Kickoff: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Line: TCU- 6.5, Total: 57.5

The two teams in the Big 12 that control their own destiny in the playoff race battle on Saturday as No. 9 Kansas State visits No. 6 TCU.

The Wildcats enter this game on a five-game SU win streak and six-game ATS win surge, while the Horned Frogs have recovered from a their lone loss on Oct. 11 at Baylor with three straight victories. They barely kept the win streak alive last week at West Virginia, as they failed to cover the three-point spread in the narrow 31-30 victory, courtesy of a last-second field goal. K-State (6-2 ATS) has done a very good job of playing its best football against good teams in recent years, going 12-2 ATS over the past three seasons when facing teams with winning records. The Wildcats have also been very strong in conference play over the past three seasons, going 17-5 ATS versus Big 12 opponents. Gary Patterson’s teams (7-1 ATS) have shown to be good at home when they are the favorite, going 40-27 ATS during his time as the school's head coach. K-State was able to get the victory against TCU last year, winning on a game field goal, 33-31. The Wildcats outgained the Horned Frogs, 411-348, with every other statistic being very close. Their only other recent meeting occurred in 2012 in Fort Worth, which KSU also won, prevailing by a 23-10 score. On the injury front, KSU will miss LB Charmeachealle Moore (undisclosed) for the rest of the season, while TCU has three key players all questionable for Saturday in RB B.J. Catalon (shoulder), WR Deante' Gray (undisclosed) and DL Josh Carraway (upper body).

Which Big 12 school will keep its playoff hopes alive on Saturday? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and bowl season. StatFox Gary is heating up with a 67% ATS mark (8-4) in Best Bets over the past four weeks.

Kansas State enters this game ranked 16th in FBS scoring (38.3 PPG), 50th in passing (251.4 YPG) and 58th in rushing (172.8 YPG). Quarterback Jake Waters (1,878 pass yards, 404 rush yards, 18 total TD) has developed into one of the best signal callers in the Big 12. He has had to play through a shoulder injury for much of the season, but has not missed a beat. The ground game for the Wildcats has been more by committee, with RB Charles Jones (92 carries, 431 yards, 11 TD) getting the bulk of the carries. He does a lot of his damage in the Wildcat formation, patiently waiting for the blocks to open up. On the outside, K-State has one of the top wide receivers in the nation in WR Tyler Lockett (49 rec, 682 yards, 5 TD). Lockett is a great route runner with the ability to break the big play at any given moment. Another valuable playmaker is WR Curry Sexton (49 catches, 609 yards, 3 TD), who has emerged as a great No. 2 receiver, and Waters' go-to guy on third down. The KSU offense was expected to be the strength of the team, but the defense has been tremendous, allowing just 18.6 PPG (12th in nation). The Wildcats have given up 20 or more points in only four games this season. LB Jonathan Truman (73 tackles, 2 TFL) is the leading tackler on the team, and also the leader of the defensive unit. He struggled early in this season, but has played some great football as of late. DBs Dante Barnett (52 tackles, 7 PD, 4 TFL) and Randall Evans (37 tackles, 6 PD, 3 TFL) help form one of the most experienced and talented defensive-back duos in the conference.

The TCU offense is humming on all cylinders this season, ranking 2nd in the nation in scoring (48.0 PPG), 6th in passing (335.9 YPG) and 33rd in rushing (214.1 YPG). QB Trevone Boykin (2,472 pass yards, 423 rush yards, 32 total TD) is one of the top dual-threats in the country, with his improved passing making him a far more dangerous runner. The top rusher for the Horned Frogs is RB B.J. Catalon (98 carries, 493 yards, 10 TD), who is a physical runner who can bust it to the second level in a hurry. However, he is questionable for Saturday due to a shoulder injury, and his absence would make things more difficult for Boykin and the ground game. WRs Josh Doctson (38 catches, 602 yards, 7 TD) and Kolby Listenbee (24 catches, 541 yards, 3 TD) are the top two receivers on the team, and are successful in different ways. Doctson makes the tough catches over the middle of the field while Listenbee is the big-play receiver who forces defenses to play a little deeper. Deante' Gray (29 catches, 486 yards, 7 TDs) is questionable in this game due to an undisclosed injury, and with the offense facing some health question marks, the defense of the Horned Frogs will be looked upon to do more. The unit, which currently ranks 41st in the nation in points allowed (22.6 PPG), is led by one of the best defensive players in the country, LB Paul Dawson (91 tackles, 12 TFL, 4 sacks, 3 INT, 3 FR). Quarterbacks have to know where Dawson is on the field at all times, while his speed makes it tough for running backs to get to the outside. S Chris Hackett (4 INT, 54 tackles, 5 PD) is the top defensive back on the team, and will see a lot of time guarding both Lockett and Sexton.