Thanks to an easy schedule and a scary offense, Baylor are the only remaining undefeated team in the Big 12, ranked 5 in the nation, heading into the program’s biggest game ever. For Oklahoma, who are now #10 and can’t afford another loss if they want to win the conference, it’s about proving their improved defense is good enough to contest the biggest challenge they’ll see this season.
Baylor are leading the nation with 718.4 total yards per game and scoring 63.9 points. They’re winning by an average margin of 48 points and have put up more than 70 points four times. However, the only teams with a winning record they’ve beaten are Buffalo and Louisiana Monroe, which explains the skepticism some have about their ability to beat a more serious threat like the Sooners.
Not that Oklahoma have done that much better in terms of schedule. They’ve also lost once, to Texas, but they’ve beaten Notre Dame in South Bend to give this team some proof that it’s good enough to be included in the second tier of College Football behind those trying to win the national title.
Baylor will try overcome their awful record against Oklahoma, winning only once in 22 games, and find a way through the 10th best defense in the nation, allowing only 314.3 yards per game. It also means the beginning of a very tough stretch against the top teams in the conference. After playing Oklahoma, Baylor still have Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas waiting for them, hoping to end their undefeated season, if it’ll still be intact after the Sooners are finished with their visit.
The key for Oklahoma is to control the pace and tempo of the game, limiting the number of plays Baylor run. Their spread offense is helping Bryce Petty average 350.4 passing yards per game, while Lache Seastrunk is doing a great job in bursting through the middle with 869 yards so far this season, scoring 11 touchdowns. Oklahoma need more than just their defense to cope, but their ground game (17th in the nation), with Blake Bell, Damien Williams and Brennan Clay, to help them chew up the clock and keep Baylor off rhythm.
Prediction – Baylor haven’t faced serious competition this season, and we won’t be seeing the same kind of numbers we did from them in their first 7 games. Oklahoma aren’t SEC-good on defense yet, but they have the right blend to turn this into a slower game and come up with the win.