“It’s a very ambitious plan, but it’s the right plan for Baylor at this time,” Brickhouse said.

As esports grows across the nation, Baylor hopes to integrate its already successful program with university resources and branding.

Reviving an old Big 12 Conference competition, Baylor football is set to meet Colorado after a 14-year hiatus in the national limelight against Coach Prime. While head coach Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes have been on at prime time since he took over the program in 2023, the Bears have stumbled off the national stage.

“[If you] remind yourself it isn’t real and temper your thoughts… then that can take a little bit of the power away from it, but it definitely still does have an influence,” Bates said.