Kellis Robinett’s Big 12 Report: For Baylor, shootout aftermath difficult to predict

Bryce Petty was understandably confident after leading Baylor to a 61-58 victory over TCU that was every bit as wild and crazy as the score indicates.

The Baylor quarterback threw for 510 yards and six touchdowns, propelling him to Big 12 offensive player of the week honors on Monday. More than that, his team felt invincible erasing a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

“For us, it’s just another statement game,” Petty told reporters Saturday. “It’s another chance to prove that we’re here to stay.”

Maybe. Maybe not.

This wasn’t the first crazy shootout the Big 12 has seen. Two years ago, Baylor was on the losing end of an even wilder game against West Virginia. Behind then-quarterback Geno Smith, the Mountaineers edged the Bears 70-63 in their first home game as a member of the conference.

It was the type of game that seemed bigger than it was. Many thought West Virginia would go on to compete for a conference championship. Its players talked the same way Petty did Saturday. Likewise, some thought Baylor would be unable to recover.

The reverse occurred. West Virginia lost six of its final nine games, finishing under .500 in league play. Baylor bounced back by winning five of its final six, including dominating victories over then undefeated Kansas State and UCLA in the Holiday Bowl.

Based on that history: TCU, past the most difficult stretch of its schedule, can still contend for a league championship. And Baylor needs to guard against over confidence.

Perhaps that is why Baylor coach Art Briles said he didn’t care about the playoff implications the victory may have had.

“What it does for our football team,” Briles told reporters Saturday, “is bring a lot of confidence and excitement.”

The rest of the season will determine whether this TCU/Baylor shootout was a statement game for either team. Just like two years ago.

Average team

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy was asked about the Cowboys “quietly” moving up to No. 15 in both top 25 polls this week.

His answer lacked enthusiasm.

“We are a very average football team,” Gundy said.

The jury is still out on Oklahoma State. At 5-1 with a narrow loss to No. 2 Florida State, it deserves respect. But the Cowboys might be a tad overrated. They haven’t beaten an opponent with a winning record. And they certainly didn’t look impressive in a 27-20 victory at Kansas. The highlight of their resume is that loss to the Seminoles.

Coincidentally, K-State is in a similar situation. The No. 14 Wildcats are still searching for their first victory over an FBS team with a winning record.

Both will be tested this weekend, when Oklahoma State hosts TCU and K-State travels to Oklahoma.

Electric returner

Oklahoma State return man Tyreek Hill, a Garden City Community College transfer, only had one opportunity to return a kickoff against Kansas, and he took advantage. Hill returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to help Oklahoma State beat Kansas, which kicked away from Hill the previous three quarters, making school history in the process. He is the only Oklahoma State player to return a kickoff for a touchdown in back-to-back games.

Power rankings

1. Baylor (6-0, 3-0 Big 12): Bears won the most entertaining game of the year on Saturday.

2. TCU (4-1, 1-1): Hard to penalize the Frogs after scoring 58 at Baylor. Still, a tough loss for a team with league title hopes.

3. Oklahoma (5-1, 2-1): Sooners need to beat K-State to stay in the Big 12 championship hunt.

4. Kansas State (4-1, 2-0): A win at Oklahoma propelled K-State to a league title two years ago. Will history repeat itself?

5. Oklahoma State (5-1, 3-0): Cowboys have benefited from soft schedule. They haven’t beaten a FBS opponent with a winning record.

6. West Virginia (4-2, 2-1): Rallied to beat Texas Tech on the road. Now can they stand up to Baylor?

7. Texas (2-4, 1-2): Hard to see the Longhorns reaching a bowl this season.

8. Iowa State (2-4, 0-3): Cyclones took care of business against Toledo.

9. Texas Tech (2-4, 0-3): Red Raiders needed to hold on against West Virginia for the confidence boost alone.

10. Kansas (2-4, 0-3): Give interim coach Clint Bowen credit. Kansas looks improved with him in charge.

This story was originally published October 13, 2014 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Kellis Robinett’s Big 12 Report: For Baylor, shootout aftermath difficult to predict."