The No.15-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys will put their Big 12 Championship hopes on the line on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas for a matchup versus the TCU Horned Frogs.

TCU is trying to get over the .500-mark for the first time this season. The Horned Frogs evened up their record at 4-4 after beating Kansas last week and added another game to their schedule in hopes of reaching a bowl game in 2020. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are battling with in-state rival Oklahoma for a spot in the Big 12 Championship game. Oklahoma State will travel to Baylor next week and will need a little help from the Bears, who play the Sooners this week.

Can the Cowboys finish the season strong with a road victory against TCU on Saturday afternoon?

(Late line movements and injury reports were updated on Friday afternoon.)

Line Movements:

The line has stayed relatively flat during the week for this Big 12 contest. Oklahoma State opened the lines as a 1.5-point favorite. That line has stayed pretty stable as the Cowboys sit as a one or 1.5-point favorite depending on the sportsbook as of Friday afternoon. A solid majority, 63 percent, of the bets ATS are backing the Cowboys on the road and giving the points in this contest.

The over/under has stayed pretty stable for this contest. After opening at 51.5 points, the number comes in on Friday afternoon at 51 or 51.5 points for this contest, depending on the sportsbook. A narrow majority, 51 percent, of the bets on the total are backing the over in this contest.

Game-time Weather: The weather should be pretty decent for early December in the Lone Star State. Temperatures at kickoff should be in the low-50s under mostly sunny skies. By game’s end, the temperature should kick up to near the 60-degree mark with a few clouds rolling in, though there is no precipitation in the forecast. Winds are projected to come from the west-northwest around five miles an hour and top out around the seven mile per hour mark for this contest.

Jackson carries the load as Cowboys avoid upset vs. TTU

Oklahoma State knocked off Texas Tech in a high-scoring affair last week to keep pace in the Big 12 race. Spencer Sanders completed 19-of-31 passes for 222 yards with one touchdown and one interception on the day while Tylan Wallace caught seven balls for 129 yards and a score in the win. With its top two running backs out with injuries, Dezmon Jackson carried the load for the Cowboys backfield, rushing for a career-high 235 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries.

The Cowboys got some bad news earlier this week when it lost its top offensive lineman for the rest of the season. Offensive tackle Teven Jenkins opted out of the remainder of the 2020 college football season in order to prepare for the NFL Draft, according to ESPN. Jenkins, who was injured versus Oklahoma on Nov. 21 and did not play last week versus Texas Tech, made the announcement in a tweet on Monday.

Even without Jenkins and its top two backs, the Cowboys’ running game looked like it was in good shape against the Red Raiders. Before his first start last week, Jenkins had just 135 rushing yards while sitting third on the depth chart behind Chuba Hubbard and LD Brown. Hubbard is going to be out once again this week with a leg injury, so Jackson could be relied upon once again this week against a TCU defense allowing 134.4 rushing yards per game.

On defense, the Cowboys come in allowing only 24.0 points and 375 yards of total offense per contest. However, they’ve been vulnerable against the run and TCU gets more than 50 percent of its total offense on the ground. Oklahoma State will have to find a way to stop the run this week after giving up 162.4 rushing yards per game through its first eight contests.

Oklahoma State Injury Report:

OUT: DT Collin Clay

Questionable: K Alex Hale, RB Chuba Hubbard, QB Shane Illingsworth, DE Tyren Irby, OL Teven Jenkins, WR Dillon Stoner

Defense, special teams come up big for TCU vs. Kansas

TCU took down Kansas 59-23 for its third win in four games last Saturday. Fresh off a bye, the Horned Frogs set a season-high in points while limiting the Jayhawks to just 268 total yards and 3.6 yards per play in the win. The Horned Frogs’ defense and special teams stole the show, scoring three touchdowns. C.J. Ceasar II and Dee Winters scored defensive touchdowns while Derius Davis had a punt return for a score. Quarterback Matt Duggan completed just three passes on the day but all three went for touchdowns while running back Zach Evans managed 100 yards on just 12 carries.

With the regular season winding down, the Horned added a 10th game to its schedule earlier this week. TCU still needs one victory to finish on the cusp of bowl eligibility with five wins and will get another chance to earn a victory with a newly-scheduled matchup versus L.A. Tech on Dec. 12.

Duggan didn’t have to do much last week but he’s been the key cog in the Horned Frogs’ offense this season. The 6-foot-2 sophomore has thrown for 1,370 yards with eight touchdowns and only three interceptions in eight games while also leading the team in rushing with 409 yards and seven scores on the ground. Duggan leads an offense averaging 28.4 points and 289.4 yards of total offense per contest. TCU does most of its damage on the ground, where they are averaging 197.3 yards per game, which ranks 35th in the nation.

On defense, the Horned Frogs come in giving up 26.3 points and only 355.9 yards of total offense per contest. They’ve been particularly stingy against the pass, limiting opponents to just 221.5 yards per game through the air, which ranks 47th in the nation.

TCU Injury Report:

OUT: DT Corey Bethley, CB Noah Daniels, G Wes Harris, TE Artayvious Lynn, WR JD Spielman

Questionable: RB Daimarqua Foster, OL Austin Myers, LS Antonio Ortiz, CB Kee’yon Stewart