Baylor, favored by 2.5, visits Kansas in Big 12 matchup
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Baylor (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) is a 2.5-point road favorite at Kansas (2-4, 0-3) on Saturday.
Every pundit in the material picks Baylor; the line and homecoming are the test.
Background
Baylor and Kansas are Big 12 college football programs; Baylor is coached by Dave Aranda and Kansas is 0-3 in conference play. Baylor is coming off a 17-6 home loss to TCU, its fewest points of the season, while Kansas led Kansas State 17-7 early before losing 35-24. The game is Kansas' homecoming, and Baylor carries a long head-to-head winning streak into Lawrence.
How it unfolded
- Nov 30, 2024Baylor beat Kansas 45-17 in Waco in the teams' last meeting.
- Oct 17, 2026Baylor lost 17-6 at home to TCU; QB DJ Lagway was 22-of-53 for 256 yards with an interception and four sacks.
- Oct 17, 2026Kansas lost 35-24 at Kansas State after leading 17-7 in the first quarter; Kansas State rushed for 359 yards.
- Oct 24, 2026Baylor (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) plays at Kansas (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kan., with kickoff listed as 1 p.m. ET / noon CDT on TNT.
- Oct 24, 2026Odds list Baylor -2.5 (moneyline -137 to -150), Kansas +2.5 (+114 to +125) and a total of 52.5 to 53.5.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Nikos Lagouretos of Sports Chat Place picks Baylor -2.5, citing Baylor's 4-1 record in its last five games, a 4-2 ATS mark, the nation's 9th-best defense and a 10-0 head-to-head record with a perfect 10-0 ATS.
- Analysts
- Collin Wilson of Action Network picks Baylor -3, pointing to defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman's unit, which held all six opponents under 20 points.
- Caution
- Andrew Jett of Pick Dawgz picks Baylor -1.5 but calls it "a coin flip."
- Expert
- Rylie Painter of the Dallas Morning News says Baylor should win if it limits turnovers, wins the battle up front and avoids giving Kansas extra possessions.
- Analysts
- Andrew Pistone of College Sports Wire predicts Baylor 23, Kansas 16, with Under 53.5 as his best bet.
- Party
- SicEm365 staff all pick Baylor: Colt Barber and Grayson Grundhoefer 30-20, Levi Caraway 37-29 and Ashley Hodge 24-21.
Still unverified
Andrew Jett described his Baylor pick as "a coin flip"; Ashley Hodge said "I don't know what to expect" about Kansas' homecoming game.