Baylor @ Kansas preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 22, 2018 ) Kansas 7, Baylor 26

Baylor's chances of reaching the College Football Playoff are slim but winning Saturday's regular-season finale at Kansas is the first piece to the complicated puzzle. The No. 10 Bears are tied for first in the Big 12 with No. 7 Oklahoma and have already clinched a spot in the conference championship game opposite the Sooners, but must win twice and get a lot of help to improve their No. 9 CFP ranking.

"Very much looking forward to finishing out the regular season this week,'' Baylor coach Matt Rhule told reporters. "I told our guys there's not many times in life that you're going to have a chance to win 11 games." The Bears have won nine straight over the Jayhawks with a 26-7 verdict last season marking the second-closest margin of victory during the streak with seven of the wins by at least 27 points. Kansas has lost seven of eight Big 12 games, including a 41-31 setback at Iowa State last week but is starting to show signs of life under first-year coach Les Miles. Sophomore running back Pooka Williams Jr. went over 2,000 career rushing yards last week to become the first Jayhawk to accomplish the feat in his first two seasons since Gayle Sayers in 1962-63.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Baylor -14.

ABOUT BAYLOR (10-1, 7-1 Big 12): Junior quarterback Charlie Brewer (66.6 completion percentage, 19 touchdown passes, five interceptions, 10 rushing TDs) should be good to go after taking a big hit and leaving in the fourth quarter of a 24-10 victory over Texas last week. Senior wide receiver Denzel Mims recorded a season-high 125 yards last week and has six of his 11 TD catches in the last four weeks. Sophomore linebacker Terrel Bernard has won two of the last four Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week awards after averaging 13 tackles with four sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery in his last four games.

ABOUT KANSAS (3-8, 1-7): Senior quarterback Carter Stanley threw three touchdown passes last week, giving him 24 on the season and moving him into second in school annals with 37 but well short of Todd Reesing (90). Williams (five total TDs) is third in the Big 12 with 945 rushing yards after totaling 154 last week. Junior wide receivers Stephon Robinson Jr. and Andrew Parchment have combined for 14 TD receptions.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Twenty-two Jayhawks will be honored on Senior Day including offensive lineman Hakeem Adeniji, who makes his 48th consecutive start Saturday.

2. Bears junior DL James Lynch has 10.5 sacks this season - tied for eighth nationally - after recording two last week to become the school's career leader with 19 and needs one to set the single-season standard at Baylor.

3. Kansas hasn't won two Big 12 games in a season since 2008.

PREDICTION: Baylor 31, Kansas 21