Texas Christian v. Kansas St.

Kansas State is 9-0 overall, and 6-0 in the Big XII.  They are the number 3 team in the nation, and they are part of a four-way scrum among Alabama, Oregon, K-State, and Notre Dame to see who will make the BCS Title Game.  Of course, the Wildcats also    hold the UCFC.  So the stakes are really high for Kansas State as we prepare for a rare purple vs. purple match-up between the Wildcats and Texas Christian.

It's a huge game for TCU as well.  The last time we saw the Horned Frogs, who are in their first season as a Big XII member, they had lost a UCFC game at home to Texas Tech in triple overtime to fall to 5-2.  Since then, the Frogs have played road games at Oklahoma State and West Virginia.  They were blown out by Oklahoma State (36-14), but then bounced back to beat WVU 39-38 in double overtime.  So the Frogs are now 3-3 in conference, and 6-3 overall.  They won't win the Big XII, even with a victory today, but they could get into a much better bowl game.

This is only the sixth meeting between K-State and TCU.  K-State beat TCU 45-0 in 1922, and the teams split four games in a series that ran from 1983-1986 -- a time when these were two of the worst major-conference football programs in the country.  So the Wildcats lead the all-time series 3-2, but none of those games were as important as this one.  It should also be noted that Gary Patterson, the TCU coach, is a K-State grad (class of '83).

K-State's great quarterback, Collin Klein, was knocked out of last week's game against Oklahoma State, but he is apparently ready to go today.  Vegas has installed the Wildcats as a 7-point favorite, and has set the over-under at 57.  That would add up to a 32-25 victory, but I would be stunned if the final score is that low.