How often have you seen the fortunes of a team change because of a single injury to an important player? It actually happens more often than you might expect, especially at the college level where the gulf between starting QB and freshman backup can be enormous. That is what the Baylor Bears are going to have to contend with in their crucial Big-12 college football odds Match-up against Kansas State this weekend.
How To Bet the Bears vs Wildcats NCAA Football Odds & Game Info
Date/Time: Saturday, December 6, 7:45 PM
Location: McLane Stadium, Waco, Texas
NCAAF Odds: TBA
Both TCU and Baylor have a case for consideration for the College Football Playoff pic.twitter.com/wLwFmDR6e5
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 2, 2014
Why Bet on the Baylor Bears
To say that Baylor have been lighting it up offensively this season is putting things rather mildly. Much of the credit for their video game type numbers has to go to QB Bryce Petty, so imagine how horrified Baylor fans were this past weekend when their star player was carted off with a concussion. The entire team seemed a little rattled, and they struggled to hold off a late surge from Texas Tech, and were finally able to gut out a 48-46 win. There is still no word on whether or not Petty will suit up for the Bears this weekend, but it’s fair to say they are going to need him if they hope to sneak into the playoff picture.
Why Bet on the Kansas State Wildcats
Despite the loss to Auburn and the bitter 20-41 reverse against the TCU Horned Frogs, the Kansas State have put together a very nice season, and were actually in the playoff discussion for a good portion of the year. A loss to TCU a couple of weeks back essentially killed that talk, but they have rebounded well from that and now find themselves at a very healthy 9-2. The Wildcats would love nothing more than the chance to knock their conference rivals out of playoff contention, and they have to like their chances if in fact Bryce Petty is unable to start.
My Expert Betting Analysis and Picks
This one is likely to remain off the board until a final decision is made regarding the playing status of Petty. If he is able to play, you can look at Baylor as being prohibitive favorites. The Bears are 6-4 ATS, but in fairness, they have had to overcome some pretty large spreads sue to their ability to rack up the points. Kansas State are an impressive 8-3 ATS, and sport a solid 5-1 ATS record in games played after beating a conference rival.
This is tough to call until the status of Bryce Petty is confirmed. If he is indeed able to go, I like the Bears to win by about 7-10 points, so keep an eye on the line as the week progresses.
***Note: The football betting lines are yet to be released, but Baylor will MOST LIKELY open as slight favorites to win the game.
