Oklahoma finally got its payback.
After being dominated by Baylor for two consecutive seasons, the Sooners went to Waco and played their best game of the season en route to a 44-34 win.
In the process, Oklahoma shook up the Big 12 and also the College Football Playoff standings.
The Big 12 does not own one of the coveted spots in the Top 4 of the CFP rankings. Baylor was the closest at No. 6 while Oklahoma, which has a bad loss to Texas, waited patiently at No. 12. In between them was No. 8 Oklahoma State.
However, Oklahoma State had to overcome a 17-point deficit late against Iowa State to remain undefeated on Saturday, which certainly will be met with some skepticism by the rankings committee, especially since it wasn’t the first time the undefeated Cowboys needed a late comeback against what should have been an inferior team.
Oklahoma’s win against Baylor, however, was decisive.
After the Sooners were initially knocked back on their heels by Baylor’s running game, the defense settled and started clogging up holes and getting pressure on quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Oklahoma held Baylor to 416 yards of total offense, which was its lowest output of the year. For the second consecutive contest, the Baylor rushing game did little to bolster the Bears’ offense. Even though Baylor tried to catch the Sooners off-guard by going to the run early, Oklahoma quickly adjusted and held the Bears to 159 yards, their second-lowest output next to last week’s 103 rushing yards against Kansas State.
Much of the inconsistency in the rushing game is due to the injury to quarterback Seth Russell, who is out for the season with broken bones in his neck. Stidham was the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school, but he’s the only quarterback Baylor has and it doesn’t want to see him get hurt. In fact, Stidham was beaten up so much in the first half on Saturday that he came into the second half nursing a sore back, an injury that was evident every time he tried to pick himself up after a hit.
Stidham did throw for 257 yards, but that paled in comparison to the 419 he had in his first start against Kansas State and marked the second-fewest passing yards for the Bears this year.
While the Baylor offense struggled, the Oklahoma offense was clicking on all cylinders just like it had been since its loss to Texas on Oct. 10. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 270 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, and rushed for 76 yards and a score. He found receiver Sterling Shepard 14 times for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
The Sooners seemed to feed off Mayfield, who put himself in the Heisman conversation, as he danced around and bought time to find open receivers. Following his one mistake, the interception that ultimately led to a Baylor touchdown, Mayfield went to his offensive teammates, took responsibility for the mistake and vowed to play better. His teammates responded and after Baylor tied the game, the Sooners never trailed again.
Oklahoma also has seen a resurgence in its running game, which was dormant the first half of the season. Samaje Perine had 28 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Included in that effort was a 55-yard touchdown run that gave the Sooners a 14-point lead midway through the third quarter.

Oklahoma won’t be in the Top 4 when the latest rankings are released on Tuesday, but there’s no doubt its play piqued the committee's attention. The Sooners final two games of the season are against ranked TCU and Oklahoma State teams. If Oklahoma plays its final two games like it did against the Bears, it has a good shot to dethrone one of the current placeholders and finally get the Big 12 its spot in the College Football Playoff.
For more Baylor news, visit SicEmSports.com.
For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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