The Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Baylor Bears is, it appears, about more than just online wagering. Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield, like little Ed Oxenbould, who would, in The Visit, utter Katy Perry’s name as a curse, is pro-Taylor Swift, which would presumably make the Bears pro-Perry, or, rather, anti-Swift, which is, in turn, about the only reason one could ever think of to root for Baylor in this their disastrous 2017 season.
Baker Mayfield blames Katy Perry for OU's demise in 2014.
— Joe Buettner (@ByJoeBuettner) September 18, 2017
- Date: September 23
- Time: 6:35 PM
- Venue: McLane Stadium, Waco, Texas
Oklahoma -27½ (-110) 62½ (-110) -7000
Baylor +27½ (-110) 62½ (-110) +3000
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Baylor has, according to the Star-Telegram, been digging its own grave since 2011, when they began attending “The Bill Snyder Offensive School of Non-Conference Scheduling,” which could also be known as “Kramer’s Karate Class.” The Bears would, like Godzilla stomping through Tokyo, abuse the likes of Rice, SMU, Northwestern State, Stephen F. Austin, Wofford, Louisiana-Monroe, Sam Houston State, Lamar, Buffalo, and TCU. A veritable Smörgåsbord of cupcakes. Baylor was, like Morgan Spurlock before and after Super Size Me, not very smart, and the Bears got, like Morgan Spurlock during Super Size Me, soft and bland. Baylor is, as a result, off their worst start since 1999, losing no-name schools like Liberty and UTSA – and worse, failing to cover the spread – and unsurprisingly losing SU and ATS to their Big 12-mandated Power 5 opponent, the Duke Blue Devils. And that was just the non-conference portion of the schedule. The Bears are 1-5 against the spread against Big 12 opponents, though they have covered in four of their last six meetings with OU (but only in three in their last 11 times hosting the Sooners). The somewhat bloated 27-point online wagering spread may be their only hope of rescuing an ATS win, which, of course, means nothing to them, but a lot to us.
The worst Waco tragedy since 1993
The Sooners are, in general, unforgiving on the road, and, in particular, on the road against Baylor. Oklahoma has won their last 12 straight true road games, covering the spread in nine. Furthermore, they have won nine, and covered in eight, of their last 11 visits to Waco. Mayfield, in addition to that, totaled 346 yards and four touchdowns the last time he played Baylor. The flag-planting QB is completing 76.8% of his passes and has found the end zone 10 times without a pick. Finally, the Heisman candidate passed for 331 yards and four touchdowns in the Sooners’ 56-14 win over the Tulane Green Wave.
The Bears, meanwhile, went 1-for-12 on third down and turned the ball over four times against the Blue Devils. Baylor is not, of course, Tulane, but we could, who knows, look at, in the near future, the Bears they we do now at the 2007 Boston College Golden Eagles. OU-Baylor clashes tend to be high-scoring affairs, with the online wagering total going over in four of Oklahoma’s last five visits to McLane Stadium, but those Bears may be old news.