Kansas St. v. Oklahoma St.

The land-grant colleges from Kansas and Oklahoma have spent most of their history being overshadowed by  the liberal arts schools, so this match-up has rarely generated much national attention.  In fact, this is probably the most important game ever between K-State and Oklahoma State.  The Wildcats hold the UCFC, they are ranked number 3 in the AP poll, they are the only unbeaten team in the Big XII, and they have a good chance to play for the national title if they can win out.  Oklahoma State is 5-2 overall and 3-1 in conference, they are riding a three-game winning streak, and they could move into first place in the Big XII with a win tonight.  So this is a big game -- and, if course, it is even bigger because it will decide the UCFC.

This series goes all the way back to 1908, and the teams were both long-time members of the old Big Eight conference.  Down through the years, K-State has usually been slightly worse than Oklahoma State, and the Cowboys lead the series 36-22.  This will be the first time the Wildcats and Cowboys have ever played for the UCFC.

Last year, the Cowboys won this game 52-45 down in Stillwater, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a similar score tonight.  Vegas has the Wildcats favored by 8 1/2 in a game with an over-under of 67 points -- which would translate into something like a 38-30 K-State victory.  Personally, I will be very surprised if the winning team scores only 38 points in this game, but I do expect the Wildcats to retain the Big Gold Trophy.