Kansas @ Baylor preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 26, 2013 ) Baylor 59, Kansas 14

After a week off to digest its first loss, Baylor continues a now-uphill climb toward a potential spot in the College Football Playoff when it hosts Kansas on Saturday. The homecoming affair against a Big 12 doormat should allow the 12th-ranked Bears to hit the reset button after a 41-27 defeat at West Virginia on Oct. 18, which has left them behind 10 other one-loss teams in the first playoff rankings released Tuesday. Baylor has won 13 straight at home and six in a row against the Jayhawks in Waco.

While Kansas is mired in the conference cellar, it has proven to be a tough out since interim coach Clint Bowen took over three games ago. Following a seven-point loss to then-No. 18 Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks were within six points in the fourth quarter at Texas Tech before falling 34-21 last weekend. The league's lowest-ranked offense, Kansas was outgained 507-363 in losing its fourth straight overall.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, FS1. LINE: Baylor -36.

ABOUT KANSAS (2-5, 0-4 Big 12): Since taking over at quarterback midway through a loss at West Virginia on Oct. 4, Michael Cummings has given the Jayhawks' struggling offense a little bit of life, going 40-of-69 for 523 yards and two touchdowns in his two starts. The junior, who hails from Killeen, Texas -roughly an hour outside of Waco, also has scampered for a pair of scores on the ground. As a freshman, Cummings struggled in his first trip back home, going 9-of-19 for 81 yards with two interceptions in Kansas' 41-14 loss to the Bears.

ABOUT BAYLOR (6-1, 3-1): The Bears are in an interesting spot, having had two weeks to stew over the loss at West Virginia and now returning to action against a last-place squad, which means they have to avoid looking ahead to next week's visit to Oklahoma - one of the larger remaining obstacles for a team that needs to run the table to have any hope for a playoff spot. "You want to get that taste out of your mouth, but we had to wait a week," quarterback Bryce Petty said of the two-week gap between games. Petty was just 16-of-36 for 223 yards in the loss to the Mountaineers, which represented Baylor's worst offensive showing this season.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Petty has completed only 45.1 percent (51-of-113) of his passes over the last three games.

2. Kansas has lost 30 straight contests away from home.

3. Jayhawks LB Ben Heeney leads the Big 12 in tackles (84), 58 of them of the solo variety.

PREDICTION: Baylor 49, Kansas 20