Sam has some very good players, but has been stung by the new eligibility rules. Their lack of depth showed in the numerous attempted arm-tackles against Tech. Texas A&M has depth and a lot of it. But, they have had some tough games and are not yet over their injury issues. Look for Conor Mills to spin the ball wide, fast and often. The Aggie back three are fast, big, and very experienced. If explosive center Tyler Gessner and Mills are in support at the line break, the scoreline will list heavily in the Aggies' favor.
Baylor at Texas Tech - The Bears defense allowed the Sooners through too many times last week. Tech's offense has loads of octane and they proved themselves at the breakdown. Baylor's forwards have a bit more beef, though. If Baylor keeps Tech from winning the counter-ruck, they may get a chance to test Tech's defense. The Bears need to keep the ball in the forwards to have an opportunity to win this. If Tech successfully spins the ball wide again, Kyle Kulka and Abdul Sule will have another big day and that will spell trouble for Baylor.
Oklahoma at Texas - Big time match. We will get the opportunity to watch this match on the ARC's Monday Night Rugby. Oklahoma smashed Texas in a not-so-friendly Red River Rivalry weekend match in DFW last semester. However, Coach Neuenschwander had the 12 players of UT's 7s team sitting the bench that day. UT opted to build depth instead of play for pride. Much has changed for UT since that match.
UT's pack is well-rested and ready. OU's pack experienced too much push from Baylor last week. UT's backline is fresh off of a good 7s season. OU showed they can punch the middle against Baylor. This will be a great battle. OU will have to work a harder to find the holes in the UT defense that do not result in tackles. This match will be won on fitness and turn-over capitalization. I think UT will have an edge on OU in both of those departments.
