The Big 12 is the only conference that does not have divisions. In fact, it does not even have 12 teams; it just has ten, and each school plays the other nine members in a round robin format. This has led to some marketing that describes the Big 12 winner as a “true” champion, but that argument lost some strength as the absence of a championship game kept the Big 12 champion from having as many wins as the winners of the other Power 5 leagues.
So the conference added a championship back in 2017, pitting the top two schools in the standings against one another. Last year, Texas beat Oklahoma during the regular season, but the Sooners got payback in the title game.
This year, Oklahoma erased a 28-0 deficit to come back and beat Baylor on the road, 34-31, and now the two teams face off again. Both teams retain an outside shot at a College Football Playoff slot with a win. Don’t miss our sports betting preview of this conference title game.
Oklahoma vs Baylor 2019 Big 12 Championship Odds & Game Prediction
Saturday… for a 🏆.#ChampionshipDecember #OUDNA ➡️ https://t.co/gn50KmTvAa pic.twitter.com/kAmG0L1RGS
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) December 2, 2019
- When: Saturday, December 7, 2019, 12:00 pm ET
- Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
- TV: ABC
- Radio: Sooner Sports Radio Network / Baylor IMG Sports Network
- Live Stream: ESPN+
- Big 12 Championship Odds: Oklahoma -9 / O/U 64.5
Why should you bet on the Sooners?
Jalen Hurts has turned out to be the third elite quarterback that Oklahoma has had running their offense in the last three seasons. Do you think Nick Saban misses Hurts now that Tua Tagovailoa is done for the season? Absolutely. Would Alabama have beaten Auburn with Hurts? It’s hard to see how they wouldn’t have. He has thrown for 3,347 yards with 31 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He has run for 1,1217 yards and scored 18 times with his feet. So the Sooners’ quarterback is definitely a threat to overwhelm the Bears again.
How did Oklahoma mount that comeback over Baylor? Well, Oklahoma’s defense started applying pass pressure, and Hurts started executing plays. Baylor does not protect the passer all that well, so expect the Sooners to take advantage of that again. Oklahoma’s defense takes a lot of heat (and it didn’t play well at all in their loss to Kansas State). However, their defense did lead the conference. If you like the Sooners, you see them getting a four-quarter performance instead of a frenetic second-half comeback.
Why should you put your money on the Bears?
Oklahoma has shown inconsistency this year — particularly in the second half of the regular season. The Sooners did win their Bedlam rivalry game against Oklahoma State fairly easily, but not only did the Sooners lose to Kansas State, but they also were in danger of losing to Iowa State and TCU. It is definitely hard to beat the same team twice in any season, and Baylor has a ton of weapons on both sides of the ball that it can deploy against the Sooners.
In terms of intangibles, Baylor should have a giant chip on their shoulder after seeing how the College Football Playoff committee has disrespected them. To be sure, Baylor did cough up a huge lead over Oklahoma at home, but if you compare that loss to that ugly home loss Georgia took against South Carolina, or how Utah was upset by a very mediocre USC team, if Baylor can pull off the win here, they would have as good an argument for getting in as a two-loss Georgia team would, should LSU finish the job and win the SEC, or that a one-win Utah would, if Utah can take down Oregon.
Final Score Prediction
Oklahoma will certainly be ready for what Baylor brings them this time, and I don’t see them playing a flat first half like they did in their showdown in Waco. I see the Sooners putting down the hammer from the opening kickoff, and while Baylor will keep things competitive, I predict that Oklahoma will win (and cover) by the score of 31-20.
