Tuesday Takes: Texas Tech Dominates, TCU on the Hot Seat, and BYU Still Alive

Welcome to Tuesday Takes, where I give you five takes from the Big 12. It was a jam-packed week full of action, but here were several things that caught my attention from this past weekend.

Texas Tech is the Clear No. 1

Last week I said that Texas Tech was the best team in the Big 12 and all this past weekend did was confirm that. The Red Raiders demolished BYU in their 29-7 win, and to be quite honest, the score of that game made it appear closer than it actually was. Texas Tech’s defense held BYU scoreless for three quarters and held them to their lowest rushing total of the season.

Behren Morton being healthy makes an enormous difference for the offense, and if he had been there for the Arizona State game, I believe Tech would be undefeated right now. Even when the Red Raiders struggle to punch it in at times, the fact that they can still beat teams by three touchdowns is incredible and just goes to show that they are the best team in the conference.

BYU Will Still Make it to Arlington

Even though the result of the Tech game went south, that doesn’t mean BYU can’t make it to Arlington. In fact, they are still one of the few teams that control their own destiny. However, they are going to need to bounce back quickly because their schedule is by no means a cake walk. They still have to play TCU, Cincinnati, and UCF. BYU is better than all of those teams, but if they don’t play up to their capability, that game on the road against Cincy scares me. But I am still a firm believer that this team will get back on track, win out, and have a rematch with Texas Tech in Jerry World.

Iowa State Will Win Out

I know that Iowa State has just two games left against Kansas and Oklahoma State, but I am confident that the Cyclones are good enough to win out and finish with eight wins. Just when you thought they were done, they went out and knocked off TCU last Saturday in shocking fashion. Their defense shut down a high-powered Horned Frogs offense, and Rocco Becht did just enough to win the game. It just goes to show that you can never count out a Matt Campbell-coached team, and the fact that this team has a chance to win eight games after all the injuries defensively is pretty incredible.

Colorado Should Stick With Julian Lewis

It feels like Colorado has played quarterback roulette all season long, and when they finally gave freshman Julian Lewis the job, he came through for them. Lewis went on the road in Morgantown and threw for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception. Unfortunately for Lewis, he was sacked seven times and had zero help in the run game. But after watching Colorado’s last two games before that, it’s safe to say that Julian is their guy moving forward if they want to, at the very least, be competitive.

TCU Will Fire Sonny Dykes

If you had told me that TCU was coming off a bye week after watching the Iowa State game, I wouldn’t have believed you. The Horned Frogs looked rusty and played their worst game of the season. Josh Hoover turned the ball over, and the special teams were awful. Also, the crowd there for a 6-2 team was pretty lackluster to say the least.

Now sitting at 6-3, their remaining schedule is brutal. This weekend, they go to Provo to face BYU, next weekend, they go down to Houston, and they close the season out at home against Cincinnati. It doesn’t get much tougher than that, and there is a real possibility of them ending the season on a four-game losing streak and finishing with a 6-6 record. And if that happens, you can say goodbye to Sonny Dykes.