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ACC & Big 12 Week 12 Preview: Sooners and Bears square off in critical Big 12 showdown

No. 10 Oklahoma (8-1) at No. 13 Baylor (9-0) – 7:30 p.m. on ABC

ESPN’s College GameDay is headed to Waco for the third time ever and the first time since 2015 this Saturday, as unbeaten Baylor welcomes the 10th-ranked Sooners to McLane Stadium for a primetime tilt with major Big 12 implications.

Oklahoma leads the lopsided series with a 25-3 overall record against the Bears, including a current 4-game win streak. Baylor’s only three wins in the series occurred between 2011 and 2014.

The Bears are one of five remaining undefeated teams in the FBS, and a win on Saturday would extend its overall win streak to 12 games, dating back to 2018. A win for Oklahoma would bump the Sooners back to the top of the Big 12 standings after relinquishing the spot following a loss to Kansas State earlier this year.

The game will pit the Big 12’s top scoring offense in Oklahoma (48.4 points per game; No. 2 nationally) against the league’s top scoring defense in Baylor (19.0 points per game; No. 17 nationally).

Now, let’s take a closer look at the teams:

Oklahoma Quick Hits:

  • Oklahoma is coming off a close win against Iowa State, a game that saw the Sooners stop a last-second two-point conversion attempt by the Cyclones.
  • Oklahoma’s offense leads the nation in total offense (587.3) and team passing efficiency (210.21), and ranks No. 2 in scoring (48.4) and No. 5 passing (338.1).
  • Quarterback Jalen Hurts leads the nation in several statistical categories, including passing efficiency (No. 1, 219.7), total offense (No. 2, 401.2) and points responsible for (No. 1, 236).
  • Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has registered at least 135 receiving yards five times this season, including in four of the last five games.
  • Oklahoma’s defense ranks 13th nationally in opponent third-down conversion percentage (30.6) and 14th in tackles for loss per game (7.6).
  • Linebacker Kenneth Murray leads the defense in tackles with 62 so far on the season.
  • Click here for the Sooners’ full game notes.
  • Click here for Oklahoma’s depth chart.

Baylor Quick Hits:

  • Baylor is coming off a triple overtime win against TCU last week, which is tied for the longest game in program history (2006 vs. Colorado and 1996 vs. Mizzou).
  • The Bears are the second program since 1937 in the FBS to start 8-0 within two seasons of going 0-8 to begin a campaign. UCF is the other team to accomplish this, in 2015 and 2017.
  • Linebacker Terrel Bernard tallied 19 tackles last week against TCU. This is the most tackles by a Baylor player in a single game since Sam Holl had 21 against Kansas in 2011.
  • Defensive lineman James Lynch ranks first in the Big 12 and ninth nationally with 8.5 sacks this season. He’s also second in the conference and 20th in the FBS with 12.5 tackles for loss.
  • The Baylor defense leads the Big 12 and ranks 14th nationally with 29.0 total sacks on the season. It also tops the conference and ranks 16th in the nation with 69.0 tackles for loss.
  • The offense is led by junior quarterback Charlie Brewer, who has passed for 6,919 yards in his career, good for third in Baylor history (Robert Griffin, 10,366 and Bryce Petty, 8,195).
  • Click here for the Bears’ full game notes.
  • Click here for Baylor’s depth chart.

Here’s a quick look at a few more games we’ll have our eyes on this weekend in the ACC and Big 12:

North Carolina (4-5) at Pittsburgh (6-3) – 8 p.m. (Thursday) on ESPN
The Tar Heels lead the series with Pitt, 10-3 and have won six straight against the Panthers. Eleven out of the last 13 meetings have been decided by 10 points or fewer, including eight of the most recent games. Both teams are coming off bye weeks.

Kansas (3-6) at No. 22 Oklahoma State (6-3) – Noon on FS1
The Jayhawks travel to Stillwater on Saturday to meet the Cowboys for the 70th time in a series that dates back to 1923. Oklahoma State is 38-29-2 all-time against Kansas. A Cowboys win on Saturday would be their 10th straight against the Jayhawks, marking its longest active win streak against any opponent.

TCU (4-5) at Texas Tech (4-5) – Noon on ESPN2
The Horned Frogs and the Red Raiders are battling for the Saddle Trophy on Saturday. Before it went away in the early 1970s, the teams would compete annually in the West Texas Championship for the trophy. The teams first met in 1926 and Texas Tech holds the all-time series lead 32-26-3.

Wake Forest (7-2) at No. 3 Clemson (10-0) – 3:30 p.m. on ABC
The Demon Deacons and the Tigers are meeting for the 85th time in a series that Clemson leaads 66-17-1, a mark that includes wins in the last 10 meetings. A victory for Clemson this weekend would give the Tigers an 11-0 record for the fifth time in program history and the third time under head coach Dabo Swinney.

Virginia Tech (6-3) at Georgia Tech (2-7) – 3:30 p.m. on ACCNX
This will be the 17th all-time meeting between the Hokies and the Yellow Jackets, and the 16th consecutive contest since Virginia Tech joined the ACC in 2004. Georgia Tech boasts a 3-game win streak, but Virginia Tech leads the overall series 9-7. Twelve of the 16 total games between the schools have been decided by 11 points or less, nine have been decided by seven points or less and four have been decided by three points or less.

No. 19 Texas (6-3) at Iowa State (5-4) – 3:30 p.m. on FS1
The Longhorns are 14-2 overall against the Cyclones, and 6-1 in games played in Ames. Texas head coach Tom Herman has been on both sides of this Texas-Iowa State series, as he was the offensive coordinator for the Cyclones from 2009-11. Herman helped Iowa State earn its first victory over the Longhorns in 2010.

West Virginia (3-6) at No. 24 Kansas State (6-3) – 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
West Virginia is headed to Manhattan to take on the Wildcats for the 10th time in program history. Kansas State leads the series 5-4, though the Mountaineers hold a three-game win streak over the Wildcats. A Kansas State victory would tie head coach Chris Klieman for the most wins by a first-year head coach in the school’s history.

Syracuse (3-6) at Duke (4-5) – 4 p.m. on ACCN
The Orange are looking to secure not only their first conference win of the season, but also their first program win over the Blue Devils when they head to Wallace Wade Stadium this weekend. This trip is Syracuse’s first visit to Durham since 1938, and only the second time the Orange have played there. Duke is 3-0 overall against Syracuse.

Louisville (5-4) at NC State (4-5) – 7:30 p.m. on ACCN
The Cardinals and the Wolfpack are meeting for the 10th overall time Saturday night. Even though Louisville leads the series 6-3, NC State has won the last two contests against the Cards. There are several ties between the Louisville coaching staff and NC State, as Cards offensive coordinator Dwayne Ledford used to be the offensive line coach for the Pack from 2016-18, and former NC State quarterback Pete Thomas is now a quality control coach for the Cardinals.