SicEm365 Staff Predictions for Baylor's Tough Road Test against No. 25 Kansas State

The SicEm365 Staff gives their predictions for Baylor’s (3-6, 2-4) road matchup against the defending Big 12 Champions, No. 25 Kansas State (6-3, 4-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium and will be streamed on ESPN+.

Colt Barber (5-4) — Kansas State 42, Baylor 14

Cole Tompkins - SicEm 365

According to ESPNBet, Baylor is a three-touchdown underdog against K-State, and the over/under is 54.5.

Baylor hasn’t been competitive with teams outside of the bottom tier of the conference. Kansas State presents matchups that aren’t favorable at all to Baylor, and the Wildcats have been playing their best ball in recent weeks. 

Brian Ethridge (3-6) — Kansas State 45, Baylor 3

This will not be pretty, as KSU's strength will go against the weakness of the Bears. Baylor will need to keep KSU's offense off the field to be within 20.

Ashley Hodge (4-4) — Kansas State 48, Baylor 10

KSU will dominate the line of scrimmage. I’m not optimistic about this one. 

David Smoak (7-2) — Kansas State 38, Baylor 9

There is always a way for “that’s why they play the game,” and yet there is reality.

Paul Catalina (5-4) — Kansas State 31, Baylor 10

“Can’t run the ball, can’t stop the run” should be the T-shirt for this year’s Baylor team. Kansas State does both of those things well. This one is not fun in Manhattan, as the Bears are officially eliminated from bowl contention. 

Craig Smoak (5-4) — Kansas State 42, Baylor 13

The Wildcats are the superior team, plus they’re at home and coming off a brutal loss. They’ll be ready to take care of business, and the Bears just don’t match up. 

Travis Roeder (4-5) — Kansas State 45, Baylor 17

In some huge underdog matchups, you can see a path, a narrow path, but a path. I don't see one for Baylor in this game. Of course, there's always the "What if Baylor has a +4 turnover advantage and a special teams score?" randomness, but I cannot see Baylor winning or keeping this game close without something like that. Avery Johnson goes wild. 

Cole Tompkins - SicEm 365

Baylor will have to beat Kansas State, TCU and West Virginia in order to make a bowl game.

Kendall Kaut (5-4) — Kansas State 31, Baylor 23

Everything tells me Baylor gets blown out. But I think the Bears find a way to make degenerates that gamble on Baylor at the spread a little money. 

Grayson Grundhoefer (4-5) — Kansas State 34, Baylor 13

The Bears move the ball enough on Kansas State to score points, but the red zone and finishing problems continue. On the flip side, the Wildcats will run all over Baylor to the tune of 230 yards while dominating time of possession. The game is decided in the trenches, where K-State holds a major advantage.

Jack Mackenzie (5-4) — Kansas State 41, Baylor 10

K-State has scored 40+ in every home game this season. Baylor struggles defensively against QB run, among many other things. Baylor’s offense will need Ketron back on the field and catching bombs to score more than what I predict they will. Good luck, Bears.

Garrett Ross (5-4) — Kansas State 45, Baylor 6

I don’t see Baylor being able to compete at all in the trenches, and they haven’t been able to prove that they can score touchdowns consistently. The road magic won’t be able to save them this week in Manhattan. 

Emory Winter (5-4) — Kansas State 38, Baylor 17

Oh boy, this could get ugly. However, good teams win, and great teams cover. And by God, Baylor's going to be a great team this week. Bears +21.5, we ride. 

Levi Caraway (7-2) — Kansas State 37, Baylor 13

Baylor’s long-shot hopes to make a bowl game will be put to rest this weekend – Kansas State is too physical in the trenches. Similar to the Texas game from earlier this season, Saturday’s final score may not be indicative of just how far apart these teams truly are.