The Cyclones play a big one while other offenses hope to keep rolling

Big 12 Report: Texas takes step back

@LSUfootball

Texas comes close

The Longhorns couldn't get it done. They played their ass off in their second half but the Tigers were too tough down the stretch. Joe Burrow made every throw he needed to make and is clearly not last year's Joe Burrow. The Texas offense was inconsistent on the ground but got some solid runs from Roschon Johnson.

I truly believe if Keaontay Ingram doesn't drop the touchdown early Texas wins. I also believe if Todd Orlando doesn't blitz on 3rd and 17 in the fourth quarter Texas wins as well. Just a baffling move by Orlando.

Texas is clearly an elite team, but LSU was just better Saturday night. The Longhorns have no margin for error if they have designs on a playoff berth. Only perfection from here on out can get them into the playoff. That likely means two wins over Oklahoma.

Three studs

Texas WR Devin Duvernay

When Texas needed something, they found Duvernay. He finished the day with 154 yards on 12 catches with two scores. He was a key player all night and in the biggest moments he was making plays in Austin.

Oklahoma State WR Tylan Wallace

How about five catches in back to back weeks. This week though, Wallace made it even better. He almost doubled his week one yardage total with 180 yards and added an extra score over week one with three touchdowns this week. He's a talented pass catcher in a conference loaded with them.

Must-watch game: The Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy

Iowa State and Iowa play for potentially the worst-named trophy in sports in the Cy-Hawk Trophy. That being said, this game is usually very fun to watch. Iowa has won four straight and Iowa State isn't nearly as talented as last year but with College Gameday in town, and potentially the last year with Cyclones coach Matt Campbell coaching in this one, it should be a blast.

This game also has a decent implication for the Big 12 as a whole. Imagine if Iowa State beats ranked Iowa and is undefeated on Nov. 11 when they play Oklahoma. That would be a huge feather in the Sooners cap or put the Cyclones in the Big 12 driver's seat.

Who better ball

TCU's safeties

They have to try to cover Rondale Moore. Oh my. One of the most dynamic players in the nation will be a tough cover. Vanderbilt had trouble with him and they're better on defense than TCU. That being said, TCU sees spread success each year. It will be fun to see if they can contain the Heisman candidate.

Iowa State RB Johnnie Lang

When you are playing Iowa you are going to have to match their physicality. Lang has to be able to run the ball, you can't just throw and throw against Iowa that won't work. Lang will have to help the Cyclones control the clock if they have a lead. If they are behind, they have to keep some semblance of balance

Big 12 Rankings

1. Oklahoma

2. Oklahoma State

3. Texas

4. Baylor

5. Texas Tech

6. TCU

7. Iowa State

8. Kansas State

9. West Virginia

10. Kansas

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At this point in the season, the Jose Abreu signing looks like a mistake. Composite Getty Image.

First baseman and unfulfilling slugger Jose Abreu, the Astros big offseason signing for 2023, is having the worst – by far – year of his career, hitting a paltry .220 with only 17 RBI and absolute zero home runs.

Abreu should consider himself lucky.

Lucky he’s not playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Trea Turner, the Phillies lusty $300 million free agent signing for 2023, is hitting .256 with four homers – and he’s getting boo’d out Citizens Bank Park on a nightly basis.

Sample headline from the City of Brotherly Love: “Boos rain down on Turner.”

So far, Astros fans haven’t turned on Abreu. Astros fans are nice. But are they too nice? And how much longer before Abreu – if not already – is hurting the Astros’ chances of repeating as World Series champs? The season is approaching a third-over and Abreu hasn’t cleared the fences one time. It’s not like he’s a slick-fielding first baseman, either.

Abreu has been so disappointing at the plate that the media is stirring up manufactured rumors that the Astros may be interested in signing Eric Hosmer, the first sacker recently released by the Cubs.

I was talking to a baseball insider the other day. I told him how Philly fans are merciless toward Turner, but Astros fans look the other way on Abreu. It’s just the way we are.

The insider told me, “Here’s the difference. If the Phillies decided, for whatever reason, to trade Turner, several teams would be calling them. If the Astros offered up Abreu in a trade, the Astros phone wouldn’t ring. Signing Abreu was a big mistake and the Astros are stuck with his contract for two more years after this.”

Despite his anemic hitting, manager Dusty Baker keeps rolling Abreu out there every game, hitting in a power slot in the lineup despite his .260 slugging percentage and .281 on base percentage. It’s like the only time Abreu sees first base is when the Astros take the field. It feels like the Astros and Abreu are stuck in a bad marriage and they’re only staying together for the children – Sunday is “Kids Run the Bases” day.

Maybe Astros fans’ reaction to Abreu would be different if the team weren’t succeeding without any contribution from their early season cleanup hitter.

The Astros are the hottest team in baseball, riding an 8-game win streak, 10 of their last 11, on the verge of overtaking those seat-filler Rangers for first place in the American League West. The Astros have two more games against the Brewers before heading to Oakland for a weekend series against the lowly A’s.

And I do mean lowly. Historically lowly. The A’s are 10-39 for a .204 winning percentage and if they keep this up, they’ll finish with the worst record in MLB since 1900. The current mark for futility is held by the 1916 Philadelphia A’s (same franchise, just different crime scene in Oakland), who finished 36-117 for a .236 winning percentage.

The current A’s are on pace to obliterate that mark. The A’s just need to stay focused to get that record. We don’t know if A’s fans are booing the team. There’s not enough fans at their games to register a peep.

So maybe the Abreu contract, $58.5 million over three years, turns out to be a bum deal for the Astros. But sometimes the best deals are the ones you don’t make. Like the Astros not making a serious bid to match the Mets’ two-year, $86 million offer for Justin Verlander. That’s a fortune saved.

JV, 40 and coming off another visit to the injured list, is 2-2 with a 3.60 earned run average for the Metropolitans. Meanwhile, his departure from Houston opened the door for rookie Hunter Brown to join the Astros starting rotation.

Brown, only 24, is 4-1 with a 3.20 earned run average. Brown has started nine games this season. The Astros are 6-3 in his starts.

Brown is making $725,000 this year. If my math is correct, that’s 59 times less than Verlander. That should ease the pain of the Abreu deal. A little, anyway.

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