Baylor’s season looked like it had drifted off course a few weeks ago, but the Bears are suddenly back in the thick of the Big 12 race.
The path is narrow, but it’s real: Baylor can still reach the Big 12 Championship Game by winning its last three regular-season games and getting some help from Utah. For a team that fired head coach Dave Aranda not long ago, that’s a stunning turn.
Joe Klanderman has steadied things since taking over as interim head coach. Baylor has won two straight, rolling past UCF 41-9 and Iowa State 42-31 to climb to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 play. That record has put the Bears back in the conference conversation.
The remaining schedule is where the story gets serious. Baylor closes with three games against teams in the Big 12 title picture: at No.
12 BYU on November 14, at No. 14 Houston on November 28, and home against No.
10 Texas Tech on November 21.
If the Bears run the table, they’d finish 7-2 in league play. Along the way, they’d also hand losses to BYU, Texas Tech and Houston, which would help clear out some of the teams standing in their way.
Utah’s role matters too. The undefeated Utes need to keep winning and finish 9-0 in conference play. If that happens, Utah would lock up one spot in the championship game, and Baylor would be in position to grab the other.
There’s also a tiebreaker wrinkle that could work in Baylor’s favor. If Oklahoma State wins out and also finishes 7-2, Baylor would still hold the edge in a two-team tiebreaker. Because the teams haven’t played each other, the Big 12’s common-opponents rule would apply, and Baylor would be 6-1 against those teams compared to Oklahoma State’s 5-2.
That would send Baylor to Arlington for the Big 12 Championship Game on December 4.
None of it comes easy, though. Baylor would have to survive three tough matchups, including road games at BYU and Houston and a home date with Texas Tech. That’s a demanding finish by any standard.
Still, after the way this season looked when Aranda was dismissed, Baylor having a legitimate path to Arlington is no small thing. The Bears aren’t just finishing the schedule anymore. They’re playing for a shot at the Big 12 title game.
In Other News...
Baylor Looks Dangerous Again With One More Big 12 Chance Ahead
With three weeks left in the Big 12 race, Baylor has quietly become one of the more interesting teams in the conference picture again. The Bears have shown real improvement under interim head coach Joe Klanderman, and their recent play has put them back in the conversation as a team capable of making life difficult for the leagues best as the regular season winds down.
The path ahead is still crowded, with Utah in strong position to control the championship chase and Colorado dealing with its own turbulence under Deion Sanders. But Baylors remaining chances matter because this is the kind of stretch that can change how the season is remembered, especially if the Bears can turn their improved form into an upset of one of the top teams still standing. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Is Sending An Early Message In The New AP Poll
The early AP womens basketball rankings are already giving the Big 12 a little more to talk about, with Texas climbing to No. 6 after opening the season with a pair of wins. For Baylor, that matters because the Longhorns are once again looking like one of the leagues most visible national contenders, and the first poll of the year is a reminder that the conferences top tier is going to be crowded from the start.
At the top of the poll, Michigan moved up to No. 2 and passed UConn, which slipped to No. 4 after a loss. The Huskies stumble was notable not just because of the ranking change, but because Geno Auriemma addressed his teams performance afterward, adding another layer to an opening week that already feels like it could shape the national conversation well beyond November. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Grinds Out A Gritty Big 12 Win With Texas Tech Next
Baylors postseason run kept moving with a hard-earned 1-0 win over No. 25 Houston in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals, a result that had all the feel of a team willing to win any way it can. Natalie Vatter supplied the lone goal, and the Bears backed it up with the kind of disciplined effort that has carried them into the semifinals.
Michelle Lenards group now turns to a tougher test against No. 7 Texas Tech, a matchup that raises the stakes even further in tournament play. With Vatter and Azul Alvarez both part of the story after the quarterfinal win, Baylor heads into the next round with momentum, confidence and a chance to keep extending its season against one of the leagues top teams. [Read more 🡒]