Bryce Petty's Record Day Keeps Baylor's Big 12 Title Hopes Alive and Well

If you stopped paying attention to Baylor, well, it's time to take a second look. Senior quarterback Bryce Petty and the Bears made that clear Saturday afternoon at Oklahoma with a record-setting day.

Baylor began 2014 with aspirations of making the inaugural College Football Playoff, but a 41-27 loss at West Virginia—coupled with a weak nonconference schedule comprised of SMU, Buffalo and FCS foe Northwestern State—has kept the Bears on the fringe of the playoff picture.

However, Petty and Baylor still have plenty to play for, and they showed it Saturday.

In Baylor’s 48-14 rout of the Sooners, Petty torched Oklahoma for 387 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. It was his 14th career 300-yard passing game, breaking the program record held by Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. His 32 completions were also a career high. 

More importantly, Baylor (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) stayed firmly in the mix for its second consecutive outright Big 12 championship.

With three regular-season games remaining, the Bears control their own destiny for another league championship. While Kansas State was undefeated in league play entering Saturday evening’s showdown against TCU, Baylor and K-State will face off in the regular-season finale on Dec. 6.

Even if K-State enters that game unbeaten, the Bears would win the Big 12 championship with a victory, and playing at home will give them a major edge. It could also give them a boost in the eyes of College Football Playoff committee members putting the finishing touches on the four-team field. 

All three of the Bears’ remaining regular-season games are at home (Oklahoma State visits on Nov. 22, while Texas Tech comes calling on Nov. 29).

Saturday, the Bears looked like one of the Big 12’s best teams, without question. After spotting Oklahoma an early 14-3 lead, Baylor scored 45 consecutive points and left Sooner defenders arguing with their coaches on the sidelines.

Baylor entered the game with the nation’s top scoring offense, averaging 50.4 points per game, and with Petty at the controls, it looked every bit as potent as advertised. Petty targeted receiver Corey Coleman repeatedly, and Coleman looked explosive with 15 receptions for 224 yards and a touchdown. The Bears backfield, led by tailback Shock Linwood, was also impressive; Linwood scored twice on the ground.

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

The Bears defense repeatedly harassed OU quarterback Trevor Knight, eventually knocking him out of the game following a fourth-quarter sack. Knight was immobilized but was moving his arms and legs and waved to the Memorial Stadium crowd as a cart drove him off the field.

With a favorable schedule coming down the stretch and Saturday’s impressive performance in the books, it’s easy to see the Bears as the favorites to win the Big 12 championship.

And with attrition sure to happen in the group of one-loss teams ahead of them in the College Football Playoff rankings, it isn’t out of the question to see Baylor make a run at one of the four playoff spots by season’s end.

The Bears are peaking at the right time. How high can they rise? We’ll just have to see.