The controversial winds have been blowing up and down Interstate 35 between Waco and Fort Worth, Texas with the Baylor Bears claiming they should be ahead of the TCU Horned Frogs in the rankings due to their head to head win over the Frogs back on October 11th. However, TCU has been the team to look more impressive than the Bears thanks to their dominating wins over Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State.
Coach Art Briles told ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike that he believes Baylor should be ahead of TCU. “What country do we live in? I think it is America,” Briles said. “That’s kind of always been the American way. If there’s a conflict or a doubt, you put two people in the ring and they fight. There’s a winner. If there’s a question who’s the fastest guy, you put them on the track and the fastest guy is the guy you pick. That’s kind of how I see it. It’s a democratic society.”
The Bears have the opportunity to plead their case to the College Football Playoff committee when they take on the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday from McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas. TCU beat the Wildcats 41-20 on November 8th, so if the Bears have the opportunity to run the score up on K-State, expect them to do so.
If the Bears hope to knock off the 9th-ranked Wildcats on Saturday, their #1 ranked scoring offense is going to have to score quickly and often in order to run away with a big win. Bryce Petty, who left the Bears win over Texas Tech with a concussion, has been cleared to play and will be under center for the game on Saturday.
The high flying Bears rank 6th in passing and 20th in rushing. Petty will need to rely on heavily on passes to Corey Coleman and KD Cannon along with the host of other receivers. Kansas State’s defense ranks 17th overall in points allowed, so Baylor will need to score on all opportunities the Wildcat defense gives them.
On the opposite of the ball Baylor’s defense will need to step up and make some big stops. They are ranked 40th in the country in points allowed. Kansas State’s 22nd points for ranking means they can score a lot of points. That is evident by their past performances this season where they put up 45 in a win over Texas Tech, 30 in a loss to Oklahoma, 48 in a win over Oklahoma State, and 51 in this past weekend’s win over Kansas. If Baylor can score on 60 percent of their offensive possessions, the Bears will win this game.
Kansas State has a big opportunity to make their mark on the College Football Playoffs if they can pull off the upset in Waco on Saturday. Their offense will need to slow the pace of the game down by running the ball more and dominating the time of possession. The Wildcat defense has been very good this season at making big stops minus their 41-20 loss to TCU. If the Wildcats can control the time of possession and make the Bears’ defense pay on mistakes they are expected to make, then Kansas State will be the talk of the College Football Playoffs by ending any and all debate over who is better between TCU and Baylor.
The showdown between these two top 10 teams is at 7:45 pm EST on Saturday night from McLane Stadium. Will TCU be crowned the outright Big 12 Champion or will they have to share with the Baylor Bears? And who will the College Football Playoffs committee choose between the two teams to be in the playoffs should both teams win? No matter what, the controversial winds in Texas will either be ruffled once again or finally will die down.