The 18th edition of the Big 12 championship is set for Saturday in Jerry World as the #7 Baylor Bears take on the #6 Oklahoma Sooners.
The Bears came in at #7 in the latest College Football rankings and could see themselves sneak into the #4 seed with a win Saturday and some help in front of them. Baylor is set to play in their first ever Big 12 championship game, but did win two conference championships prior to the championship game coming back in 2017. A win Saturday would see the Bears have their first ever 12 win season.
Oklahoma came in ranked #6 in the latest CFP rankings and with a win Saturday could see them jump #4 Georgia and #5 Utah to sneak into the playoffs. Oklahoma will be looking to win their 13th Big 12 championship and third in a row. Since the title game came back in 2017 the Sooners have won both versions by double digit points. A win Saturday would see Lincoln Riley have his third straight 12 win season to start his coaching career.
Below is my pick for the #7 Baylor Bears vs the #6 Oklahoma Sooners. All lines are from the FanDuel Sportsbook.
#7 Baylor Bears vs #6 Oklahoma Sooners (-8): O/U 64.5 points (-110/-110)
The Baylor Bears made easy work of lowly Kansas, beating the Jayhawks 61-6 as their final tune-up before the Big 12 Championship game. Baylor took a 34-0 lead into the half, and caused six turnovers, in the easy win last weekend. The Bears have won two straight since their collapse against Oklahoma a few weeks ago and will be seeking revenge Saturday afternoon. Matt Ruhle and his Bears are 0-1 against ranked teams this season thanks to their 34-31 loss to then #10 Oklahoma a few weeks back. Baylor is 8-4 against the spread and both the over and under has hit in six of their 12 games this season.
Oklahoma never really had to sweat in their 34-16 road win over rivals Oklahoma State last weekend. The Sooners only led 20-13 at the half, but scored the game’s final 14 points to come away with the 18 point victory. Lincoln Riley and his gang are 3-0 against ranked teams this season with wins over then #11 Texas, #13 Baylor and #21 Oklahoma State. Oklahoma is 5-7 against the spread and the under has hit in seven of their 12 games this season.
Series History: Oklahoma had a historic comeback in their 34-31 win earlier this season and now leads the all-time series 26-3.
Football Prediction: I like Oklahoma -8 in the Big 12 Championship.
YTD College Football Results: 62-53-2