All indications are that Baylor will not have to play for the Big 12 championship without star quarterback Bryce Petty.
The senior suffered a concussion in a win over Texas Tech just four days ago, but both Petty and Bears coach Art Briles are optimistic that Petty will play against Kansas State Saturday.
"(The headache) is kind of off and on, and it's starting to get shorter on and longer off," Petty said, according to the Associated Press. "And then when it is hurting a little bit, it's a lot lighter than it used to be. ... I'll be fine. I think it's more exercise-induced kind of stuff, go through things, make sure everything's OK," he said. "But as far as practice schedule, I should be able to go."
Although backup Seth Russell got extensive experience early in the season when Petty was out with a back injury, that experience came against SMU and Northwestern State -- nothing close to the stout Kansas State defense (23rd in NCAA) he would have to face if Petty were unable to play. A win would earn Baylor a share of the league title with Texas Christian, even though Baylor beat TCU on Oct. 11. As such, Petty's health is of crucial importance.
"He was here (Sunday) and was feeling pretty good. He actually felt pretty good at the end of the game the other day," Briles said. "Of course he took a hard shot, clean shot. But I just saw him 10 minutes ago and he's fine. Smile on his face and determination in his heart."
Petty, a senior, is considered among the top quarterback prospects available for the 2015 NFL Draft, although there are some scouting concerns about how well he will translate from Briles' shotgun offense to the NFL game, and NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah wrote of concerns about his accuracy earlier this season.
Even with a win over Kansas State, it remains unclear whether Baylor would make the College Football Playoff over TCU, which is currently ranked fifth in the CFP rankings.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
