The Big 12 may have just had its awakening moment in Week 9. In a week where Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas all lost in stunning fashion, Baylor now remains the last unbeaten team in the conference and perhaps the best chance to reach the College Football Playoff. But the Bears need to be careful when West Virginia comes to town on Halloween night.
Of course, Baylor is heavily favored and with good reason. Coach Matt Rhule has done a phenomenal job rebuilding this program, and this team looks ahead of schedule in Year 3. They're a solid team across the board with few weaknesses. At the very least, this looks like a 10-win team with real sights on the Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington. They should be able to take care of a struggling Mountaineers squad at home. Good thing nothing weird ever happens on Halloween.
Storylines
Baylor: There's an interesting sub-plot with quarterback Charlie Brewer against West Virginia. As a freshman in 2017, he came off the bench and nearly led a comeback against the Mountaineers before falling just short 38-36. Last year in a 58-14 loss, he had his worst game ever, going 1-of-8 with three interceptions. Brewer is having an outstanding season in 2019 with 12 touchdown passes (and six rushing touchdowns) to just three picks, and he's second in the Big 12 in passer rating. But he's never beat the Mountaineers and had two vastly different experiences playing against them. He's been excellent in every game except Texas Tech and he might show up huge on Thursday night.
West Virginia: Can first-year coach Neal Brown stop the bleeding? Year 1 (or Year 0 in this instance) has been a struggle and October has been particularly tough. It's not easy getting Texas, Iowa State and Oklahoma in consecutive games when you're trying build a foundation. No Big 12 has had it harder lately and it doesn't get any easier on Thursday night. To Brown's credit, he's doing everything he can short of pulling a rabbit out of his hat to get this team competitive for a half. They just don't have the depth to keep it going for the final 30 minutes. Chances are running out for this team to sniff six wins and bowl eligibility. The Mountaineers need to steal one, but that's going to be hard to do with such a limited offense. Whether it's Austin Kendall at quarterback or someone else, the offense just can't put up the points.
Viewing information
Date: Thursday, Oct. 31 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: McLane Stadium -- Waco, Texas
TV: ESPN | Live stream: WatchESPN.com
Game prediction, picks
Coming off an open week, Brown can coach up his team to keep it interesting for a half. But, again, can the Mountaineers stay alive heading into the fourth quarter? That's when things have typically gone downhill. There aren't many weaknesses Baylor has that West Virginia can exploit, but the 'Eers play hard enough to cover. Pick: West Virginia +17.5
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