Rice @ Baylor preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 25, 2010 ) Baylor 30, Rice 13

THE STORY: This is No. 19 Baylor’s final tune-up before opening Big 12 Conference play next week at Kansas State. The Bears are seeking their first 3-0 start since 2005. Last year, Baylor started 7-2 and had a shot at the Big 12 title before falling apart and losing its last four games. The Bears hope to avoid a similar fate this year, and they have their most loaded roster in recent memory. Quarterback Robert Griffin III headlines a talented offensive cast, and they’ll face a Rice defense that ranks 104th nationally allowing 436 yards per game. Baylor has won five straight over Rice and leads the all-time series 46-30-2.

TV: FSN. LINE: Baylor -20.5

ABOUT RICE (1-1): With their 24-22 victory over Purdue on Sept. 10, the Owls snapped a 22-game losing streak against BCS opponents, a stretch that extended back to Sept. 8, 2001. Rice defeated the Boilermakers in dramatic fashion, blocking a game-winning field goal attempt in the closing seconds. The win was also Rice’s first against a Big Ten opponent since 1997. This week, the Owls will attempt to start 2-1 for the first time since 2008, when they went 10-3 and won the Texas Bowl. Owls quarterback Taylor McHargue finished 19-of-29 for 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Purdue, which was far better than his 79-yard passing performance in the season-opening loss at Texas.

ABOUT BAYLOR (2-0): The Bears' No. 19 ranking is their highest since being ranked in the same spot in 1994. Griffin has completed an astounding 83 percent of his passes this year and as the nation’s leader in passing efficiency firmly positioned himself in Heisman Trophy discussions. He has thrown as many touchdowns (eight) as incompletions and was 20-of-22 for 265 yards in a lightning-shortened win over Stephen F. Austin last week. And the defense was not to be outdone in that 48-0 victory, either, as Baylor shut out an opponent for the first time since 1995.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright has 19 career touchdown receptions, which is tied for the school record.

2. Rice is the only school to play four non-conference games against BCS conference opponents. The Owls have already played Texas and Purdue, and they will take on Northwestern in November.

3. The Owls have lost 24 straight games against Big 12 opponents.

PREDICTION: Baylor 45, Rice 14 - Griffin leads a Bears’ offense that is flat-out explosive and can score from anywhere on the field, and the Owls simply don’t have the playmakers on either side of the ball to keep up.