WACO, Texas — Sterling Shep- ard had 14 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns and No. 12 Oklahoma beat No. 4 Baylor 44-34 on Saturday night to end the Bears’ 20-game home winning streak — and likely their national playoff chances.
Baker Mayfield was 24-of-34 for 270 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a touchdown to help Oklahoma gain control of its destiny in the Big 12. The Sooners (9-1, 6-1 Big 12, No. 15 CFP) have won five straight since their still hard-to-explain loss to Texas.
Baylor (8-1, 5-1), the first team left out of the initial four-team national playoff last season, was sixth in the latest College Football Playoff rankings as an undefeated team with the toughest part of its schedule left.
The two-time defending Big 12 champion Bears will certainly drop further in the playoff rankings before playing at No. 5 Oklahoma State (10-0, 7-0) next Saturday. The Sooners will be in Stillwater, Okla., the following week for their regular-season finale.
After battling Oklahoma State, Baylor will get another road test at TCU before finishing its regular season at home against the struggling Longhorns of Texas.
