Not too far into his four-year tenure as head coach of the Tulsa football program, Steve Kragthorpe began shaping up as a solid Big 12 coaching prospect in part because of his many recruiting contacts in Texas and Oklahoma.

Louisville beat the Big 12 to Kragthorpe, who had a tough first season with the Cardinals, going 6-6. The Cardinals' nationally televised Wednesday night matchup against Kansas State provided an interesting look at whether Kragthorpe might have been a good hire for Kansas State when the Wildcats gave the job to Ron Prince.

K-State was favored and Louisville won, 38-29. Kragthorpe just might have been the right hire.

This week's football picks:

Kansas 49, Sam Houston State 10: Even with former Oklahoma quarterback running the offense, it will be difficult for the Bearkats not to get kreamed. KU is coming off a last-second loss and is eager to take it out on somebody heading into a bye week.

Missouri 45, Buffalo 14: By generating interest in the program, improving recruiting and instilling a winning attitude in Buffalo, former Nebraska star Turner Gill has gained a reputation as one of the nation's hot young coaching prospects. His team has no chance against a Mizzou offense that has averaged 57.7 points per game and an amazing 10 yards per play from scrimmage. Chase Daniel (10.8 yards per attempt, 10 touchdowns, one interception) is the leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman Trophy.

UNLV 27, Iowa State 24: The Runnin' Rebs are coming off of one of the greatest upsets in school history, an overtime victory against ranked Arizona State. They might be due for a letdown. More likely, they want to prove it isn't a fluke.

Miami (Fla.) 28, Texas A&M 24: Bill Young's defense helped visiting Kansas defeat the Aggies a year ago and Young's new team faces a new A&M coach, Mike Sherman, struggling to make the transition back to the college game. Miami's speed makes the difference.

North Carolina 30, Virginia Tech 27: UNC's Brandon Tate (28.9 yards per eight receptions and two touchdowns, 25 yards per five rushes and a touchdown), is far more than a return man.

LSU 30, Auburn 17: LSU hasn't won a road game in this intense SEC rivalry series in 10 years. Auburn will have trouble slowing down junior Charles Scott, who has four rushing touchdowns and is averaging 11.4 yards per carry.

Congratulations to Nigel Dunham of Missouri City, Texas, who was the Week 3 winner in the Kream Keegan contest. Trowbridge correctly picked five of the six games and was closest on the tiebreaker, predicting that Angus Quigley would rush for 45 yards against South Florida (Quigley ran for 22 yards). Will you be this week's winner? Sign up using the entry form below.

(The contest is currently closed. Good luck to all who entered.)