2009 Danger Games: Oklahoma State at Baylor

Oklahoma State at Baylor (Oct. 24)
Look-Ahead Factor: Big time
Letdown Factor: Pretty low
Kerouac Factor: Moderate
Motivation Factor: High

Two consensus "teams on the rise" will be meeting in this Big 12 South matchup. Unfortunately for OSU, this game looks much bigger for the Bears.

Even if Baylor makes the leap this season that everyone is talking about, don't expect it to show up in the Bears' record. The Big 12 South is just too tough, and Baylor has non-conference games against Wake Forest and UConn this year.

Instead, this game should offer a better barometer of the progress made by Baylor under dynamic head coach Art Briles.

Oklahoma State should enter this tilt with Longhorns on the brain, as Texas ventures to T. Boone Pickens Stadium a week later. After all, the prognosticators are touting the Pokes as a top-10 team this year, so it should surprise no one if they're looking ahead to a game against a more worthy opponent. That would be a big mistake.

Last year, OSU drubbed Baylor 34-6 in Stillwater, as young QB Robert Griffin and the rest of the Baylor runners were held to just 42 yards on the ground. For the Cowboy D, that's a herculean effort. Do they have it in them again, this time against a fired-up opponent looking for payback? Can they do it in Waco?

If not, it's easy to see this turning into the kind of shootout that's anybody's game.