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After dropping their first four Big 12 games of the season, Baylor plays Kansas on Saturday in a game they absolutely must win if they're going to have a reasonable chance at a bowl bid in 2012.
The Bears, at 3-4, will need three more wins to reach the 6-win barrier, so a loss in Lawrence means they'll need to win 3 out of their last 4 games, a tough slate that includes a road date at No. 12 Oklahoma, a home game against No. 2 Kansas State, a Cowboys Stadium game against Texas Tech and a home date against No. 24 Oklahoma State.
The problem has not been on the offensive side of the ball, where Nick Florence has done about as good a job as you could expect from someone replacing a Heisman Trophy winner: completing 64.6% of his passes for 2,652 yards, 22 TD's and 11 INT's.
Instead, the Bears defense has completely fallen apart this year, giving up a preposterous 42.7 points a game, 122nd worst in the nation.
The 1-7 Jayhawks, in their first year under Charlie Weis, could offer somewhat of a respite for embattled defensive coordinator Phil Bennett. However, they've been surprisingly feisty at home, with narrow losses to both Oklahoma State and Texas and they'll be fired up for what could be their best chance at a victory the rest of the season.
The game, scheduled to kick off at 3:30 PM EST, will be broadcast nationally on Fox Sports Net.