Texas A&M and Baylor have already racked up enough losses to lose control of the Big 12 South. But on Saturday, when the next chapter of the Battle of the Brazos is written, there's still plenty on the line.

Both teams have secured a spot on the postseason with a sixth win, but neither is going to be satisfied without more as the season draws to a close. Respect comes easier with nine wins -- still a possibility for both teams -- than with six or seven, which is where the Aggies and Bears sit heading into the weekend.

And with both teams never having finished in the top half of the division under their current coaches (neither has finished higher than fifth in the South, actually), a win Saturday would go a long way to earning that respect.

Texas A&M is coming off one of its best wins under coach Mike Sherman, an upset of then-No. 8 Oklahoma. The biggest reason looks like a switch to quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has been behind center for a pair of wins in his two starts. Sherman says it goes a lot deeper than just Tannehill.

"Overall, our team is better at this point. We keep getting better. We’re still a very, very young football team. I just think we’re growing up a little bit," Sherman said. "We had two freshman tackles that kind of found their way and are playing better football than earlier. The offensive line as a group is jelling. The people around him have made a difference. Ryan, from his standpoint and what he’s contributed, he’s still working on being a quarterback. He’s still a young quarterback at that position; he’s still finding his way."

West a ways in Waco, Baylor is trying to recover from a lopsided 55-28 loss to Oklahoma State that had it down 34-0 at one point in the third quarter.

"We’ve just got to refocus, regroup and recharge. That’s what we’re talking about," coach Art Briles said. "We’ve been through four games where basically the last play of the game decided the game, prior to last week, and it’s kind of like we’re starting over again."

Neither is completely out of the Big 12 South race, but both most likely would be with a loss in Saturday's game in Waco. Baylor is looking for an eighth win for the first time since 1991, but it'll have to stop Texas A&M's momentum as one of the league's hottest teams to get it.

"I don’t think you turn a corner until you have consistency, and we’ll find out. I think that question is best answered at end of season than while you're in those corners," Sherman said. "You win at home, an emotional game that kids put a lot into, and you have to come back the next week and do it again. As I told them before the game, when you win a football game, the expectations change, the challenges change and the stakes are higher."