Baylor vs. Oklahoma: How Bears' Win Will Shake Up Week 12 Rankings

By virtue of an impressive 48-14 victory over Big 12 rival Oklahoma Saturday afternoon, the Baylor Bears kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

The Bears were bolstered by strong defensive play as well as 387 passing yards from quarterback Bryce Petty, who made some history in the process as well, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

Baylor entered the week as the No. 12 team in the nation with a record of 7-1, while OU was just a few spots behind at No. 15. The Bears made a big statement by cruising at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma, while the Sooners' season has reached its low point now that they have suffered their third defeat.

Oklahoma already needed a miracle in order to be considered for a CFP spot, but the hope is gone at this point. As for Baylor, this victory means that an 11-1 campaign is still possible. The Bears will be favored to beat Oklahoma State and Texas Tech in its next two games before a clash against No. 7 Kansas State to close the season.

Based on Saturday's result, Oklahoma will inevitably drop several spots in the standings. Baylor may move up a few places, but much of that depends upon how the teams above it fare. As pointed out by NFL.com's Chase Goodbread, the leap could be sizable if the results play into Baylor's hands:

From a long-term perspective, this is a huge win for the Bears. Anywhere from two to four one-loss teams will qualify for the CFP, and Baylor still falls under that category.

The Bears already have a win over No. 6 TCU under their belt, which means they will likely be pulling for Kansas State to beat the Horned Frogs Saturday night. In that scenario, Baylor would surpass TCU and then have a chance to beat out the Wildcats as well by winning their head-to-head matchup in about a month.

According to Josh Slagter of MLive.com, the winner of that game would have a very strong case to be included in the CFP's field of four:

Baylor ultimately did what it needed to on Saturday, and it did so in convincing fashion to boot. While the Sooners clearly aren't as good as most anticipated entering the season, the Bears made them look like an FCS team for all intents and purposes.

There is no telling how much of an impact Baylor's emphatic victory will have on the CFP selection committee's decision, but the Bears helped their cause regardless.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.