Baylor's football team is undefeated because of its high-octane offense, its talented roster and its brilliant play-calling—and because of a long stretch of pavement known as I-35.

Ahead of Saturday's showdown at No. 10 Oklahoma State, the Baylor Bears are ranked No. 4 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. Should they win out, they could skip over Ohio State and slide into the national-championship game, if either Alabama or Florida State loses.

Under Baylor coach Art Briles, a 57-year-old Texan who toiled for two decades in that state's high-profile high-school football leagues, this Baylor team already owns the most wins over three years in school history. Briles's offensive scheme has the Bears leading the country in scoring and total offense while averaging almost 100 more yards per game than anyone else. Baylor also posted at least 60 points in six of its nine games this season and at least 35 points in all nine.

But there is another peculiar factor fueling Baylor's rise in the BCS rankings, and it's otherwise known as the quickest way of driving to this Baptist school in the heart of Texas: Interstate 35.

Located in Waco, a town whose limited commercial air service hardly matters because it's between the state's three largest cities, Baylor is easy to reach from Dallas, Houston or San Antonio.