The Baylor Bears play the Oklahoma State Cowboys in one of the biggest college football games on Saturday, kick off time at 7:30 PM ET, at Boone Pickens Stadium.
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Winning a conference without a championship game still wouldn’t guarantee Baylor a spot in the College Football Playoff, but a Big 12 title and a single loss on its record would at least force the selection committee to give the Bears serious consideration. Baylor’s rushers, which included quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Chris Johnson, had 73 carries for 304 yards and three touchdowns. The score was set up after Mason Rudolph found Marcell Ateman for a 38-yard gain. KD Cannon turned five receptions into 210 yards as Baylor atoned for a 44-34 loss to Oklahoma last week. The Cowboys, who are 9-3 ATS across their last 12 November games according to the OddsShark College Football Database, have narrow escapes in Big 12 wins against Iowa State, West Virginia, and Texas. Johnson threw for 138 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 5-of-10 passing to maintain the Bears’ advantage. Oklahoma State tried their best to climb back, but after cutting the lead to 10 points, Baylor recovered an onside kick and drove down for a Johnson rushing touchdown to seal the win. The Cowboys would at worst share the Big 12 championship with a win next Saturday at home against Oklahoma. The Bears visit the Horned Frogs in what figures to be a classic Big 12 shootout this Friday night.
“I don’t hear anything about being undefeated, and I haven’t really heard much about the rankings”, Oklahoma State Coach Mike Gundy said this week in a clear attempt to modulate the outside noise. Baylor gained 439 yards and ran 61 plays in the first half, but had two critical fumbles that kept Oklahoma State in the game.
Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman (1) is tackled by Oklahoma State…
“Our focus is obviously on another excellent team coming in here with one loss”, said OU coach Bob Stoops.
OSU’s defense got the ball back after Baylor’s Chris Callahan missed a 45-yard field goal.
One week after losing at home to No. 7 Oklahoma, Baylor faced a trip to Stillwater, where it hadn’t won since 1939 and had been regularly routed, even with some of its better teams in recent years.
The favored team is 12-4 ATS in its last 16 games in this matchup.
The Tar Heels (10-1, 7-0 ACC) clinched the Coastal Division title, and did so despite blowing a 14-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation. “I would like to think that our team has been prepared mentally for, at any time, whether it’s a big win or a disappointing loss – you have to get ready to go to work on Sunday”.
The Bears ‘ defense held OSU to three downs and a punt, then marched to another score, going 77 yards in 5 plays.
“We do like the fact that it’s late in the season, and we’re still in the hunts – with an s”, coach Art Briles said Monday. He is averaging 20.5 yards on his 40 catches.
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Briles said Monday that it was more an issue of the bone in his lower leg and termed Stidham as “very questionable” to play against TCU. He’ll handle the pressure of the big road game – and from the Cowboy defensive front – to get his Bears back into the playoff chase. We knew they were going to come out and play hard, and we had to match that.
