The Revivalry lands in Waco with Baylor carrying the stronger hand and TCU trying to steady a season that has already turned rocky. The Bears are 4-1 after a dominant win over Arizona State two weekends ago, while the Horned Frogs sit at 2-3 after a Week 0 loss to North Carolina overseas.
This one has all the ingredients of a rivalry game that ignores the standings. TCU has won five of the last six meetings, but Baylor looks different this season. Dave Aranda’s group has paired an evolved offense with DJ Lagway at quarterback and a defense coordinated by Joe Klanderman that has not let any opponent reach 20 points in 2026.
That defensive edge got a small boost during the week. When the injury report came out on Wednesday, JACK Garrick Ponder was listed as Questionable, but heading into Friday, he moved to Probable, which is big for Joe Klanderman's defense.
Even with Baylor’s recent surge, Sonny Dykes should have some answers dialed up for his offense. Jaden Craig, who was an accomplished passer at Harvard, has not fully put it together at TCU yet, but the expectation is that it will happen at some point. In a rivalry setting, Dykes is likely to mix in trick plays and creative looks to help the Horned Frogs find the end zone.
The bigger challenge may be on the other side of the ball. TCU has one of the best passing defenses in the nation, and the most yards it has allowed in a game came against North Carolina in Week 0, when it gave up 232 passing yards.
Still, Baylor’s offense has too much firepower to ignore. Lagway has been dominant, and the Bears have enough targets to make life difficult for TCU, with Gavin Freeman, Louis Brown, Jadon Porter, and Co. all in position to make noise. If Lagway keeps trending healthier, that spells trouble for the rest of the Big 12, starting with TCU.
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Baylor Fans Still Havent Forgotten These Revivalry Gut Punches And Highs
The Baylor-TCU rivalry has spent the modern era living up to its Revivalry nickname, with enough swing games and late drama to linger long after the final whistle. A review of the series turns up the kind of matchups both fan bases still bring up years later, from Baylors recent breakthrough win that snapped a skid in the rivalry to the sort of tense, season-shaping moments that have made these meetings feel bigger than a spot on the schedule.
Robert Griffin IIIs electric 2011 performance remains one of the series signature memories, a reminder of how often this matchup has produced standout individual efforts along with the drama. More recently, the teams have traded gut punches in games decided in the final moments, which is part of why this border rivalry still feels so personal and why every new chapter seems to carry the weight of the last one. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Showed Off A Depth Battle Fans Will Be Watching Closely
TCU finished its preseason work with an 89-76 exhibition win over Wyoming, and the Horned Frogs used the night to keep sorting out who fits where before the games start counting. Brock Harding scored 16 points, Micah Robinson added 15, and the roster again showed the kind of balance that should make the early season rotation worth watching. The matchup also gave fans a look at several possible starting combinations and a closer view of the transfer pieces that are expected to matter right away.
Gavin Sykes supplied the biggest scoring burst with 17 points, giving TCU another reminder that the bench could end up being just as important as the opening five. For a team still settling on roles, that kind of depth is a good problem to have, even if the final answer is still a little fuzzy heading into the regular-season opener against Lindenwood. [Read more 🡒]
Former TCU QB Is Rolling Again But Bigger Tests Are Coming
Josh Hoovers start at Indiana has been exactly the kind of clean, efficient run that makes a quarterback look like he is settling in fast. Through six games, the transfer has helped the Hoosiers to a 6-0 start while putting up passing numbers that compare favorably with Fernando Mendozas 2025 season, and the ball security has been especially notable as Indiana has handled an early stretch that has not asked a great deal of him.
The bigger question is what happens when the schedule stiffens. Indiana has cruised through a relatively soft opening slate, so Hoovers passing pace and composure will face a different kind of pressure once the Hoosiers get into games against top-ranked competition, where windows close faster and mistakes tend to get amplified. For TCU fans, it is another reminder of how much Hoover has grown, but also of how much harder the next step can be. [Read more 🡒]