By the Baylor Lariat Sports Desk
After opening Big 12 play with three straight losses, Baylor football is 2-4 for the second straight season. It’s the first time the Bears have opened a season 2-4 in back-to-back seasons since 2000-01, when Kevin Steele and Co. went a combined 5-17.
This Baylor roster is a lot more talented than those teams, but has struggled to put together complete games in narrow losses to then-No. 11 Utah, 23-12, Colorado, 38-31 in overtime and a 34-28 loss to No. 22 BYU. A path back to the postseason still exists, with six games against unranked teams remaining on the schedule.
At the midway point of the season, the Baylor Lariat Sports Desk reflects on its preseason predictions.
Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
Preseason prediction: 6-6
I fully expected Baylor to be 3-3 right now, and though 2-4 looks daunting on its face, the peripherals are – for the most part – pointing up. Sawyer Robertson’s breakout has breathed new life into an offense still dealing with expected growing pains on the offensive line. The Bears’ special teams excellence has continued, and aside from the an unfortunate penchant for slow starts, the defense has taken steps forward from a year ago.
If Baylor can stay mentally locked in, there are a lot of winnable games left on the schedule. Oklahoma State has looked uncharacteristically vulnerable as the Cowboys have struggled to get star running back Ollie Gordon II (51.6 yards per game against FBS teams) in a groove. Texas Tech’s 5-1 record smells fluky. TCU, sitting at 3-3, has been streaky at best. Houston has been shut out twice in three conference games. Kansas needs to be turned off and back on again.
This team is talented enough to make a bowl game, especially with the bulk of a front-loaded schedule in the rearview mirror. But the Bears will have to avoid falling into the same mental potholes that seem to have plagued them since the 2021 Sugar Bowl. If they put the early losses behind them and play one game at a time, they’ll have a chance to finish above .500 for the first time in three years. But if those old ghosts make a reappearance, the road ahead will only get bumpier.
Grant Morrison | Sports Writer
Preseason prediction: 7-5
Through six games, the team has performed just below my initial expectations for the season. It was a very rigorous first half of the schedule, and there’s still plenty of time to right the ship. Having Sawyer Robertson at quarterback has significantly raised the ceiling of this offense, but the inability to run the ball is still a real concern.
Baylor is a couple of bad plays away from 4-2 right now. The losses have come against a ranked Utah team, a ridiculously talented (although beatable) Colorado and two undefeated conference foes. While 2-4 isn’t a great start, it’s way too early to throw in the towel on the season.
I still think the Bears have the opportunity and ability to make a bowl game. This team has played some really good football, but just hasn’t been able to put it together for four quarters at a time.
That being said, time is running out. The upcoming game at Texas Tech is the biggest opportunity to turn the ship around, and if the team can bring some of that momentum to Homecoming against Oklahoma State, Baylor has a much more favorable back half of the schedule.
Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
Preseason prediction: 4-8
Halfway through the 2024 campaign, the Bears are exactly where I initially thought they would be. However, to give credit where credit is due, the green and gold have played extremely talented teams a whole lot tighter than I had initially expected. But close can’t be good enough anymore.
Wins go in the win column and losses still count against you no matter how well a certain aspect of the game has gone, and there has been a ton of good to go along with the bitter taste of the first half of the season. Baylor football is finally exciting again with a gunslinging quarterback who takes deep shots down the field and excels on fourth down. Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital has rebranded and rejuvenated the Bears’ offense, and although it hasn’t been his typical tempo, it’s been right up redshirt junior quarterback Sawyer Robertson’s alley.
Look, missing a bowl game for the second year in a row is a sting that no Baylor fan wants to experience, which is why I feel that there is still far too much enthusiasm about this team.
The Bears aren’t going to win out, and although scraping together a positive record in the second half of the season isn’t impossible, it’s extremely improbable considering this team has already shown its identity. Nobody really wants head coach Dave Aranda to lose his job because a bad November and December only set this team back further.
