CFB Betting: One of the greatest coaching miracles in college football history has again taken place in the Big 12 Conference where first Bill Snyder worked his magic into taking the Kansas State Wildcats from the worst program in history into a Big 12 champion and perennial contender. In his seventh season with the Baylor Bears head coach Art Briles can also boast of a true miracle as he has transformed a Baylor program that many felt didn’t belong in the Big 12 into the champion of that league. Briles has been so successful that the Bears outgrew their old stadium and will open up a brand new facility on Sunday. The Baylor Bears will host the SMU Mustangs in the inaugural game at McLane Stadium on Sunday night with coverage on Fox Sports 1 starting at 7:30 PM ET. BetDSI opened with Baylor as a 33 point favorite.
Petty for Heisman?
Baylor’s high octane offense is again loaded with six starters back led by senior QB Bryce Petty, who passed for 4200 yards, a 174.3 QB rating, and an eye popping 32-3 TD/INT ratio. Sophomore RB Shock Linwood returns after rushing for over 900 yards and senior WR Antwan Goodley is also back after hauling in 71 receptions good for 1339 yards and 13 TD’s. Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett dramatically improved the unit in 2013 as the Bears allowed just 24 points per game after allowing 37 points per game in 2012. But just four starters return for 2014 which makes this a potentially reoccurring problem to fix. Baylor has covered the spread in 21 out of their last 29 games as a home favorite and eight out of their last 11 nonconference games.
One Trick Pony
SMU just missed out on a fifth straight bowl game as their horrendous defense allowed over 33 points per game and wasted the efforts of departed QB Garrett Gilbert who was second in the nation for total offense. Seventh year head coach June Jones always puts a good offense on the field but his tenure has been plagued by soft defenses that put fear into nobody.
Our Pick
Baylor has covered the spread in four straight games against SMU and is our pick to repeat the treat. Baylor is the call for a happy housewarming party!
