HCS Roundtable: Who Wins the Big 12 Championship?
It’s time for the Heartland College Sports staff to give you its prediction for the Big 12 Championship Game between Oklahoma and Baylor. By the way, if you want to get in the mix: Make your prediction here in our message board and the person who picks the winner with the closest score get free HCS gear!
Derek Duke: I know the last game was insane, but I don’t expect this rematch to be a duplicate of the madness that went on Waco. Baylor is a solid football team. They play excellent defense and aren’t “flashy’ on offense like some ESPN talking heads would suggest. However, Oklahoma had to play their worst half of football in recent memory for the game to get as bad as it did and still somehow, some way, the Sooners found the magic to make a comeback of a lifetime. Will the crazy turnovers happen for Oklahoma? Maybe one or two but I wouldn’t expect the Sooners to find themselves down twenty-five in this one. Baylor will be fired up for this game but how can I not go with the four-time defending Big 12 champions? I’ll take the Sooners 35-24.
Dave Beal: I feel like Baylor will win the rematch with Oklahoma. Not by a lot, maybe 10 points, probably less. They let the Sooners off the hook in the first matchup and I don’t think they’ll let that happen again. OU has looked broken in large parts of every game starting with Kansas State, the exception being last week where they just smothered the limping Cowboys under their run game. Baylor has the defense to not let OU run at will, and an offense that can score with them. Charlie Brewer has wheels and mobile QBs have given the new look OU defense fits all year. I don’t expect any 28-3 leads to be gained or last this time around but it should be a close, hard fought game with the Bears coming out on top 35-24.
Pete Mundo: Since I wrote our official preview for this game, you can see my prediction of Oklahoma 31, Baylor 28 with a more extensive read up here.
Matthew Postins: Baylor has had a tremendous season and has a bright future. But I’m goign to trust the program that has gotten it done time and again. Sooners with a late TD pass from Jalen Hurts to CeeDee Lamb for a 31-24 OU win.
Cameron Brock: When the title is on the line, Oklahoma has a history of laying the smack down on a non-blue blood opponent. For the Sooners, this is business as usual. They’ve been here. They’ve done that. They understand what is on the line. This might not be the best Oklahoma team of all-time, but Oklahoma is going to prove their dominance as the cream of the crop in the Big 12. This is Baylor’s first-ever trip to the Big 12 Championship Game. No matter how Matt Rhule sees this and tries to contain his player’s emotions, these players cannot help but marvel at the work they’ve done. This may also be to Oklahoma’s detriment. If Oklahoma does indeed smash Baylor, lMatt Rhule will use it as motivation next year. That may be the downfall of the Sooners’ dynasty and the rise of Baylor’s empire. Rhule is an excellent coach and if he stays, Baylor will be Big 12 Champions soon. Oklahoma 49, Baylor 24.
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