Big 12 Weekend Preview : Week 5

Let the conference play madness officially begin.

So long to all of the FCS vs FBS snooze fest games (unless you're an SEC school) and 62-20 blowouts (unless you're Oregon). From this point on, for the Big 12 at least, it will be nothing but conference games remaining. Which means we're officially into the thick of the college football season.

If the first two conference games last week tell us anything, then the Big 12 should be one of the most exciting conferences to watch yet again. Texas Tech lost a nail biter to top 5 ranked TCU and the Oklahoma State Cowboys were a play away from losing to a Texas team that's only managed one win this whole season so far.

While this week's conference schedule doesn't feature a single night game, the Big 12 could be in for a wild weekend. West Virginia is now ranked heading into their game against the Sooners and the Red Raiders will be looking to knock Baylor out of the playoff in the first week of October. Texas and TCU has the feeling that the game will be strangely close, but the Horned Frogs should win in Fort Worth. Then the basketball schools will get to play each other in Ames, Iowa when the Cyclones and Jayhawks play each other. It'll likely be the only Big 12 win for whatever school comes out on top, unless Texas manages to find even more ways to lose. To top it all off, the undefeated Kansas State Wildcats and Cowboys will face off in Boone Pickens Stadium.

Big 12 Schedule :

Kansas at Iowa State - Saturday 11:00 A.M. CT

#23 West Virginia at #15 Oklahoma  - Saturday 11:00 A.M.

Texas at #4 TCU - Saturday 11:00 A.M.

Texas Tech vs #5 Baylor - Saturday 2:30 P.M.

Kansas State at #20 Oklahoma State - Saturday 3:00 P.M.

West Virginia - Oklahoma is the most important game, as the winner will likely challenge TCU and Baylor for the conference championship. The loser will find themselves out of a possible playoff spot. Then again, the Bears lost to West Virginia by two touchdowns last season and they still found a way to crown themselves conference champions. But as we all know, that loss kept them out of the playoff.

The second most important game for the Big 12 might turn out to be the most important if Texas Tech defeats the Bears. It's possible they can pull it off and if they do it would change the college football landscape for this season.