First look

Time: 9:30 a.m. Saturday. TV: FSN

The records: WSU (0-2, 0-1 in Pac-10); Baylor (1-1; 0-0 in Big 12)

Last week: Baylor defeated Northwestern State, 51-6;

WSU lost to Cal, 66-3.

Last time: WSU won 17-15 at Qwest Field in Seattle in 2006.

The line: WSU by 2.

What it means for WSU

When the schedule was released, this game was one of the few in which the Cougars would be favored going in. After all, the Bears were coming off a 3-9 season and had gone through a coaching change just like WSU. After last week’s record-breaking defeat to Cal – and Baylor’s easy win – the oddsmakers still see WSU as the favorite, but it’s just by a couple points. Odds aside, the Cougars need to play well, if only for their own piece of mind. Another bad loss not only would cause Cougar Nation to become restless, it could make first-year coach Paul Wulff’s rebuilding job that much tougher.

What it means for Baylor

The Bears are finishing up a three-game, season-opening homestand to begin the Art Briles era in Waco. They were handled rather easily by No. 20 Wake Forest before routing FCS (formerly I-AA) member Northwestern State last week. To get to six wins and bowl eligibility, Baylor needs to win this week and next (at Connecticut) because its Big 12 schedule includes Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, all ranked in the top 12 this week, along with Oklahoma State and Nebraska on the road.

Key matchup

Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin vs. WSU corners Romeo Pellum and Tyrone Justin.

Griffin is a freshman in football, but enrolled at Baylor in the spring and finished third behind WSU’s Jeshua Anderson in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Championships. He didn’t earn the starting spot coming out of fall camp – Miami transfer Kirby Freeman did – but Griffin’s play against Wake Forest (11 of 19 for 125 yards passing and a team-high 29 yards rushing) earned him the start last week. Against the Demons, he threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns and carried the ball 10 times for another 42 yards. That dual threat will put pressure on the Cougars corners, forcing them to make quick decisions on pass coverage versus run support whenever Griffin breaks the pocket.

Vince Grippi, staff writer