No. 6 Oklahoma puts perfect start on the line when it heads to Kansas on Saturday

LAWRENCE, Kansas (AP) — No. 6 Oklahoma (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) at Kansas (5-2, 2-2), Saturday, noon ET (FOX).

Line: Oklahoma by 10, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Oklahoma leads 80-27-6.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Sixth-ranked Oklahoma is trying to stay in the College Football Playoff picture after it was nearly beaten by UCF last week. The Sooners had to repel a potentially tying 2-point conversion in the final 2 minutes for the 31-29 victory. Kansas can become bowl-eligible with a win but has much bigger aspirations, and having last weekend off should help the Jayhawks prepare for a team that has beaten them 18 consecutive times.

KEY MATCHUP

Kansas quarterback Jason Bean against the Oklahoma defense, which allowed Knights quarterback John Rhys Plumlee to throw for 248 yards and account for three touchdowns last week. Bean is expected to start again in place of Jalon Daniels, who has missed much of the season with a back injury.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Oklahoma: QB Dillon Gabriel leads the Big 12 at more than 300 yards passing per game with 19 touchdown throws and only three interceptions, and those numbers coupled with the Sooners’ unbeaten record has him a fringe Heisman Trophy contender.

Kansas: FS Kenny Logan Jr. is the key to shutting down Gabriel and the Oklahoma pass offense. He has 336 career tackles, which are sixth-most among active FBS players, and he needs 12 more to pass LeRoy Irvin for the school record by a defensive back.

FACTS & FIGURE

The Sooners have not lost to Kansas since Oct. 4, 1997, when the Jayhawks won in Lawrence. … Oklahoma is off to its third 7-0 start in the past five years. … Sooners WR Nic Anderson was the Big 12 newcomer of the week after catching five passes for 105 yards and two TDs against UCF. He has eight TDs on 16 career receptions. … The Sooners had 17 tackles-for-loss last week against the Knights. … Oklahoma has held six of seven opponents to fewer than 400 yards total offense. Its defense has only allowed 10 touchdowns in 28 quarters of play. … Gabriel has thrown at least one TD pass in 44 of 45 career games. He has 114 in his career, tied with former Florida QB Danny Wuerffel for 15th in FBS history. … LB Danny Stutsman has led Oklahoma in tackles in six of seven games. … Kansas is 5-2 for the second straight season. In the 11 previous years, the Jayhawks never won more than three games in a season. … Kansas has won eight of its last 10 games at home. … Kansas RB Devin Neal is averaging 7.3 yards per carry, which is fourth among Power Five programs. He is on pace to break the school record for yards-per-carry with a minimum of 150 carries held by Gale Sayers, who averaged 7.1 in 1962. … The Jayhawks have the fourth-best third-down conversion rate nationally at 53.4%.

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll