Kansas vs. Baylor Prediction & Odds
Unranked Kansas travels to Waco, TX to face Baylor at 12:00 PM ET on Saturday. Can the Jayhawks cover the spread as 10-point road underdogs?
Kansas is 5-2 on the year, and their best wins were over Houston and Iowa State. The Jayhawks’ only two losses came against TCU and Oklahoma. The Jayhawks are 6-0-1 ATS on the season.
Baylor is 3-3 on the year with their best wins coming against Iowa State and Texas State. Their worst losses were against BYU and West Virginia. The Bears are 3-3 ATS on the year.
Game Matchup and Betting Odds
385 Kansas Jayhawks +10 at 386 Baylor Bears -10; O/U 58
12:00 PM ET Saturday, October 22nd, 2022
McLane Stadium, Waco, TX
Kansas vs. Baylor Public Betting Information
The public is heavily favoring the Jayhawks in this game. Our CFB Public Betting Page shows that 72% of public bets are on Kansas +10. Do note that those numbers are subject to change and could be different once game time rolls around.
Kansas Game Notes
Kansas star quarterback Jalon Daniels will miss his second game in a row this weekend for the Jayhawks, which means it will be senior Jason Bean under center for Kansas again on Saturday. Bean has filled in ably for Daniels, throwing for 551 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions in a bit more than a game and a half of playing time. It’s worth noting that Bean started for Kansas last year but was usurped by Daniels before this season began.
Jayhawks running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. was injured in the Iowa State game and is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury. Kansas tailback Devin Neal has emerged in Hishaw’s stead. Neal is fifth in the Big 12 in rushing with 505 yards. He’s averaging an efficient 6.6 yards per carry and has rushed for 5 touchdowns on the year. He should ease some of the offensive burden for Jason Bean and the rest of the Jayhawks’ squad.
Baylor Game Notes
Baylor is a team that is reeling. They beat Iowa State to open conference play, then lost two straight to Oklahoma State and West Virginia. What’s worse is that their starting quarterback Blake Shapen was knocked out of the West Virginia game with a concussion. He’s officially questionable for Saturday’s game against the Jayhawks. If Shapen can’t play, the Bears will turn to freshman quarterback Kyron Drones. Drones completed 7 of 14 passes for 95 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in relief duty against the Mountaineers last week. He also had 24 rushing yards on two attempts.
Whoever the quarterback is, they should try to find wide receivers Gavin Holmes and Monaray Baldwin. Both players have over 300 receiving yards, are averaging more than 21 yards per catch, and have caught three touchdowns. There may be some big play opportunities for Holmes and Monaray as Kansas is allowing 324.8 passing yards per game. That figure ranks 127th out of 131 FBS schools.
Kansas vs. Baylor Betting Trends
Kansas is 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 games following an ATS win.
Kansas is 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 conference games.
Kansas is 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
Kansas is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
Kansas vs. Baylor Betting Prediction
This matchup hinges on the quarterback position for me. Kansas knows they are starting Jason Bean under center. He’s a fifth-year senior that has lots of game experience and knows the offense. He’s not as explosive as Jalon Daniels but he can hold down the fort.
Baylor head coach Dave Aranda declared that starting quarterback Blake Shapen was “back” at practice on Wednesday and seemed to imply that he would play in the Kansas game this Saturday. This news was what likely caused the line to move from Baylor -7.5 to Baylor -10. I’m not sure I agree with that. Blake Shapen is still officially questionable, and even if he does start the game, there’s no guarantee he’s going to finish it. It’s one thing for the Jayhawks’ secondary to get torched by Max Duggan and Dillon Gabriel, two of the Big 12’s best QBs. It’s another thing entirely when they’re facing a quarterback coming off of a concussion and the Jayhawks are getting a full 10 points. I’ll take Kansas and the points.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 8 PREDICTION: KANSAS JAYHAWKS +10
