Baylor vs. Oklahoma State football preview, prediction

The Big 12 championship game is decided on defense. Baylor and Oklahoma State are both very good at that. OSU's defense has taken a hit since Jim Knowles left.

Baylor is in the top 25 nationally in rushing the ball at 209 yards per game. Blake Shapen is good at 70% passing, but he's yet to complete more than 20 passes in a game and his numbers go down when he is under duress.

Spencer Sanders will face the most complete defense so far this season. He will have to cut down on turnovers and keep the ball in his team's hands.

Baylor is 9th in the nation in total offense and 9 th in rushing. Oklahoma State is 1st in scoring with 51.7 points per game. OSU is 5th best with .234 third down defense conversion rate. The Cowboys are 104-34 under Mike Gundy when scoring first and 48-35 when not. Baylor is 22-1 when it scores 30-plus points under Dave Aranda.

Baylor and Oklahoma State are playing at home. OSU will try to develop a deeper passing game with pace to get Spencer Sanders settled off the bye week. Baylor's defense has been holding up well in the short and intermediate game, but it's been better in red zone.