HCS Roundtable: Big 12 Week 4 Locks of the Week
Week 3 of the 2022 college football season was pretty chalky across the board, with most teams that were supposed to win, ultimately doing so.
The one exception to that in the Big 12 was a shocking upset in Manhattan, Kansas as the K-State Wildcats were upended by the Tulane Green Wave, 17-10. The Big 12 went 7-2 outright, with the other loss coming in Raleigh, North Carolina, with Texas Tech falling to NC State, 27-14.
This week, there are several Big 12 matchups as conference play opens up (save Kansas and West Virginia in Week 2), meaning there are some intriguing games to bet on. Last week, the HCS staff went a perfect 3-0 in their locks.
Let’s see if we can keep the streak going in Week 4 with the Heartland College Sports staff Big 12 Locks of the Week.
Pete Mundo
Game: Baylor at Iowa State (-3)
Well, this matchup has been an outstanding one in recent seasons. The last three matchups have been decided by a total of 11 points, with the winner of this game the last three seasons going on to play for a Big 12 Championship (Baylor in 2019, Iowa State in 2020, Baylor in 2021). Baylor comes in with the more experienced quarterback and a defensive line that could give Hunter Dekker fits as a first-year QB. Speaking of defense, these are two of the best overall defenses in the league thus far, and if nothing else, a close game either way feels about right. So give me the dog.
Lock: Baylor (+3)
Bryan Clinton
Game: Kansas (-7) vs. Duke
I really like Kansas in this game. Jalon Daniels has been electric through three games this season and I like him to continue that trend. Plus, reports suggest that David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will be at capacity, which means that nearly 50,000 screaming Kanas fans will be in attendance. Kansas opened up the week as a nine-point favorite and now the line is down to seven, which makes this an easy pick for me. I like Kansas to win this game outright and it could get ugly if Duke can’t match Kansas score for score.
Lock: Kansas (-7)
Derek Duke
Game: West Virginia (-2) at Virginia Tech
I got burned by West Virginia two weeks ago against Kansas, but I am hoping that the Mountaineers can redeem themselves by taking care of business against Virginia Tech. I know West Virginia has some serious issues on defense but Virginia Tech is by no means an offensive juggernaut. This will likely be a close game due to the fact that is in Blacksburg, but I believe West Virginia has enough offense with JT Daniels to get the job done. The good news is that West Virginia doesn’t need to win by much as they are favored by just two points and don’t forget that Neal Brown is coaching for his job right now.
Lock: West Virginia (-2)
Editor’s Note: Derek is not a cheater, he turned in his pick for West Virginia on Wednesday night, well before the game took place.
Matthew Postins
Game: Texas (-6) at Texas Tech
I guess it would be a cop-out to take the even money game between SMU and TCU, right? Instead, I’ll take Texas over Texas Tech. It was a minus-six opening line and I feel like Texas is going to win by more than that, mostly because of the run game. I think Tech is going to have a much harder time slowing down Bijan Robinson this week. It won’t be like last year with Texas winning by 35 points. It’ll be closer. But not close enough to lead me to believe that Texas isn’t a lock to cover.
Lock: Texas (-6)
