The Baylor Bears will get another shot at beating the Oklahoma State, this time on a bigger stage, as the two teams meet this coming Saturday in the Big 12 Championship Game. Check out our preview of this Baylor-Oklahoma State game below.
The Bears enter the Big 12 title game on a three-game win streak. After losing to the TCU Horned Frogs in early November at home, Baylor took down the then-No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners at home, the Kansas State Wildcats on the road, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at home last Saturday to the tune of a 27-24 score. Blake Shapen passed for 254 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions on 20/34 completions against the Red Raiders while running back Abram Smith had 30 carries for 117 rushing yards and a touchdown. Shapen could make another start in place of Gerry Bohanon, who sat out the Red Raiders game because of a hamstring injury. It was Bohanon who started in their 24-14 road loss to the Cowboys back in October, so if it’s going to be Shapen under center in the Big 12 title game for Baylor, that could take away at least some of Oklahoma State’s familiarity with the Bears’ offense.
Baylor 13-4-1 against the spread in their last 18 games as an underdog.
Oklahoma State’s defense has been the Cowboys’ bread and butter this season. That said, the same stop unit got pretty dinged up by the Oklahoma Sooners in last Saturday’s 37-33 home win by the Cowboys, who entered that contest fourth in the nation with 16.5 points allowed per game. But that’s also Oklahoma’s offense that can really rack up points. It’s not so much the case with Baylor, which can score but not on the level of the Sooners. Oklahoma State’s ferocious defense held Baylor to only 3/15 on third downs and 280 total yards in the first meeting. It was that fantastic defense that saved Oklahoma State despite the Cowboys committing three turnovers. If Shapen isn’t any better than Bohanon, then it might be a long night for the Bears’ offense against this tough Cowboys’ D.
Oklahoma State is 5-0 against the spread in their last five neutral location games.
