Baylor @ Oklahoma preview

Baylor at Oklahoma

Last Meeting ( Nov 7, 2013 ) Oklahoma 12, Baylor 41

After many years of frustrating results against Oklahoma, Baylor has won two of the last three meetings, but no Bears team has ever left Norman with a win. No. 10 Baylor will try to end an 11-game losing streak at Oklahoma on Saturday against the 16th-ranked Sooners. Baylor dropped each of its first four contests in this series before joining the Big 12 in 1996 and proceeded to lose the next 16 as conference rivals before mounting its first win over Oklahoma in 2011.

The defending conference champion Bears, who rebounded from their only loss this season on Oct. 18 at West Virginia with a 60-14 drubbing of Kansas last weekend, can do no worse than win a share of the Big 12 title if they win out. The Sooners rebounded from their one-point loss against Kansas State with a 59-14 rout of Iowa State, but have alternated wins and losses since opening conference play. Working in Oklahoma’s favor is its recent success in rematch games: the Sooners have won each of their last 11 contests against opponents who defeated them the prior season.

TV: Noon ET, Fox Sports 1. LINE: Oklahoma -6.5

ABOUT BAYLOR (7-1, 4-1 Big 12): Bryce Petty threw for three scores in less than three quarters of action against the Jayhawks and has accounted for at least two touchdowns in a FBS-best 20 consecutive contests. Two of those scoring passes went to Corey Coleman, who scored on catches of 72 and 49 yards to finish with 167 yards on only three catches - the highest receiving-yardage total on five or fewer receptions in school history. Freshman kicker Chris Callahan became the sixth FBS player to make four field goals in a quarter last week and the first since Oregon State's Jose Cortez on Oct. 31, 1998.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA (6-2, 3-2): The Sooners saw three players (Trevor Knight, Alex Ross and Samaje Perine) run for over 100 yards as they rolled up 510 yards on the ground against Iowa State on their way to accruing 751 yards of total offense – fourth-highest in school history and the most under coach Bob Stoops. Oklahoma got a bit of a scare when it lost wide receiver Sterling Shepard on its first offensive play of the game to a groin strain, but Stoops told reporters early this week that “we’re optimistic that it will heal enough that he’ll be full speed (for Baylor)”. Shepard, who leads the Big 12 in receiving yards per game (119.6), needs 47 more to post his first 1,000-yard season.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Baylor (241.2) and RB Shock Linwood (97.1) each lead the Big 12 in rushing while Oklahoma (231.8) and Perine (95.9) each rank second.

2. The Bears have recovered 10 fumbles, matching their total from a season ago.

3. The Sooners are 27-1 at home in November under Stoops.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma 41, Baylor 38