Big 12 Title On The Line
Can Bryce Petty and the Baylor Bears emerge as Big 12 champions?
In today’s college football climate, the Big 12 conference suffers for not having a championship game.
While the likes of the ACC, Big Ten and SEC will see their best teams battle it out Saturday for a place in a BCS Bowl and even the National Championship Game, the Big 12 will field three teams looking to win a conference title.
Conference realignment is a four letter word across much of the country, but if the Big 12 wants to share the spotlight with those other marquee conferences, it might consider adding the two teams required to promote a championship game.
But then again, as we’ll see on Saturday, the Big 12 isn’t lacking in storylines in this final week of the regular season.
A win over Oklahoma would send Oklahoma State to the Fiesta Bowl.
No. 17 Oklahoma at No. 6 Oklahoma State
Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK, 12:00 p.m. ET (matchup)
At noon, No. 17 Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) will take to the field in Stillwater looking to dash the championship hopes of No. 6 Oklahoma State (10-1, 7-1 Big 12).
There’s a little extra spice to this year’s installment of the Bedlam series, despite the Sooners being out of the running for the conference title. The Cowboys – who own victories over both Texas and Baylor – could take a share of the conference title with a win. While a share might not sound all that alluring, a share would be enough to see the Cowboys into the Fiesta Bowl. Of course, the Sooners would rather that didn’t happen.
Reports suggest that the Oklahoma players are not taking kindly to questions about the team being relegated to a role of spoiler in this game. Expect some tension and some hard-hitting action when the teams take to the field.
Oklahoma Sooners vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys odds for 12/07/2013
Current form sees Oklahoma State open as the favorite over Oklahoma but Bedlam has historically been the Sooners for the taking.
Oklahoma is 75-17-7 all-time in the head-to-head series and has won nine of the last 10 meetings between the sides, including four wins at Boone Pickens Stadium. It was the Cowboys that emerge victorious the last time the two sides played in Stillwater though (Dec. 2011).
The spread opened at 11 and has slipped slightly to 10.5. Oklahoma State (8-3-0 ATS) has been impressive against the spread this season, something that is not true of Oklahoma (6-5-0 ATS). However, the Sooners are 6-2-0 ATS in their last eight games against the Cowboys.
The total opened at 58 and has slipped as low as 56.5. Oklahoma (6-5-0) has narrowly favored the over this season while Oklahoma State (4-7-0) has favored the under. The total has gone over in four of Oklahoma’s last six trips to Stillwater.
Despite a miserable start to the year, Texas could be crowned conference champions.
No. 25 Texas at No. 9 Baylor
Floyd Casey Stadium, Waco, TX, 3:30 p.m. ET (matchup)
No. 25 Texas (8-3, 7-1 Big 12) and No. 9 Baylor (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) should be taking to the field in Waco around about the time the Bedlam game draws to a close. That’s significant because it means both teams will know whether or not they still have a shot at the Fiesta Bowl.
An Oklahoma win over Oklahoma State would open the door for the winner of this finale to walk away with an outright conference title and a BCS berth. A Cowboys win means a share of the title for the winner and no Fiesta Bowl, thanks to Oklahoma State’s victories over both sides these past two weeks.
Regardless of what happens in Stillwater, this one’s shaping up to be a good one. The Bears have shocked the college football world this season and another win would surely put them in place for one of the more lucrative bowl games, even if it’s not the Fiesta Bowl.
Meanwhile, Texas has bounced back from disappointing losses to BYU and Ole Miss early in the season to become one of the conference’s form sides. Were it not for that loss to the Cowboys two weeks ago, the Longhorns might already have wrapped the title up.
Add to this the fact that this will be the last game played at Floyd Casey Stadium, the home of the Bears since 1950, and you have all the ingredients for an emotional and intriguing contest.
Texas Longhorns vs. Baylor Bears odds for 12/07/2013
Playing at home, Baylor opens as the favorite over in-state rivals Texas. History doesn’t support Vegas’ decision to put the Bears in the driving seat though.
The Longhorns are 72-24-5 all-time against the Bears and have won 17 of the last 20 meetings between the schools, including last year’s game in Austin.
However, with Robert Griffin III at the helm, the Bears took two straight meetings between 2010 and 2011, and having been the form team for much of the season, are bound to get a lot of backing from bettors.
The spread opened at 13.5 and has climbed as high as 16. Baylor (8-3-0 ATS) has fared better against the spread than Texas (6-5-0 ATS), although both schools are in the black so to speak.
Baylor is 5-1-0 ATS in its last six against Texas but just 2-5-0 ATS when hosting the Longhorns. Picking the spread here is a tough task.
The total opened at 73.5 and has dropped to 71. Baylor (8-3-0) has favored the over while Texas (5-6-0) has favored the under. The total has gone over in four of the last five meetings between the schools.
For a comprehensive list of today’s College Football odds, including the ACC, Big Ten and SEC championship games, click here.
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