Intriguing Game: Big-12 Championship
(9) Baylor Bears at (5) Oklahoma State Cowboys
Baylor: They’re headed in the right direction. Just a few weeks ago, I saw them play the Oklahoma Sooners and push them around. This is the type of team when they have you down, they will keep you down at all costs. As I said then, Dave Aranda was a quality hire to be the football program’s next head coach. Now, they still have the offense. I’ll never question that. Baylor can score with the best of them on any given game day. It’s the defense that’s taken that next step and this is exactly why they hired Dave. His background is defense and he’s widely regarded as one of the top defensive-minded guys in the country. I want to speak on their offense right now. They can move the ball fluidly down the field as I said earlier. As a unit, they average 33 points per game. It’s how they push the ball up and down the field that stands out to me because they do it with an ample amount of balance. This is a power football team and the offense travels through one guy. His name is Abram Smith. He’s a running back that’s always looking to make the best possible play for the football team. They go as he’s going. Who would’ve thought the Baylor Bears would have won a share of the Big-12? The conference the Oklahoma Sooners have owned the last four seasons. On Saturday morning, they will play in the conference title game.
Oklahoma State: Bedlam last weekend was the first time I’ve seen them play all year and I’m glad I was able to watch them. Mike Gundy has a really good program out in Stillwater and here they are. Sitting in the mix for the bracket of four, better known as the College Football Playoff. I’ll admit I thought they were in trouble against the Oklahoma Sooners last Saturday night because when they have their foot on the gas, Oklahoma will not let up and for years, I’ve always said you can’t beat a team at what they do best because it falls right into their trap. Instead, Oklahoma State had to grind the game out with their running game and defense. It worked because they were able to shut out the Sooners in the fourth quarter when it mattered most. They have been the best defensive team in the conference. This is a physical, yet fast group that can punish teams, make them one-dimensional, and force the takeaways at the best times. Spencer Sanders was a little too up and down for me in that game though. He struggled as he threw two interceptions. Luckily, he had that defense there to bail him out. They are an evenly balanced football team on both sides of the football. On Saturday morning, they’ll face Baylor in a rematch, this time for much more.
Baylor X-Factor: Tyquan Thornton– This is the one guy Baylor must use to sink into the teeth of that stingy Oklahoma State defense. Tyquan is a 6’3 wide receiver that does a plethora of things on the field. I’ve seen plays where he’s used in the backfield as an h back. His efforts with the ball in his hands speak for themselves because he can make people miss in space. Tyquan averages 16 yards per catch.
Oklahoma State X-Factor: Spencer Sanders– He must be more consistent. Plain and simple. Spencer can’t seem to hold onto the football meaning he turns the ball over too much. There have been games when he’s thrown no interceptions and there’s been times when he’s thrown two or three interceptions in a single game. The million-dollar question is what Spencer will we see in this one? He needs to be the “good Sanders”.
Final Thoughts: This is a rematch of a regular-season showdown between these two. They met in Stillwater on October 2nd with Oklahoma State being victorious in a 24-14 win over Baylor. Months later, here we are. This is an important game for the Cowboys because they’re in the hunt for the College Football Playoff. For Baylor, will Gerry Bohanon play? He brings that dual-threat ability to this Bears offense. Both these teams play stingy defense and it will be on full display on Saturday morning. I’ll be watching this Baylor offensive line against the star linebacker, Malcolm Rodriguez. I see some Urlacher in Malcolm’s game and he will be great at the next level. I have a feeling this will be a closely contested battle that will come down to the fourth quarter.
Prediction: Oklahoma State 24, Baylor 21
