By John Werner

Tribune-Herald staff writer

Even in a conference as mighty as the Big 12, No. 1 teams don’t come along every day.

When Oklahoma rolls into Floyd Casey Stadium on Saturday, Baylor will face its first No. 1 opponent in five years.

Instead of an automatic loss, the Bears see their date against the Sooners as a rare opportunity.

They watched unranked Oregon State stun then-No. 1 USC, 27-21, Thursday in Corvallis, Ore. Though they’re 27-point underdogs against Oklahoma, the Bears believe they can be the next team to shock college football in their Big 12 opener.

“The win we’re going to get over Oklahoma would put us on the right track,” Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith said Tuesday. “What would it take to beat OU? Sixty minutes of hard-hitting football.”

History is against the Bears to pull off the upset. They’re 0-10-1 all-time against No. 1 teams with the tie coming against Texas in a 7-7 game in Waco in 1941.

The last time the Bears faced a No. 1 team was Oklahoma on Nov. 15, 2003. With a dominating defensive effort, the Sooners rolled to a 41-3 win in Norman.

If the Bears could win their first game against a No. 1 team, it would vault first-year coach Art Briles’ program to a whole new level.

“Who else would you rather play than the best?” Baylor defensive tackle Vincent Rhodes said. “We want to be the team that upsets the No. 1 team.”

The Bears have never beaten the Sooners in 17 games, and their odds look long this time.

While Baylor (2-2) has shown great improvement after a season-opening 41-13 loss to then-No. 23 Wake Forest, the Sooners have completely dominated their first four opponents.

Oklahoma pounded Chattanooga, Cincinnati and Washington by a combined score of 164-42. The Sooners’ first real test came last weekend against then-No. 24 TCU. But with Sam Bradford passing for a career-high 411 yards with four touchdowns, the Sooners rolled to a 35-10 win.

“They’re a very formidable opponent — very good offensively, defensively and on special teams,” Briles said. “It will be a good test for us no doubt. As a program, everything they’ve had come their way over the last 10 years is very well deserved.”

After leading the nation in pass efficiency last season as a redshirt freshman, Bradford is ranked third so far this season. But with a 72.2 completion percentage, 16 touchdown passes and just two interceptions, Bradford’s statistics are even better this year.

“He’s a great football player,” Briles said. “He’s calm, poised, protects the football and plays very intelligently. He’s been very productive on the field, which goes without saying over the last two seasons.”

While Bradford is unquestionably Oklahoma’s offensive leader, DeMarco Murray is one of the best running backs in the Big 12 with 335 yards rushing. He runs behind a talented offensive line that could produce several NFL draft picks.

Oklahoma’s defense has also been superb, giving up just six touchdowns and ranking 15th nationally by allowing 253 yards per game. Opponents are averaging just 73 yards rushing per game, and the Sooners rank fourth nationally in pass efficiency defense.

Though the Sooners lost linebacker Curtis Lofton to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, redshirt freshman Travis Lewis has stepped in to lead the Sooners with 32 tackles and three sacks.

“We’ve got to play at the level we can play at and expect good things to happen,” Briles said. “We have to make them work. We’re anxious for the game to get here.”

When the Bears play Oklahoma Saturday, it will be their first game in 15 days following a bye week.

“We wanted to get healthy, get academics in order and get strong,” Briles said. “Those were our three bases we took care of. We also wanted to get right schematically on both sides of the ball and fine-tune our specials teams. We accomplished our goals and had a great week.”

BEAR FACTS: Baylor defensive tackle Vincent Rhodes said Tuesday that he plans to play against Oklahoma after undergoing arthroscopic surgery after the Connecticut game to repair a meniscus tear. “I’ll be ready to go — I wouldn’t miss this game.”

jwerner@wacotrib.com

757-5716

—— BEARS 0-10-1 VS. #1 TEAMS ——

Date Opponent Score

Nov. 8, 1941 Texas 7-7

Oct. 1, 1955 Maryland 6-20

Oct. 3, 1959 *LSU 0-22

Nov. 11, 1961 at Texas 7-33

Nov. 9, 1963 at Texas 0-7

Nov. 7, 1970 Texas 14-21

Sept. 14, 1974 at Oklahoma 11-28

Nov. 19, 1977 at Texas 7-29

Oct. 21, 2000 at Nebraska 0-59

Nov. 4, 2000 Oklahoma 7-56

Nov. 15, 2003 at Oklahoma 3-41

*at Shreveport