PFB Picks: Predictions for the Big 12 Championship

The Cowboys’ improbable season has led them back to Arlington.

Oklahoma State plays Texas in the Big 12 Championship at 11 a.m. Saturday in AT&T Stadium. The Longhorns enter the game as a heavy favorite, but the Pokes’ season has been so upside down this year that it might not matter. Here is how the PFB staff sees the game playing out.

Marshall Scott

Score: Texas 31, Oklahoma State 24

Game MVP: T’Vondre Sweat

Uniform: Orange (Pete)-Black-Black

Thoughts: I just don’t know that this is a good matchup for OSU. The Cowboys have had the Longhorns’ number more many of the past 13 years, but here in 2023, the Cowboys’ offensive is predicated on rushing the football. But Texas is giving up just 85 rushing yards a game.

I’ll be interested to see if the Longhorns’ staff thinks its defense is good enough to stop Ollie Gordon without putting extra players in the box. Maybe it is, but if it isn’t, this thing can sure get interesting. This also feels like one of those spots where Mike Gundy pulls a rabbit out of his mullet, but I’m going to call it like I see it for the time being.

As for the unis, with the big stage, I expect to see some sort of orange out of the Cowboys, but how’s about a throwback to a color combination the Pokes haven’t used since the 2018 season? OSU last wore this combo when the Taylor Cornelius-led Pokes upset West Virginia that year.

Kyle Cox

Score: Texas 35, Oklahoma State 28

Game MVP: Ollie Gordon

Uniform: Orange (Cursive)-Black-Black

Thoughts: I really wanted to pick the Cowboys, but my head out got in the way of my heart. I am giving the Pokes (and Ollie Gordon) some credit with 28 against the league’s best scoring defense. Only the league’s two best offenses (Oklahoma and Kansas State) scored more than 26 against the Longhorns all year. Texas has some NFL dudes up front, but I still think Ollie does enough to tie up some postseason hardware, which makes him the MVP in my book.

I kinda hope we see the all-blacks but that’s already been used this year, and O-B-B has not. It would still be a strong combo versus UT’s classic all-white look.

Dekota Gregory

Score: Oklahoma State 27, Texas 24

Game MVP: Ollie Gordon

Uniform: Orange (Brand)-Black-Orange

Thoughts: Logic says not to pick the Pokes to beat Texas and win a Big 12 title. Logic also says this OSU team shouldn’t even be competing for a conference championship. Don’t bet against Mike Gundy against Texas. The Longhorns have had close calls all season, and I think they finally fall short in this one. The Big 12 trophy stays in the conference thanks to the team expected to take over longterm.

That Longhorn run defense is scary, yet OU had a bad run game and still ran all over Texas and won. And OSU has Ollie Gordon, who’s playing just minutes away from home against a team he feels snubbed by because UT didn’t offer him until the last-minute. If the Pokes win, Gordon is the MVP.

As for unis, lots of orange without orange jerseys or a season repeat. It’s a classic combo that hasn’t been worn yet in 2023. And the Pokes rep the brand, because, “We’ve got a logo, too.”