treat! For some teams it will be trick and for others it will be treat. We’ll find out which teams tricked us into thinking they might win and which teams are scary good today. Our staff made some predictions for games in the Big 12 and around the nation and I can guarantee you every staff member got at least one pick right! Let’s take a look at the Big 12 slate and preview the top games from around the nation.Texas No. 6 Oklahoma StateThe last time the Horns traveled to Stillwater the Cowboys upset a No. 6 ranked Texas team. Now, the roles are reversed and Texas will be looking to return the favor https://www.mssoutlet.com/Simeon_Barrow_Jersey-90. Oklahoma State’s defensive unit has been the talk of the Big 12 but they’ll get a big test taking on a legit Texas offense. I have too many concerns about the Texas offensive line and the Texas defense to take the Longhorns in this one. I do think Sam Ehlinger has a big day passing and on the ground, and I think coach Tom Herman will throw the kitchen sink at this game in an attempt to pull the upset and turn the season around for the Longhorns. Robert Whetsell was our only staff member to pick the Horns and the rest have Oklahoma State improving to 5-0 on the season. No. 23 Iowa State KansasIowa State suffered a tough road loss at Oklahoma State last weekend. The Cyclones will bounce back this weekend with a road game at a Kansas squad that likely won’t win a game this season. Kansas has been terrible so far this season and offensive star Pooka Williams opted out of the season. Iowa State should roll big in this one to improve to 4-2 on the season. Our entire staff has Iowa State over Kansas this afternoon. No. 16 Kansas State West VirginiaKansas State has climbed to No. 16 in the AP Poll after dropping its season opener to Arkansas State. West Virginia dropped its last game to Texas Tech https://www.mssoutlet.com/Alante_Thomas_Jersey-5. I don’t really know what to think about either team. I think Kansas State gets exposed at some point, but I’m not sure West Virginia is the team to do it. Neither team has an explosive offense so this could be a low scoring battle. Phillip Slavin and Robert are both rocking with West Virginia while the rest of the staff has Kansas State escaping Morgantown with a win.TCU BaylorThis is normally must-watch football in the Big 12. TCU and Baylor have been responsible for some high-scoring shootouts over the years. That likely won’t be the case this weekend. Baylor has dropped games to Texas and West Virginia this season and TCU’s offense is struggling almost as much as Baylor’s is. With that being said, I like the quarterbacks in this game. I think Max Duggan is a wild card who makes the TCU offense good enough to compete with any team in the league on any given day, but could also play down to the talent of the bottom teams in the conference. Charlie Brewer is a talented quarterback but I’m still not sure the new coaching staff fully trusts him based on the play calling. This is a must-win game for two teams who have struggled in recent weeks in conference play. Our staff likes TCU in this one. No. 24 Oklahoma Texas TechOklahoma has turned its season around with two wins over Texas and TCU after dropping games against Kansas State and Iowa State to open conference play. The Sooners still need to string together a handful of wins to get back into the Big 12 title conversation. They’ll also need Iowa State and Kansas State to lose three games, or for Oklahoma State to lose two games if the Sooners beat the Cowboys. Oklahoma and Texas Tech have provided some memorable games over the years. The shootout between Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes comes to mind. This year won’t be as interesting. It’ll be freshman Spencer Rattler against transfer Henry Colombi. I have Oklahoma by a few scores in this one https://www.mssoutlet.com/Brandon_Baldwin_Jersey-108, and the rest of our staff has Oklahoma over a floundering Texas Tech team as well. Games Around the NationThe primetime ABC game was a lot more intriguing last weekend before Penn State dropped its opening game at Indiana. The Nittany Lions dropped to No. 18 and Ohio State jumped two spots to No. 5. Ohio State should win this one on the road, though Oklahoma State fans will be cheering for Penn State. Cincinnati faces Memphis as it looks to tighten its grip on the best team in the Group of Six. Arkansas takes on Texas AM and could jump into the top-25 for the first time since 2016 with a win. Michigan hosts Michigan State at the Big House after an impressive road win over Minnesota. LSU travels to play Auburn in a matchup between two struggling SEC teams. Here’s who our staff has in games around the nation. Let us know who you have in the games today in the comments!

Oklahoma State received votes in SB Nation’s FanPulse preseason poll, which was released Wednesday.The Cowboys are coming off a disappointing 7-6 season with a Liberty Bowl victory over Missouri. OSU head coach Mike Gundy enters his 15th season at the helm with a new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Sean Gleeson after Mike Yurcich left to be Ohio State’s passing coordinator https://www.gboutletstore.com/Nathan_Priestley_Jersey-104. The Cowboys will also have a new quarterback, but who will take the No. 1 spot between Dru Brown and Spencer Sanders or if they’ll use a two-QB system is unknown.Three of the four teams from last season’s College Football Playoff made the top 4 in the poll, with reigning national champion Clemson taking the No. 1 ranking. Alabama, who lost 44-16 to the Tigers in the national title game, are No. 2 followed by Georgia and Oklahoma.Notre Dame, who fell 30-3 to Clemson in a national semifinal https://www.gboutletstore.com/Amarius_Mims_Jersey-113, is the lone team from last season’s CFP not in the top 4 as the Fighting Irish are No. 7 behind Ohio State and Michigan, respectively. Florida, Texas and LSU round out the top 10.OU, Texas and No. 20 Iowa State are the only Big 12 teams to make the top 25. The Cowboys were predicted to finish fifth in the Big 12 preseason media poll in July behind those three schools in order and TCU.The Big 10 was the most well represented conference in the SB Nation poll with eight schools and Minnesota also received votes https://www.gboutletstore.com/Luke_Collins_Jersey-158. Pac 123 Other teams receiving votes: Washington State, Syracuse, Boise State, Stanford, Army, Virginia, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, MinnesotaIndividual team site dataHere’s a look at how some Big 12 sites across the SBN network voted compared to the national rankings:Our Daily Bears, Baylor: No. 23 vs. UnrankedWide Right Natty Light, Iowa State: No. 17 vs. No. 20Crimson and Cream Machine, Oklahoma: No. 3 vs. No. 4Burnt Orange Nation, Texas: No. 7 vs. No. 9To have your voice be heard in the SB Nation FanPulse poll throughout the season, sign up here and learn more about it.

Baylor has been universally horrible during football and basketball with their covid situation, but whatever.With hoops it doesn’t matter.After dropping their only loss of the season to Kansas coming off a long “covid” layoff, they have rebounded nicely with wins AT #6 West Virginia and home against one of the hottest teams in the country…#17 Oklahoma StateLet’s not discuss why OSU is only ranked #17. The Cowboys are every bit of a top-15 team, and should end up as a #4 or #5 seed in the tourney assuming the NCAA doesn’t pull the axe out of their ass.Also, a mia culpa…I take back the article I wrote saying Rondel would be the more impactful freshman.Boynton and company fought their best in their third game without Isaac Likekele. With about five minutes left the Cowboys had trimmed the lead to four and had possession https://www.cgboutlet.com/Colin_Moroney_Jersey-75, but a loose handle by Cade Cunningham led to a transition basket and a quick turnover to a transition 3 and suddenly the lead was back to nine.Then, with under a minute left, the unthinkable.Cade goes down…has to be helped off the floor. He was clearly favoring an ankle.And the entire Oklahoma State basketball fanbase collectively drew in a deep breath https://www.cgboutlet.com/Jh_Tevis_Jersey-21. Cunningham led OSU with 24 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, and 1 block. Kalib Boone was the only other Cowboy in double figures with 12 points. Six other players had 4 or more points. Cunningham walked off the court RELATIVELY gingerly. Butler led Baylor with 22 on 8-14 from the floor. Teague and Mayer each put up 19 points.While OSU put up a good fight, this is just a horrible matchup for Boynton and Company. The Bears are deep and physically mature. Minus Likekele the Cowboys only have Cunningham to answer that call, and it showed as Baylor outrebounded Oklahoma State 32-25. Add to that the Bears are the best 3pt shooting team in the country and went 9-22 from deep and, well, it was a tall order. No harm no foul. OSU will face West Virginia in Morgantown on Saturday with short rest and possibly without Likekele AND Cade. Honestly, the Big 12 should cancel the Big 12 tourney, let their teams rest for what could be an epic run in The Dance. But that won’t happen because the Big 12 front office is about as competent as Big 12 officials. Jay Bilas is really good at his job: Bilas:“That is a fantastic…foul.” The refs literally guess on the blockcharge.They got that one right.Bilas: "It’s nice to know the officials are capable of calling a block https://www.cgboutlet.com/Nikko_Remigio_Jersey-58 ."Get yourselves together…it’s #17 Oklahoma State at #6 West Virginia, 2pm ET in Morgantown on Saturday.Go Pokes!!!

What a week it was for the Oklahoma State coaching and recruiting staff. They landed six new commits for the 2021 class during a seven-day period, reaching a climax this past Wednesday with four new additions in one day.With 11 commits in the class so far, where will OSU turn their focus in rounding out the class and who are some names to keep an eye on?Let’s start with a position-group-by-position-group look at the offense.Quarterback0 commitsOSU isn’t likely to add a scholarship QB in this class as it already has Spencer Sanders as a redshirt sophomore, incoming freshman Shane Illingworth set to redshirt, JUCO transfer Ethan Bullock in the fold and Gunnar Gundyson of OSU head coach Mike Gundyset to join the team in 2021 as a walk-on.Expectation: All goodWide Receiver3 CommitsThe Cowboys will lose four pass-catchers after 2020 in Dee Anderson, Dillon Stoner, Tylan Wallace and Landon Wolf. While they brought in a talented group in the 2020 class, there’s still a lot to replace.OSU has three commits for 2021 with Jaden Bray and the Green twins Bryson and Blaine all committing in the last week. I think they’ll add one more.The Cowboys are still in on three-star John Paul Richardson out of Missouri City, Texas. According to Cody Nagel of GoPokes, Richardson is hearing the most from OSU, Arkansas, and TCU. As for Bryce Stephens, he has been offered as a defensive back. If all else fails, they could go the graduate transfer route again, something they’ve now done the past two classes.Expectation: One moreRunning Back1 commitRunning back is an incredibly important position in the 2021 class. With Chuba Hubbard expected to leave and the eligibility of both LD Brown and Demond Jackson set to expire, OSU will have two scholarship running backs on the roster in Deondrick Glass and Zach Middleton.OSU already has one commit in three-star Jaden Nixon out of Frisco, Texas. They’re working to add at least one more, if not two.There are three, three-star players to watch: Cam’Ron Valdez of Rockdale, Texas; Logan Diggs of Metairie, Louisiana; and Alton McCaskill of Conroe, Texas. Valdez had great things to say about OSU not that long ago, but for the past few months Texas Tech has felt like the favorite https://www.aroutletstore.com/John_Ridgeway_Jersey-125. OSU is after Diggs, but Notre Dame appears to be picking up steam. McCaskill seems like the best shot OSU has of the three.Don’t be surprised to see OSU also turn to the transfer market or JUCO for another option if they strike out on those players.Expectation: Two moreOffensive Line1 commitWhile OSU will lose four players this year, they’ve built up the depth enough to be OK if they only bring in three.The Cowboys have one commitment from in-state offensive tackle Logan Nobles of Jenks. OSU has missed out on their top targets so far with guys like Reuben Fatheree and Jaeden Roberts committing elsewhere.Who does that leave?This is the group I’ve gone from feeling really confident in to "not so much."OSU’s strongest push has been for three-star offensive tackle Erick Cade, teammate of recent OSU commit Cam Smith. Three-star tackle Jacoby Jackson is expected to commit this month. No one has a great read on where either one could end up and OSU is considered in the running for both.Three-star tackle Isaia Glass named OSU in his top-7 last month, but his recruitment still feels wide open. OSU is also the most recent offer to top-rated JUCO offensive tackle Caleb Ettiene, whose recruitment also feels a little wide open.Expectation: Two to three moreTight End0 commitsOSU will lose two Cowboy Backs at the end of this year in Logan Carter and Dayton Metcalf https://www.aroutletstore.com/Patrick_Foley_Jersey-140. With Grayson Boomer also transferring to Tulsa, it’s going to leave the position group a little thin heading into next season.While there’s a legitimate question as to how much the position group will be used under new offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn, I doubt it will completely disappear.OSU is in the running for four-star Dametrious Crownover, but Texas AM is the favorite since his brother Earnest is a running back there. The Cowboys also have to content against Ohio State and Oregon who are also considered schools of high interest.After that?The two guys’ whose recruitment seems the most open are three-star Jasper Lott of Argyle https://www.aroutletstore.com/Marcus_Henderson_Jersey-86, Texas, and unrated River Helms of Lester, Alabama.Expectation: One to goKicker0 commitsThere’s not enough for an entire special team’s section, so I’m including this here? Why? Because OSU offered a scholarship to a kicker.Cameron Little of Moore is rated as a three-star prospect and No. 3 kicker in the country by 247Sports. Kohl’s Kicking lists him as a five-star specialist and No. 2 kicker, as well as No. 5 punter in the 2021 class.