The Baylor Bears play the Kansas Jayhawks. See our college football odds series for our prediction and pick for Kansas Baylor.
One of college football’s most mysterious and perplexing squads is still the Baylor Bears. They won the Big 12 last year and were predicted to fight for the Big 12 championship in the offseason as a top-15 club. Because football experts undertake extensive research and can identify that a club has the necessary pieces to make another run, teams are predicted to perform well in preseason publications. Predictions are not made by chance. Yet, halfway through the season, Baylor is a subpar club. What took place? It’s not like coach Dave Aranda in Waco is only having issues with Baylor’s offence. It is true that the offensive would face some restrictions, and as a result, the Bears’ potential would be a little lower. It’s not really shocking on that aspect that the Bears have suffered more in 2022. But Baylor has truly lost the plot when it comes to defence.
One of the top defensive coaches in the nation is Dave Aranda. Last year, he was successful in defeating Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State, then Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma, to capture the Big 12 championship. Then, in a victory over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl, he shut down Lane Kiffin’s offence. The defence was expected to have the solutions this year even if the offence struggled, but lately, that has not been the case.
Earlier this season, Oklahoma State defeated Waco on the road with a flurry of goals. On a night when Baylor’s offence did its job and moved the ball, West Virginia scored more than 40 points last week. Both sides of the ball result in losses for Baylor. Aranda needs to sort out a number of things.
Reality is proving to be a brick wall for the Kansas Jayhawks. Early in the season, they were successful in defeating West Virginia and Iowa State, two weak Big 12 teams. They were 3-0 in nonconference play, which resulted in five victories. A bowl bid would be theirs if they win just one more game, which would be an amazing feat for a team that has had so many terrible seasons in the previous ten years. Coach Lance Leipold, who is in high demand in the college football coaching market, is still having a great season. But this group’s limitations are now becoming clear. The season’s joyride segment is over.
The last two weeks, TCU and Oklahoma have outperformed Kansas. The Frogs are unblemished, and Dillon Gabriel is back starting as quarterback for the Sooners. The Kansas defence has been slammed by a tsunami of huge plays from highly skilled offences. Although Kansas was able to outscore West Virginia and contain Iowa State with its defence, Kansas’s Big 12 opponents are now much higher calibre. The Jayhawks had lost their momentum. Before the season is over, they must find a way to obtain that elusive sixth victory. Baylor could possibly provide KU with one of its best remaining chances to win.
Here are the Kansas-Baylor College Football odds provided by FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Kansas-Baylor Odds
9.5 for Kansas Jayhawks (-105)
Bears of Baylor: -9.5 (-115)
Over: 58.5 (-105) (-105)
Under: 58.5 (-115)
Why Kansas Could Cover the Spread
The point differential is wide. Dillon Gabriel of Oklahoma is a quarterback who is far superior to Baylor’s quarterback. Kansas lost by 10 points despite being a nine-point underdog to the Sooners. The weak Kansas defence won’t be dominated by Baylor’s offence the way OU’s was.
Why Baylor Could Cover the Spread
Baylor is a team that is in need of a successful performance. The Bears played on Thursday, October 13, giving them two more days of rest than Kansas did for this matchup. On October 15, the Jayhawks last competed. Baylor can prevail with ease if they rest and work quickly.
Final Kansas-Baylor Prediction & Pick
Kansas will not only cover the spread but also win the game if it can score 42 on Baylor, as it did against Oklahoma. Although KU is unlikely to score 42 points, it should be able to maintain a close game the entire time.
Final prediction and pick for Kansas-Baylor: Kansas +9.5
The first version of this article published on ClutchPoints: College Football Odds: Kansas vs. Baylor forecast, odds, and pick – 10/22/2022.
