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4/3/6 BAYLOR (8–0, 5–0) vs. 12/11/15 Oklahoma (8–1, 5–1) Nov. 14, 2015 | 7 p.m. CT Waco, Texas | McLane Stadium (45,140) TV: ABC |
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OPPONENT: Oklahoma Sooners
ODB GAME HUB: Baylor Bears vs. Oklahoma Sooners 2015
MEET THE PRESS: Baylor vs. Oklahoma
ADVANCED STATS PROFILE: Oklahoma Sooners Advanced Stats Profile
FIRST LOOK: Baylor vs. Oklahoma
ODB PREDICT THE SCORE: Baylor vs. Oklahoma
ADVANCED STATS PREVIEW: Baylor vs. Oklahoma
HYPE VIDEO: March of the Bears
OURDAILYPODCAST: Live for #BlackOUt and GameDay
SB NATION BLOG: Crimson and Cream Machine, at right
SPREAD: Baylor –3 (Open: Baylor –7)
TV COVERAGE: ABC, 7:00 p.m. CST Saturday
WEATHER FORECAST: Possible rain, high of 62°, ESE winds 5–10mph (wunderground puts game time temp at 56°)
SBNation.com Oklahoma Preview
baylorbears.com Preview
Bears vs. Sooners Coverage
The Big News:
College GameDay, of course! An Open Thread for the premier CFB show on TV will go up in about an hour here on ODB, and all are welcome to post signs, gifs, videos, or whatever else from the festivities in Waco. Because I will be at GameDay, I probably won't be all that active in the thread. Any contributors who can, please update the post as you see fit with new information!
Advanced Stats:
Take a gander while you've got a chance over at PPeter's Advanced Stats post this week. According to FootballOutsiders, this one is about as close as it gets!
Yes, you are reading that correctly; Baylor is actually the underdog by all three major stats. OU is good, you guys.
Weather Report:
After watching the chance for game-time rain drop for most of the week, the weather report is actually starting to move somewhat the other direction. Now, according to Wunderground.com, the chance for rain tomorrow tops out at 50% right at 8 PM, when the game should be in full swing. That's not a tremendous chance, but it's still a chance. The temperatures should be in the 50s/60s all day long.
Thoughts on the Game:
I didn't get a chance this week to do a full-blown Preview/Prediction post, so I'll share a Keys to the Game here:
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Stop the Run: The combination of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon could be the best Baylor plays all season unless we face Alabama somewhere along the line, and OU will try to use them to great effect considering the weakness we've shown on the ground. If Baylor is going to play well defensively, it has to put the game in Baker Mayfield's hands, as weird as that may sound. We can't let Perine and Mixon just gash us to death on the ground through sustained drives.
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Rush the Passer: OU has had serious difficulties protecting Mayfield this season, and when their offense has struggled, that's why. Get pressure on Mayfield to force mistakes and get the Sooner offense off-schedule, and things will be a lot easier. This is the game where Shawn Oakman and/or Jamal Palmer need to show what they can do.
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Protect Jarrett Stidham: OU is going to come after him hard on passing downs to make him beat them. It's what I'd do. There's two ways to combat that approach: 1) avoid passing downs in the first instance (by moving the ball well on standard downs), and 2) protect him when they do. I would expect to see a lot of dump off passes, particularly early, and our version of max protect (with the RBs and/or LaQuan McGowan) when we need to go deeper. I would also expect to see the ball come out quickly, especially if Mike Stoops hasn't learned his lesson from a year ago.
I have little concern that Baylor's offense is going to perform well in front of a home crowd and that Corey Coleman will continue his assault on the all-time NCAA receiving TD record. At the same time, I hope/think that home crowd will make a real difference in Baylor's favor when OU has the ball, and the Bears will pull out a huge win over their first ranked team of the season.
My Prediction: Baylor 45, OU 31.
It's what I told the OU SBNation site (linked above) on Friday, and I'm sticking with it now!
LINKS, LINKS, LINKS, LINKS, LINKS, LINKS
It would be reckless to watch Week 11 college football without this TV viewing guide - SBNation.com
Just keep this tab open until early Sunday morning.
Baylor's owned Oklahoma, but the Sooners can take advantage of 2 weaknesses - SBNation.com
Baylor has won its last two games against Oklahoma by an 89-26 margin, but the Bears have weaknesses the Sooners can exploit, and OU has been magnificent since its baffling loss to Texas.
The Baylor edge? Hard to explain but tough to argue with the results
Every day, Art Briles will simply say, "It's a prove-it day." Classic Baylor attitude. Despite all the Bears' recent success, they still practice and play like they have to prove they belong.
OU football: Sooners forced to pick their poison vs. Baylor's spread & stretch offense | News OK
WACO, Texas — Twenty-five hundred square yards. What makes Baylor's offense so unique? Twenty-five hundred square yards. That's what Art Briles makes a defense cover. Sideline to sideline, roughly 50 yards wide. Fifty yards deep. And all points in between. That's what OU's defense has to patrol Saturday night in McLane Stadium: 2,500 square yards, play after play after play. It's like patrolling the Milky Way. You get Lost in Space. The Sooners' campaign to win the Big 12 and reach the College Football Playoff begins in earnest hard by the Brazos. Baylor, TCU and OSU on consecutive Saturdays. Air Raid after Air Raid. But Briles does not use the Air Raid.
7 keys that will decide this weekend's Baylor-Oklahoma battle | FOX Sports
The scoreboard operator figures to be busy as the Bears and Sooners hit the field Saturday.
College GameDay ready for second Baylor broadcast - WacoTrib.com: Baylor Bears Football
ESPN’s College GameDay isn’t exclusive to traditional football powerhouses like the University of Alabama and Florida State University.
Brice Cherry: Reading the signs that College GameDay is coming to Baylor - WacoTrib.com: Baylor Bears Football
In this age of Snapchat and Twitter, of instant messaging and Skype and GoToMeeting.com, the idea of putting a pen to paper and writing something may feel a little antiquated.
College football Week 11 expert predictions and picks for Baylor-OU, more | FOX Sports
FOXSports.com's experts weigh in on the big games.
Storylines: Big 12's playoff hopes on the brink, Bulldogs can beat Alabama - CBSSports.com
Week 11 of the college football slate may not be loaded with ranked matchups, but a pivotal Big 12 showdown and trap game for Alabama could still throw the College Football Playoff into a frenzy.
Carlton: How location might factor into result of highly anticipated OU-Baylor game | Dallas Morning News
WACO -- The record remains unblemished and the offensive numbers still inspire awe.
TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS:
#Baylor students are camped out at @McLaneStadium to secure spots for @CollegeGameDay: https://t.co/xgizITXrFl pic.twitter.com/JDzq1gIq0o
— Baylor University (@Baylor) November 14, 2015
ESPN's @georgewhitfield just said #Baylor's Art Briles is best play-caller mind in college football since '90's Steve Spurrier at Florida.
— David Smoak (@DavidSmoak) November 13, 2015
Biggest recruiting weekend in Baylor history? Biggest recruiting weekend in Baylor history.
— Craig Smoak (@CraigSmoak) November 13, 2015
Can't wait to get out on the banks of the Brazos #GetUp4GameDay @CollegeGameDay OU must be able to match up w/ wr. Problem last few yrs
— Rece Davis (@ESPN_ReceDavis) November 14, 2015
My Gameday sign is here! #ReadyForOU #BlackOUt pic.twitter.com/1UOZETZQUC
— #ReadyForOU (@McBeezy) November 13, 2015
The @CollegeGameDay set is ready. #SicOU #EveryoneInBlack pic.twitter.com/MVGDKDsglD
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) November 13, 2015
My piece on Baylor's Corey Coleman, the man putting up video game numbers, making video game moves. https://t.co/7JeFQTBjDu
— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) November 13, 2015
That's about it for now. Vote in our poll!