The Baylor Bears will make their first bowl appearance since 1994 tonight as they take on the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Texas Bowl. This evening's game is scheduled to kickoff at 6:00pm ET at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas; it will be broadcast live on ESPN. 2010 Texas Bowl Odds have the Bears listed as a slight -1 against the spread favorite and the Over/Under set at 64.
Illinois disappointed last season, going 
just 3-9 in a year that many expected them to finish toward the top of the Big Ten standings. The Fighting Illini did the opposite this year, though, wrapping up the regular season with a 6-6 overall record and 4-4 conference mark (fifth place in the Big Ten) when the general preseason consensus trumpeted 2010 as a rebuilding job.
The development of redshirt freshman quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase had much to do with the Illinois turnaround. Scheelhaase helped the Fighting Illini to 32 point and 385 yard per game averages after throwing for 1583 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Kansas City product also rushed for 815 yards and four scores.
Illinois, which closed out the season on a 1-3 run, is 0-1 under Head Coach Ron Zook in postseason play. The Fighting Illini were destroyed 17-49 by USC in the 2007 Rose Bowl after their surprising run to the Big Ten title.
Despite a relatively rocking Zook tenure, Illinois has at least experienced some success in recent seasons. The same cannot be said of the Baylor Bears, which produced their first winning season since 1995 this year with a 7-5 finish. The Bears may have made the jump last season in Head Coach Art Briles second year with the program, but a knee injury to quarterback Robert Griffin derailed their progression.
Griffin returned well in the spring, though, and his presence put Baylor on a winning track in 2010. The Bears averaged 32.6 points and 478 yards per game with Griffin at the controls, and they finished with their first non-losing conference record (4-4) since joining the Big 12 in 1996. Griffin finished the season with 3195 pass yards and 21 touchdowns, and he ranked second on the team in rushing with 591 yards and eight scores.
Baylor, which last saw postseason action in 1994 (lost to Washington State 3-10 in the Alamo Bowl), closed out the season on a three game losing streak (Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma).
2010 Texas Bowl Betting Trend: Illinois is 0-10 straight up in its last 10 games with a total of 54.5 or more.
2010 Texas Bowl Illinois vs Baylor Odds:
Illinois Fighting Illini +1 (-110), Over 64 (-110)
Baylor Bears -1 (-110), Under 64 (-110)
