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In what could ultimately serve as both the de facto Big 12 championship game and a college football playoff elimination game, No. 5 Oklahoma hosts No. 6 TCU in a massive Saturday night contest.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Fox. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch Fox online, on your phone or on another streaming device via one of the following over-the-top, cable-free, live-TV streaming services. They cost a monthly fee but all come with a free trial, so you can watch the game for free if you’re in a select market:
FuboTV: Fox (live in 70-plus markets) is included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package. It costs $19.99 per month for the first two months and $39.99 per month after that, but it comes with a free 7-day trial. You can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app
DirecTV Now: Fox (live in 39 markets) is included in all four channel packages. They range from $35 to $70 per month, but it comes with a free 7-day trial. You can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app
Sling TV: Fox (live in 17 markets) is included in the “Sling Blue” channel package. It costs $25 per month, but it comes with a free 7-day trial. You can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app
Preview
Not only will the winner of this matchup have a one-game lead in the Big 12 with two should-win games remaining (at Kansas and vs. West Virginia for Oklahoma; at Texas Tech and vs. Baylor for TCU), almost assuring them of a Big 12 title, but it’s also a near must-win in terms of college football playoff implications. According to FiveThirtyEight’s projections, a Sooner loss drops their playoff odds down to 15 percent, while the Horned Frogs fall to 7 percent with a defeat.
Even without all the potential playoff ramifications, this is a must-watch game simply for the Baker Mayfield vs. TCU defense matchup.
Mayfield, who may have entrenched himself as the Heisman favorite with 598 yards passing and six total touchdowns in a win at Oklahoma State in Bedlam last weekend, leads an Oklahoma attack that ranks first in America in both yards per game (608.2) and yards per play (8.3). And on the other side of the ball, Gary Patterson once again has his defense playing spectacularly, as the Horned Frogs have allowed just 311.5 yards per game (11th in the country) and 4.5 yards per play (13th).
“Obviously (TCU) is one of the best football teams in the country right now,” Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley said. “I think, in my opinion, probably the most complete team we’ve played to this point. They’re really tremendous.”
That said, if TCU’s defense does have a weakness, it’s in the passing game, where they rank just 48th in yards per pass allowed (6.9), 30th in sack percentage (7.72) and 66th in interception percentage (2.55). When they faced Oklahoma State, they ultimately won but gave up 398 yards and 9.7 yards per attempt to Mason Rudolph.
If Mayfield does move the ball like he has for most of the season, TCU stands a chance of turning this into a shootout against an Oklahoma defense that has allowed 28.2 points and 413.1 yards per game. But as we’ve seen time and time again this year, getting into a shootout against Mayfield and Co. typically results in a L. Instead, if the Horned Frogs are going to pull the upset on the road, it’ll likely be because of their defense.
The oddsmakers don’t forsee that happening, as the Sooners are favored by 6.5 points with a projected total (based on the over/under of 62) of 34.25.