Saturday, October 26, 2013

Kansas v. Baylor

This is another one of those Big XII match-ups where the teams were in different conferences for most of their history.  Kansas and Baylor have met only 12 times, and the Bears hold an 8-4 lead in the all-time series.  They have never met for the UCFC.

The big story for this game, of course, is Baylor -- which moved up to number 6 in the AP poll.  This is Baylor's highest ranking in the AP poll since 1980, when the Bears won the old Southwest Conference with a record of 10-1 and climbed up to number 6 in the rankings.  (That team lost the Cotton Bowl to Alabama by a score of 30-2).  The Bears have also won 10 games in a row -- which ties them for the longest winning streak in Baylor history.  To recap, here's what Baylor has done so far this season (home team listed first):

Baylor 69 - 3 Wofford
Baylor 70 - 13 Buffalo
Baylor 70 - 7 La-Monroe
Baylor 73 - 42 W. Virginia
Kansas St. 25 - 35 Baylor
Baylor 71 - 7 Iowa St.

It is striking that Baylor scored so many fewer points in their only road game than in their home victories, but Kansas State was probably the best team the Bears have played all year.

Baylor is not expected to have much trouble today, road game or no.  They are 35-point favorites in a game where the oddsmakers expect 65 points to be scored.  That would work out to a 50-15 victory for the Bears, which would give them the all-time Baylor winning streak.  It would also let them keep the UCFC until their next game, against a team somewhat better-known than their other opponents this season -- Oklahoma.

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