Baylor heads into Week 9 with more than a road trip on its hands. The Bears travel to Orlando on Friday to face UCF, and the biggest question isn’t just how they’ll play - it’s how they’ll respond after Dave Aranda was fired.
Joe Klanderman now has the job of keeping the group locked in for the stretch run, and that won’t be a small task. This isn’t a normal week for Baylor.
The players and staff have just lost the coach who brought them to campus and has been leading them, so the emotional reset matters as much as anything on the field. Still, there are goals left on the table, and this matchup gives Baylor a chance to show it can keep competing and finish strong.
The offense could also look a little different against the Knights. Klanderman said he has long regarded offensive coordinator Jake Spavital as one of the best play callers in the country, and he made it clear he wants to help bring some juice back to that unit. He said he wants to cut Coach Spavital loose and let him be as creative as he wants to be.
That doesn’t guarantee a dramatic turnaround, and it doesn’t mean the Bears will suddenly find a brand-new identity overnight. But it does open the door for different play calls, and maybe even a few trick plays out of Spavital’s bag. After a season spent searching for answers, Baylor could use a few fresh wrinkles to get more of its playmakers involved.
UCF presents its own twist in the matchup. The Knights just handed No. 2-ranked BYU its first loss of the season and will be at home for the second straight week when Baylor comes in. That creates an interesting setup for the Bears, especially with the possibility of a “big-win hangover” hanging over UCF.
A win like that can fuel a team or leave it flat the next time out, and Baylor will be watching closely to see which version shows up. At the same time, the Bears have to prove they can handle the emotional fallout of Aranda’s firing and still bring the energy needed to compete on the road.
In Other News...
Baylor Suddenly Feels Like A Real Lincoln Riley Landing Spot
Lincoln Rileys name is back in the coaching rumor mill, and Baylor is one of the places drawing attention for all the obvious reasons. The fit makes sense on paper. His offense has always been the kind of system that can instantly change a programs ceiling, and Baylor would offer a far different setup than the grind of USCs Big Ten life, with less travel and a conference schedule that would look a lot more manageable.
The larger backdrop is what has made the speculation feel less far-fetched than it might have a year ago. USCs recent struggles have fueled frustration around Riley, while the schools administrative changes have added another layer of uncertainty to the picture. His contract situation also keeps the conversation alive, and for Baylor, that alone is enough to make the possibility worth watching even if the path from rumor to reality is still wide open. [Read more 🡒]
Taliah Scott Just Raised The Stakes For Baylors Season
Taliah Scotts rise has already given Baylor one of the more reliable building blocks in the Big 12, and now the senior guard is getting another national spotlight before the season even tips. Scott was named to the 2026-27 Jersey Mikes Naismith Trophy Womens College Player of the Year Watch List, a nod that comes after a strong previous season and a run of postseason and preseason recognition that has kept her profile climbing.
She is one of eight Big 12 players on the watch list, which says plenty about the level of competition Baylor will face in its own league and about the expectations now attached to Scotts final college season. For the Bears, the honor is less about one more line on the rsum than the reminder that one of their most important players is carrying real national weight into a season where every big performance will be watched a little more closely. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Already Has An Early WBB Concern Fans Will Notice
Baylors first public look of the womens basketball season brought an early reminder that there is work to do, even in exhibition play. The Bears fell 85-64 to Texas at the Moody Center, and while Trinity Turner finished with 20 points and Reese Ross added 13 points and five rebounds, the game also exposed how much the lineup still has to sort out on both ends.
Texas controlled the night behind Zya Vann, who poured in 18 points and did her damage from deep by making all six of her 3-point attempts. For Baylor, the bigger takeaway was less about the final score than the way the Longhorns stretched the floor and put pressure on the Bears in a game that should help sharpen priorities before the results start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]