Baylor’s brief surge hit a wall Saturday night, and the fallout showed up immediately in the national rankings.
After a four-game winning streak and a 55-19 road blowout of Arizona State that had Baylor looking like a team on the rise, the Bears were stunned at home by TCU, 17-6. That loss not only snapped the run, it pushed Baylor down several spots across the national landscape.
The Bears now sit at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play, but they still haven’t broken into either major poll. Baylor remained out of the AP Top 25 and did not receive any votes in the latest ballot, a frustrating development after a stretch in which the Bears still hadn’t drawn AP attention despite their winning streak.
The Big 12, meanwhile, continues to crowd the rankings. Five league teams landed in the AP Top 25, topped by No.
2 BYU, No. 8 Texas Tech and No.
10 Utah. Houston moved up six places to No. 14, and Arizona entered at No.
- BYU, Texas Tech and Utah are still undefeated, while Oklahoma State fell out after its loss to Houston.
Baylor’s outlook in the US LBM Coaches Poll wasn’t any better. The Bears got no votes in the latest release after picking up nine the week before.
Four Big 12 teams made that poll’s top 25, with BYU at No. 3, Texas Tech at No. 5 and Utah at No.
- Houston rose two spots to No. 16, while Arizona collected 141 votes without cracking the rankings.
The Bears had started to gain traction with coaches after the Arizona State win, but the TCU loss wiped away that momentum in a hurry.
That same theme showed up in the computer and media-style rankings as well. Baylor dropped 12 spots to No. 51 in The Athletic’s latest national rankings, falling from No. 39 a week ago. The Bears had climbed eight spots over the previous two weeks, fueled in part by the Arizona State win, when quarterback DJ Lagway accounted for five touchdowns and the offense rolled up 564 total yards.
CBS Sports also moved Baylor backward, dropping the Bears 16 spots to No. 46 in its latest full FBS rankings. TCU climbed six places to No. 50 after the win in Waco, though Baylor still sits four spots ahead of the Horned Frogs despite the head-to-head result.
Now the Bears turn to Kansas on Saturday, where they’ll be trying to get the offense moving again and avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this season. Baylor still has chances to strengthen its résumé, with No.
2 BYU, No. 8 Texas Tech and No.
14 Houston still left on the schedule.
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