Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 16, 2010 ) Oklahoma State 34, Texas Tech 17

THE STORY: No. 3 Oklahoma State survived a scare in last week’s 52-45 victory over Kansas State, needing a goal-line stand in the final seconds to preserve the win. The Cowboys’ win, coupled with Alabama’s loss to top-ranked LSU, helped them rise to No. 2 in the BCS standings for the first time in school history. Texas Tech has lost two straight since upsetting Oklahoma 41-38 on Oct. 22. The Red Raiders have been outscored 93-27 in those losses to Iowa State and Texas. Texas Tech leads the all-time series 21-14-3.

TV: ABC. Line: Oklahoma State -17

ABOUT NO. 3 OKLAHOMA STATE (9-0, 6-0 Big 12): Brandon Weeden threw for a school-record 502 yards against Kansas State as the Cowboys scored 50 points for the fifth time this season. Weeden also threw four touchdown passes, including a 54-yard strike to Justin Blackmon late after the Wildcats had taken a one-point lead. At 9-0, the Cowboys are off to their best start since 1945, when they finished with a perfect record and advanced to the Cotton Bowl. For now, Oklahoma State should control its own destiny to earn a spot in the national championship game, though the BCS computers will ultimately have the final say.

ABOUT TEXAS TECH (5-4, 2-4 Big 12): Texas Tech’s defense couldn’t stop the Longhorns in last week’s loss, nor could it even slow them down. Texas finished with 595 yards of total offense — including 439 on the ground — and never punted. Offensively, the Red Raiders appear to be in a real funk. They’ve failed to score more than 21 points in consecutive games for the first time since 2006, when they were held to 21 and 6 in losses to Missouri and Colorado. Seth Doege, one of the lone bright spots, has thrown for 350 yards or more in six of the team’s nine games.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The home team is 11-2 since 1998 in this series.

2. Texas Tech has outscored Oklahoma State 521-359 in the 15 meetings between the schools since the Big 12’s inception in 1996.

3. The Cowboys have won three of the last four meetings against Texas Tech. Last year’s victory at Lubbock was the school’s first since 1944.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma State 45, Texas Tech 24 — If the Red Raiders start slow, as they have the last two weeks, this one could be over by halftime.