Baylor’s Win vs. Oklahoma State Provides a few Big 12 Clarity

It leaves with just two.

Saban remains laser focused on a Football Championship Subdivision team from the Big South Conference that recently eked out a 10-7 win at Presbyterian, which everyone knows is a tough place to pray, er, play.

As for Baylor, it will be another nerve-racking conclusion to the regular season. “We’ve done all we can to play well and put ourselves to be one of the teams in the top four”. After all that give me MI State! However, getting into the playoff seems pretty remote.

The Bears secured a 52-24 win over No. 2 Kansas State in 2012 at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Cowboys control their own fate. Spencer knows how to beat this offense and he will do it again. In September, teams feel the pressure of the new season, as they try to prove themselves. However, the Bears can not be counted out right now considering their one loss is to another top-ranked team. The OR loss is still too fresh, but wins over USC, UCLA and Washington State will be enough to easily move into the top ten. Everything would be looking very rosy for Oklahoma and the College Football Playoff picture had the Sooners not stubbed their toe in a midseason loss to a Texas team that is still struggling to find its true identity under second-year head coach Charlie Strong. Baylor also was driven by two quarterbacks on Saturday as Stidham played during the first half, passing for 258 yards and a touchdown.

Here’s one he can add to his reservoir: Don’t be poking his Bears, even when they’re down to their third-string quarterback and everybody left them for roadkill a week ago. TCU suffered a disappointing loss to Oklahoma State and might be without star quarterback and Heisman hopeful Trevone Boykin; it definitely will be without star wide receiver Josh Doctson, who is now out for the season.

Adams’ 98-yard touchdown in the second quarter marked the longest play from scrimmage and the longest touchdown run in Notre Dame history, as well as the longest play from scrimmage by any player in the nation this season. Iowa’s best win is against Northwestern.

The Big 12’s last, remaining undefeated team is undefeated no more.

Last year, Baylor and TCU shared the Big 12 title and both missed out on a possible playoff berth because there was no title game. The Cowboys were held to just 8 rushing yards on 23 attempts, and Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph was sacked six times.

But Saturday night’s win was Briles’ first over a top 10 team on the road. Instead of playing for overtime, Gary Patterson opted to go for two and the win, and Kohlhausen’s scrambling toss was deflected by Parker.

One week after having their undefeated season spoiled, the No. 10 Baylor Bears ruined No. 6 Oklahoma State’s unblemished record in Stillwater. Those teams have three total losses, with a master plan that they will now be judged only by one another. While the other teams fighting for playoff spots are reaching the apex of their conference schedules, Notre Dame has beaten Wake Forest and Boston College over the past two weeks. The Eagles converted just two of 13 third downs but hung around thanks to two interceptions and a fumble in the red zone from Notre Dame.

Let’s be candid, a 15- or 20-point win over a high-profile team like TCU and Oklahoma State is much more impressive than a 3- or 7-point victory over the same team, and a good indicator of how well a team is playing, especially if those wins come back to back and, in OU’s case, over three consecutive games against the best teams in one of college football’s premier leagues. That makes lackluster, sloppy performances like Saturday’s all the more damaging. Tonight, the Big 12 has three teams in action that are in the top 10 of the latest playoff rankings.