Six Big 12 teams are bowling this year

Big 12 Roundup: Oklahoma playoff bound highlights Big 12's postseason

Big 12 Roundup: Oklahoma playoff bound highlights Big 12's postseason

Here is a look at the Big 12 bowl slate.

Sooners playoff bound again

Oklahoma is back in the College Football Playoff. What an amazing coaching job by Lincoln Riley to take a third straight quarterback to the playoff. Incredible job by him on the offense.

The defense though, is where the Sooners are different from previous teams. They have had enough more than a few times to be carried by the defense. They face something better than all their toughest opponents combined though.

Joe Burrow and the LSU Tigers will be tough to slow down and surprisingly tough to score on for the Sooners. It won't be easy for Oklahoma to earn the Big 12's first playoff win.

Peach Bowl Prediction: LSU 34 Oklahoma 24

Sweet ending for the Baylor Bears?

The Baylor Bears still haven plenty to play for and they find themselves in the same spot as Texas a year ago. The Georgia Bulldogs should own similar motivation to last year while Baylor will try to end their season on the highest note in years.

Matt Rhule is the key here. If he is getting ready for NFL job interviews, or is already gone, that could throw things out of whack for the Bears. If he is truly committed to Baylor, they will be chomping at the bit to prove only Oklahoma is better than them this season.

Sugar Bowl Prediction: Baylor 23 Georgia 21

Orange and maroon battle again, but not THAT orange

Despite the perfect opportunity, the Aggies and Longhorns miss each other again. If Texas A&M was playing burnt orange and not the Cowboys' orange the Texas Bowl would be the must-see non-playoff game.

I don't know who to blame but this is a nice consolation. Chuba Hubbard is one of the most impressive players in football. Texas A&M played the toughest schedule in the nation and they slugged it out with some of the best teams in the nation. This isn't the toughest test for the Aggies. It could be a worthwhile opportunity for Jimbo Fisher's crew to get one last look at what they may have in 2020 at quarterback and a few other key positions.

Texas Bowl Prediction: Texas A&M 24 Oklahoma State 17

2019's last stand

I'm not sure how many stud players will be playing in this game, but if they do, this could be a very entertaining affair. The Longhorns got their mojo back with a blowout win against Texas Tech. Utah has to be disappointed their best team in years isn't playing in the playoff.

It will be interesting to see what Tom Herman can do with a couple of his coaches being shown the door. Utah could be without Zach Moss if he decides to start getting ready for the draft early. If he plays, Utah might be a tough out for Texas. As for the Horns, they will have a solid defense to try to score on and an efficient offense to slow down. Texas should be healthy, but might not be talented enough.

Alamo Bowl Prediction: Utah 35 Texas 17

Lucky draw for Iowa State

The head coach is coming back and the quarterback is coming back next season for Iowa State. They had losses of 1, 2, 7, 1, and 10 this season. There is plenty of motivation for Iowa State. Not to mention, they have a fantastic fan base that will love spending time in Orlando.

I say all this to say I believe Iowa State will get after Notre Dame. The Irish had a really good season losing to just Michigan and Georgia on the road. It won't be easy for Iowa State but I like their chances.

Camping World Bowl Prediction: Iowa State 31 Notre Dame 27

Well coached teams square off in Memphis

The Kansas State Wildcats impressed me a ton this season. I figured they were barely a bowl team but the premier coaching of Chris Klieman soon proved me wrong. This could be the start of soemthing impressive in the Little Apple. Meanwhile Navy was the best service academy this year. They are always a tough out but they bounced back nicely from a slump in recent years. This should be a well-coached showdown between two disciplined teams.

Liberty Bowl Prediction: Kansas State 24 Navy 23

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How latest Astros news reveals puzzling path forward for Houston

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The future is bright! Composite Getty Image.

Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.

Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.

He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.

Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.

Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.

The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.

“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”

And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.

Astros plate discipline

Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.

Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.

Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.

Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.

What is Dana Brown saying privately?

Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!

We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!

The countdown to Opening Day is on. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!


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