Baylor Looks to Keep the Offense Rolling Against SMU
By Charles Jay
Everybody who follows NCAA football is well aware that the Baylor Bears are among the most explosive offensive teams in the country. And on Sunday night they are going to be “pumped” as they open the doors of McLane Stadium for the first time, hosting the SMU Mustangs, who struggled mightily last year, in college football betting action that is slated to kick off at 7:30 PM ET.
Baylor chalked up an 11-2 straight-up record last year (9-4 ATS), but it ended on a sour note when the Bears lost to Blake Bortles and Central Florida by a 52-42 score in the Fiesta Bowl. This season they return a Heisman contender in quarterback Bryce Petty and are hopeful of being right in the thick of things in the battle for one of the spots in the national championship playoff. Baylor is currently ranked #10 in both the Associated Press and USA Today polls. SMU endured a lot of sour notes en route to a 5-7 mark (6-6 against the football pointspread), and has lost ten straight meetings to Baylor.
In the college football betting odds that are posted at Chinese Bookie, the Bears are big favorites, making the total a more appetizing proposition for some:
Baylor Bears -33
SMU Mustangs +33
Over 74.5 Points -110
Under 74.5 Points -110
Last season Baylor got out of the gate quickly, scoring 282 points over the first four games. It appears they were not above running up stats gratuitously, and we wonder if SMU isn’t extremely vulnerable to that, considering that they finished 113th nationally in pass defense last season.
Patrons at Chinese Bookie know that with Bryce Petty at the controls for Baylor, anything is possible. Petty’s numbers were mind-boggling: 4200 yards and 32 touchdowns, with only three interceptions in Art Briles’ system. He’ll have big-play receivers to be certain, and leading that group is Antwan Goodley, who averaged 19 yards a catch last year. And even though the Bears lost stud running back Lache Seastrunk (1177 yards, 7.4 ypc), they’ve got another standout ready to go in Shock Linwood, who had 881 yards (6.9 ypc) on his way to becoming a freshman All-America.
College football bettors take note that June Jones has never had back-to-back losing seasons as a Division I (FBS) head coach, but he will have to see some rapid development from his sophomore quarterback. Garrett Gilbert seemed to blossom last season, but his time expired, so Neal Burcham (59%, two TD’s, 4 INT’s last year) has to step in. There was no running game for the Mustangs in 2013, and both 1000-yard receivers are gone, so this is an uphill battle.
Jones should get some help from the defensive line, which returns everyone from the three-deep back and allowed just 3.8 yards a carry last year, but they won’t have the easiest time getting pressure on Petty. It remains to be seen whether they can adequately replace Kenneth Acker, the star corner who was drafted in the sixth round by San Francisco. Chinese Bookie patrons may get turned off by the big number, but also realize that Baylor has covered 17 of its last 19 games against the pointspread at home. It’s just that it is a brand-new home now.
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