Baylor @ Kansas preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 2, 2010 ) Kansas 7, Baylor 55

THE STORY: Last year, when Baylor became bowl eligible with a home win against Kansas State, fans rushed the field and a long celebration ensued. It was a landmark victory for a program that had suffered through a 16-year bowl drought. The Bears can again earn a trip to a bowl game with a win this week against Kansas, but expect a more tempered reaction this time around. The Bears are 5-3 and have earned their standing as one of the Big 12’s better teams. Now, they want something more — a bowl win. Kansas, on the other hand, would be happy with any kind of win. Since a 2-0 start, the Jayhawks have lost seven straight, including all six of their conference games. Baylor has won two of the last three meetings, including a 55-7 victory in 2010.

TV: ABC. Line: Baylor -20

ABOUT BAYLOR (5-3, 2-3 Big 12): Baylor will look for its first road victory of the season against the Jayhawks, who have dropped 20 of their last 21 Big 12 games. The Bears have scored 42 points or more in all five of their home wins but have yet to eclipse the 35-point mark in a road contest. That includes their two most recent losses, when they mustered 28 and 24 points in blowout defeats at Texas A&M and No. 3 Oklahoma State. Last week, in a 42-39 victory over Missouri, the Bears nearly blew an 18-point fourth-quarter lead. However, Robert Griffin III and the Bears had too much firepower for the Tigers to overcome, racking up 697 yards of total offense.

ABOUT KANSAS (2-7, 0-6 Big 12): Kansas suffered a 13-10 loss last week at Iowa State, an outcome that was encouraging compared to their previous defeats. Prior to the game against the Cyclones, the Jayhawks had lost six straight by 10 or more points, including five by 30 or more. Kansas, which has given up 500 yards or more in five of its last seven games, yielded just 426 against Iowa State and also forced three turnovers. However, the offense, which was shut out the game before against Texas, couldn’t sustain drives and managed just 301 yards.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The home team is 7-0 in this series since 1996, the year the Big 12 was formed.

2. Kansas has won by an average of 30 points against the Bears in Lawrence, including a 58-10 victory in 2007, the last time the Jayhawks hosted this matchup.

3. Robert Griffin III has thrown for at least 400 yards in each of Baylor’s last three games.

PREDICTION: Baylor 48, Kansas 14 — The Jayhawks showed fight against a more talented Iowa State team, but they’ll likely mail it in the rest of the way with nothing to play for.