It doesn’t get any better than this. For the first time in their historic rivalry, the No. 5 Baylor Bears and the No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs will both nationally be ranked when they lock horns this coming Saturday. These two schools have been rivals since time immemorial and the stakes on this game couldn’t be higher.
With both teams carding similar 5-0 records, a win by either side would send them that much closer to a spot in the season-ending College Football Playoff. With their head-to-head matchup knotted at 51, who will gain the advantage this weekend? Read on for a preview of this Big 12 showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our look at Georgia vs. Missouri.
The TCU Horned Frogs barged into the top 10 of the rankings after upsetting then-No. 4 Oklahoma, 37-33. The Horned Frogs came back from seven points down early in the third quarter to grab the victory.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]It was the fifth time in the last seven seasons that TCU have started the season 4-0 but it is the first time in their brief Big 12 history that they have scored a victory of this magnitude.
Quarterback Trevone Boykin had another stellar performance, completing 20 of 38 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 77 yards on 22 carries as he is now eighth among starting quarterbacks in the FBS in terms of total offense, averaging 359.0 yards per game.
The Horned Frogs, however, wouldn’t have pulled off the result without the inspired play of their defense. They limited QB Trevor Knight to just 14 of 35 passing for 309 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The biggest play came on the TCU 22 when linebacker Marcus Mallet stopped running back Samaje Perine (87 yards, 3 TDs) on 4th and 1 for no gain to seal the four-point victory.
They will need to bring that same kind of defensive intensity when they face the fifth-ranked Baylor Bears. The Bears have been an offensive machine this season, recording an average of 590.6 yards in total offense in their first five games, good for second in the FBS.
The Horned Frogs’ confidence will be at an all-time high though given that their newly-installed up-tempo offense has been working wonders for them this season. They outgained the Sooners 469-461 in total offense last game and gave Trevor Knight his first defeat as an Oklahoma starter.
They are 16th in the entire FBS in total offense this season with an average of 516.3 yards per game.
TCU are 3-1 ATS in their last four away meetings with Baylor.
The Baylor Bears eased past the Texas Longhorns 28-7 to enter their Big 12 match with TCU with a perfect 5-0 record.
Quarterback Bryce Petty had a miserable afternoon, completing just 7 of 22 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears didn’t need to worry that much though, as their defense and their running game stepped up.
Baylor had the ground game churning, rushing for 278 yards against the Longhorns. Running back Shock Linwood was in fine form, rushing for 148 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. They will look to carry that form against the Horned Frogs Saturday against a TCU team ranked 18th in rush defense with opponents averaging 106.8 yards against them.
The Bears’ balanced attack has helped them become the best offensive team in the FBS this season with Baylor averaging a whopping 51 points per ballgame. That total may come down after this game, however, as the Horned Frogs are seventh in the FBS in scoring defense with opponents scoring an average of just 13.5 points per game against them.
The Bears are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 home games dating back to September of last season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Bears (-8.5) edge past the Horned Frogs to extend their unbeaten record to 6-0.
