Baylor’s 2-0 start in Big 12 play has changed the look of the rest of the schedule. After handling Arizona State with ease last Saturday, the Bears have put themselves in a spot where several upcoming games feel more manageable, even if the toughest stretch is still waiting ahead.
That stretch begins with The Revivalry, and it comes with a little extra built in. Baylor and TCU will both be coming off bye weeks, but the Horned Frogs arrive off a loss to BYU and have not done much offensively this season.
Baylor’s defense should create problems for TCU, especially up front along the offensive line. With the game set for a blackout at McLane Stadium and a 6:30 p.m.
CT kickoff, the atmosphere should be better than it has been recently, and that could matter. TCU has taken several close games from Baylor in recent years, but this time the prediction leans the Bears’ way.
The next stop is Lawrence, Kansas, where Baylor gets a Kansas team that has looked sharp against weaker opponents but has not handled better competition nearly as well. Missouri beat the Jayhawks 38-21, and Arizona State took them down 24-17. Even on the road, Baylor’s offense is projected to have enough to get through that one without too much trouble.
Then comes a tricky setup against UCF. Baylor will be on the road for a second straight game, and it’s a Friday night, which means a short week on top of the travel.
UCF has shown enough to make this one feel dangerous, nearly knocking off Pittsburgh and Houston while beating TCU 21-13. It’s the kind of game Baylor could easily stumble in, but if the Bears avoid costly mistakes and execute on offense, they should leave with a win.
Iowa State brings a different challenge, but one Baylor appears built to handle. The Cyclones have been better than expected after basically rebuilding from last year’s roster, and their offense has leaned heavily on the run game.
That matters because stopping the run has been one of Baylor’s strengths, and this matchup also comes back to McLane Stadium. The Bears are projected to match up well and come out ahead.
The toughest test on the schedule may be waiting in Provo. BYU is a top-10 team right now, and a road trip there is never simple.
Both teams are expected to be ranked when they meet in November, and Baylor’s defense should keep it close. Even so, the prediction gives the edge to the Cougars.
Texas Tech comes next, and the Red Raiders enter the season with playoff expectations but have had a shaky opening stretch. They’ve still found ways to win, though, and their quarterback situation has been a concern.
By Week 12, the expectation is that Texas Tech will have settled in by the time it reaches McLane Stadium. That one is projected as a back-and-forth game, with the Red Raiders taking it.
Baylor closes the regular season in Houston against a Cougars team that has been talked about as a Big 12 dark horse. Houston’s only loss came by two points on the road against Texas Tech, but it has also shown some rough edges, including giving up 28 points to Georgia Southern and digging out of a 17-0 hole against UCF at home. Even on the road, the forecast is for Baylor to control the game on both sides of the ball and finish the regular season with a win.
In Other News...
Baylor Golf Faces A Big Test In A Format That Changes Everything
Baylor mens golf heads to Salt Lake City this week for the Big 12 Match Play Tournament, a three-day event at The Country Club of Salt Lake City that can look nothing like a standard stroke-play week. Instead of chasing a cumulative score from start to finish, the Bears will be navigating pool play from Oct. 12-14, with the format setting up a very different kind of pressure before anyone even reaches the semifinal round.
For Baylor, the challenge begins with the draw and the margin for error that comes with it. The Bears are in Pool D with Kansas, TCU and West Virginia as the No. 13 seed, which means every match will matter in a setting built around momentum, quick swings and the kind of head-to-head battles that can reward a team playing its sharpest golf at the right time. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Soccer Returns Home With Something To Prove Sunday
Baylors soccer team is back at Betty Lou Mays Field on Sunday, and the timing feels right for a little reset at home. The seventh-ranked Bears bring a 10-2-1 record into a noon kickoff against Kansas State, with Aryanna Jimison again expected to be central to what Baylor does. Free admission should help create a lively setting, and those who cant make it will be able to follow along on ESPN+.
Kansas State comes in at 5-4-4, with Gabby Demers among the Wildcats players to watch, but this is also the kind of match Baylor wants to handle cleanly as it settles back into conference play. The Bears have spent much of the fall carrying the burden that comes with national ranking and local expectations, and Sunday offers another chance to reinforce that place near the top while adding a little more clarity to where they stand. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors Bye Week Puts New Focus On A Tense Stretch Ahead
Baylors schedule gets a brief reset this week, with the Bears off in Week 6 and the long-anticipated Revivalry also pushed back. That pause only sharpens what comes next, because the stretch from Week 7 through Week 13 is packed with familiar Big 12 pressure points, road trips, and opponents with varying momentum as the calendar turns deeper into October and November.
The next run starts with a home date against Kansas State before Baylor heads to TCU, then returns to Waco for a game with UCF and a visit from Utah. From there, the Bears face a trip to Cincinnati, a home matchup with Arizona, and a late swing to Houston to close the regular-season buildup. A few of those future opponents are in action during Week 6, giving Baylor and its fan base one more chance to monitor how the rest of the league looks before the seasons most demanding part arrives. [Read more 🡒]