Is Kansas University playing football this weekend? No. Did that stop us from picking six college football games from the Big 12 and the rest of the country? No way.

Here our this week’s predictions from Lawrence Journal-World staff members, as well as their first World Series memories, in honor of the Kansas City Royals’ run to the Fall Classic.

WEEK 8 MATCHUPS

Texas at Kansas State

West Virginia at Oklahoma State

Texas Tech at TCU

Ole Miss at LSU

USC at Utah

Arizona State at Washington

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What was the first World Series you remember watching and what stands out about it for you?

Overall: 33-9 Last week: 5-1

Kansas State 41, Texas 7

West Virginia 38, Oklahoma State 35

TCU 49, Texas Tech 31

Ole Miss 24, LSU 17

Utah 27, USC 24

Arizona State 31, Washington 21

Answer: I remember bits and pieces of the Braves/Indians 1995 World Series and Braves vs. Yankees in 1996, but the 1997 Fall Classic between the Marlins and Indians is the first one that really sticks out to me. I remember watching Jose Mesa blow Game 7 for Cleveland in the ninth and then Edgar Renteria winning it in the 11th for the Marlins. What was more memorable, however, was the Marlins’ fire sale in the offseason following the ’97 World Series. As a 6-year-old, it didn’t make sense to me why a team was trading the majority of its best players. I now understand quite a bit more about how contracts work to know that it is difficult to keep a championship team together, but dealing Moises Alou, Kevin Brown, Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Charles Johnson seemed a little excessive considering what the Marlins got in return. Their 100-plus loss season in 1998 reflected it.

Overall: 32-10 Last week: 4-2

Kansas State 52, Texas 13

Oklahoma State 3, West Virginia 2

TCU 77, Texas Tech 70

Ole Miss 35, LSU 32

Utah 42, Southern Cal 33

Arizona State 42, Washington 35

Answer: 1985. I’m dating myself here, but I was a junior in a suburban Kansas City high school. As you can imagine, the place was crazy for the Royals. Being a rebellious, mulletted sort, I became the world’s biggest Cardinals fan. I didn’t have a lot of friends that fall.

Overall: 32-10 Last week: 3-3

Kansas State 24, Texas 10

West Virginia 35, Oklahoma State 21

TCU 56, Texas Tech 38

Ole Miss 28, LSU 24

Utah 29, USC 27

Arizona State 31, Washington 27

Answer: Grew up in South Carolina with the Phil Niekro, Dale Murphy, Bob Horner Braves, so baseball season always ended in August when those guys were eliminated and TBS switched to Andy Griffith reruns and wrestling. I remember where I was (a couch in Portland, Maine) when Kirk Gibson homered in 1988, but honestly, the first series I paid attention to was Braves-Twins in 1991. The moment that stands out was the 11th inning of Game 6, when left-hander Charlie Liebrandt threw a fat, slow, hanging curve to Kirby Puckett that I could have hit out of the Metrodome. Home run. Knew the Braves were toast. Jack Morris pitched all 10 innings of Game 7 and the Twins won 1-0. Seven-game series, three extra-inning games and five games decided by 1 run. Heartbreaking for those of us who had started to believe in the Braves, but things got better in the decade-plus that followed.

Overall: 32-10 Last week: 4-2

Kansas State 37, Texas 20

West Virginia 24, Oklahoma State 21

TCU 48, Texas Tech 10

Ole Miss 24, LSU 17

USC 28, Utah 27

Washington 31, Arizona State 17

Answer: I was 6 years old for the 1997 World Series. I’ll never forget Game 7 going into extra innings, and watching Edgar Renteria’s walkoff single up the middle. I loved the wild celebration that followed with manager Jim Leyland walking around with arms raised above his head. 

Overall: 30-12 Last week: 3-3

Kansas State 24, Texas 17

Oklahoma State 35, West Virginia 31

TCU 35, Texas Tech 24

LSU 28, Ole Miss 27

USC 31, Utah 28

Arizona State 28, Washington 24

Answer: The Baltimore Orioles swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1966, making my sister Meg cry because she had a mad crush on Sandy Koufax. 

Overall: 29-13 Last week: 4-2

Kansas State 23, Texas 20

West Virginia 33, Oklahoma State 30

TCU 40, Texas Tech 24

Ole Miss 13, LSU 12

Utah 30, USC 28

Washington 31, Arizona State 27

Answer: 1989. Tuned in to watch the Bash Brothers of Oakland take on Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell and Matt Williams (did they have a nickname?) of San Francisco. But what stands out more than the A’s sweep and Dave Stewart’s general nastiness on the mound was the earthquake just before the start of Game 3.

Overall: 29-13 Last week: 4-2

Kansas State 30, Texas 20

West Virginia 33, Oklahoma State 30

TCU 40, Texas Tech 17

Ole Miss 23, LSU 15

Utah 24, USC 23

Washington 27, Arizona State 24

Answer: I remember my first World Series like it was yesterday. Er, Wednesday. Tuesday? Yes, this will probably be the first Fall Classic I watch in its entirety. Blame the Royals.

Overall: 27-15 Last week: 2-4

Kansas State 31, Texas 20

West Virginia 33, Oklahoma State 31

TCU 48, Texas Tech 20

LSU 24, Ole Miss 21

USC 35, Utah 27

Arizona State 38, Washington 33

Answer: The 1985 World Series between the Royals and Cardinals is actually one of my earliest memories of watching sports period (I was 7), but I only really remember watching Games 6 and 7. The same goes for 1986 and the Bill Buckner debacle for the Red Sox against the Mets. But the first World Series that I truly remember watching every pitch of was the 1992 edition between the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. From the game-winning hit in the NLCS that scored a slower-than-dirt Sid Bream and sent the Braves to the series to the final out in Game 6, I talked my mom into letting me stay up for every out of every game and remember being captivated by every inning. I was pulling for the Braves (I still can’t believe they didn’t win more titles than they did during that stretch) but Toronto prevailed 4-2 and claimed all four of its victories in the series by a single run. 

Overall: 28-14 Last week: 4-2

K-State 31, Texas 24

West Virginia 35, Ok State 10

TCU 44, Texas Tech 20

Ole Miss 31, LSU 24

USC 45, Utah 40

Washington 22, Arizona State 21

Answer: Good question, but this one isn’t firmly entrenched in my memory bank. I remember in grade school one of the teachers letting us watch Baltimore play in a World Series against somebody at Queen of Martyrs grade school on the south side of Chicago. I don’t know who Baltimore was playing. I do remember Boog Powell taking some big hacks. I also remember doing the same with Pittsburgh Pirates and those neat uniforms they used to wear with no sleeves.

Overall: 28-14 Last week: 4-2

Kansas State 35, Texas 21

Oklahoma State 31, West Virginia 30

TCU 45, Texas Tech 28

Ole Miss 31, LSU 28

USC 34, Utah 30

Arizona State 42, Washington 35

Answer: 1963 World Series: Dodgers swept the Yankees. Memorable because of Koufax and Drysdale.