An intense November in the Big 12 gets underway on Thursday night when No. 6 Baylor goes north to face Kansas State in Manhattan. The big news surrounding this game, of course, is the absence of star Baylor quarterback Seth Russell, who will miss the rest of the season with a neck injury. Five-star prospect Jarrett Stidham will take over in his place, suddenly yoked with the hopes of a College Football Playoff contender as a true freshman.
How to watch Baylor vs. Kansas State on TV or online, plus 3 things to know
The Bears bring their undefeated season to Manhattan to face Kansas State. Here’s how you can tune in, and what to watch for.
Stidham will be making his first start, but he’s frequently seen spot action this season. His numbers are gaudy -- 24 of 28 passes for 331 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions -- but playing a whole game is a different matter than playing a couple series late in a blowout.
Kansas State is not enjoying the same success in 2015. After opening the season 3-0, it’s lost four straight games, including all three against the other top-tier Big 12 teams (TCU, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State). The schedule has been difficult, but this is also not a classic Kansas State team. They were able to give TCU a strong run, but the odds are against them doing the same against the Bears.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1 (Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Molly McGrath)
Radio: Baylor | Kansas State
Online streaming: Fox Sports Go
Spread: Baylor is favored by 17 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Our Daily Bears for Baylor fans and Bring On The Cats for Kansas State fans.
Three big things to know
1. Showtime for Stidham. The good news for Stidham is that he’s surrounded by maybe the best sets of offensive weapons in the country, led by all-universe wide receiver Corey Coleman. He’ll have plenty of help, but it would be silly to expect the freshman to be perfect. There are going to be hiccups, it’s just a matter of how bad they’ll be.
2. How can Kansas State keep up? Beating Baylor requires scoring points. Probably lots of points. That's not really Kansas State's specialty. After their last game, a 23-9 loss to Texas, Wildcat fans had just about had it with Joe Hubener as the starting quarterback, but there's no proven commodity to turn to as an alternative. The rushing attack is fairly pedestrian, as well, so it's hard to see where the points are going to come from.
3. Defensive help? As good as Baylor's offense is, the defense is ... well, it's not. They're not terrible, but at 69th in Defensive S&P+, they're clearly the weak point in the Bears' chances for a Playoff run. Their best defensive player, defensive tackle Andrew Billings, should be returning for this game after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. That will be a big boost, and may propel them to a late-season surge on that side of the ball. Showing that against Kansas State would be a good first step.
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