Some are suggesting this is the undercard in the Big 12 conference title, as whoever wins the game between Baylor and Texas will need to hope Oklahoma State lose their game in order to earn that BCS berth and ticket to the Fiesta Bowl.
It’s been a while for both teams since last winning the conference – For Baylor it has been 19 years since the last won the Southwest conference, while for Texas it’s been a drought of four years, ages in Longhorns time, which is why the chair under Mack Brown has been rocking so violently this season.
Is this the game that makes or breaks his career in Austin? According to certain rumors, the decision to bring in Nick Saban has already been made, but it’s a bit too soon to tell. Texas have lost only one conference game this season – dominated by Oklahoma State in Stillwater 38-13, which is a bad omen as they visit Waco and a Baylor team that averages 55.4 points per game, the best in the nation.
Texas are 33rd in the nation when it comes to stopping the pass, but Baylor are a special case, averaging 365.9 yards in the air, 4th in the nation. The problems are injuries that have derailed this offense from being on pace to going undefeated all season, to a point which makes them struggle against a bad team like TCU, winning only by three points as their rebound after a heavy defeat in Stillwater.
If Texas’ seniors can’t earn a share of a league title, the class would be the first since 1989 to fail to accomplish that feat. Baylor are playing their final game in Floyd Casey Stadium, which means the biggest crowd ever in the venue. They are looking for their first ever 11-win season, and are on a streak of 10 consecutive home wins and five home wins in a row against ranked opponents, which Texas (#25) barely are.
Case McCoy, the better of the dual quarterback approach the Longhorns have, is going up against the 76th ranked defense in the nation against the pass, but if this becomes a pass-a-thon, Texas won’t stand a chance.
Predictions – Like most CFB teams, home & away is a whole different world for Baylor. The question is do Texas have the defense to slow Baylor down, and hit back at them with McCoy and Gray on the ground. The answer to that question is probably no.