Baylor’s newly announced 15-game nonconference schedule leaves little room to breathe, and that’s exactly what makes it so interesting. The Bears are set to face as many as nine Power Conference teams, with Washington, Texas, and Louisville among the headliners.
This looks nothing like the kind of early schedule Baylor has leaned on in recent years. Last season’s nonconference slate offered only a couple of major tests, with the Bears’ real challenges coming against the 2-seed St.
Johns and a 13-19 Memphis team. Baylor lost both of those games, and this year’s setup suggests a much different approach.
There are six teams on the schedule that reached the NCAA Tournament last March, which says plenty about the confidence behind this group. Maybe Coach Drew felt last year’s team needed more resistance before conference play. Or maybe this roster gives off a different kind of energy - one built to handle a tougher early grind.
The Bears will mostly stay away from the road, with a schedule made up of home games and neutral-site matchups, plus only one true road game before Big 12 play begins. That should help in the short term, but it also means Baylor won’t get much real-time preparation for what Big 12 road games usually feel like.
And that matters. Winning away from home in the Big 12 is no small thing - only six road wins have been claimed across the last two seasons. The flip side of Baylor’s comfortable early setup is obvious: if the Bears stumble when they finally have to walk into a hostile building, it won’t be because they were rushed into that environment.
The Players’ Era Tournament stands out as the most revealing part of the schedule. Baylor will get a fast read on itself there, because the competition comes quickly and the margin for error disappears in a hurry. An SEC opponent waits in the first round, and Gonzaga could be there in the second, setting up a postseason-style challenge in November.
That kind of weekend can sharpen a team fast. It can also expose one.
If Baylor can stack wins over multiple games with little or no rest, that would be a strong sign heading toward March. If the Bears get overwhelmed early, the warning lights will be hard to ignore.
In Other News...
Travion Barnes Could Be Baylors Answer To A Major Defensive Problem
Travion Barnes arrived at Baylor with the kind of experience defenses value, and the linebacker was quickly lined up to be part of the solution in the middle of the field. His 2025 season ended after four games because of injury, but since then he has shifted his attention to rehabilitation and getting himself back to full strength. For a Baylor defense that could use stability and production at linebacker, Barnes remains one of the more important names to watch heading into next season.
The expectation is that Barnes will be back in 2026 as a defensive leader, giving the Bears a seasoned piece after coming over from FIU. It also shapes up as a pivotal final college season for him, with a chance to make a major impact for Baylor while setting up whatever comes next. If he returns anywhere close to form, the Bears may have a much-needed answer in a spot that can change the look of the entire defense. [Read more 🡒]