Pokelahoma Gameday!

Kansas State (5-2, 3-1) is back home and taking on Oklahoma State (6-1, 4-1). Kickoff is set for 2:30 PM CDT, and the game will air on FOX. As always, more details are available in the How To Watch post.

Ahead of this battle between teams looking to secure at least second place in the Big 12, the Wildcats are coming off a disappointing road loss to undefeated TCU. Enough has already been said about that game, so I won’t compound that misery. But suffice to say that Kansas State goes as its quarterback running game does, and who really knows what’s happening in that regard? Will Adrian Martinez (recently named the Big 12’s lone Campbell Trophy finalist) be ready to go? Probably not. Can Will Howard be successful in 9AM’s place? Maybe. Will the playcalling make use of either man’s particular talents? Ah, there’s a million-dollar question with a ten-cent answer. Nobody knows.

Oklahoma State’s trajectory is decidedly different. Back in the top 10 now, the Pokes are coming off a triumphant and redemptive come-from-behind victory over Texas. Key to that victory was quarterback Spencer Sanders, playing hurt but still mostly effective, and a talented receiver corps that could probably catch meteors falling out of the sky if asked. A win would give Sanders a 4-0 edge over Kansas State.

But if Kansas State is dealing with a spate of injuries, so is Oklahoma State. How the Pokes do against the Wildcats’ rushing attack (whichever QB shows up) depends largely on the status of key defensive players like safety Jason Taylor, Jr. The Pokes Report’s executive editor Zach Lancaster talks about this and more in the latest episode of Bring on the PodCats with Luke Thompson.

Interestingly, oddsmakers have the Wildcats a slight (-1.5) favorite in a line that hasn’t moved much over the course of the week. The pundits are mostly taking the opposite view, however.

Let’s hope the Wildcats prove Vegas right and the experts wrong. Go Cats, win the dang day!