The Baylor Bears had to endure a very rough 2016, brought on by the misconduct and waywardness of the head coaching tenure of Art Briles, who was negligent and unprofessional to a degree eclipsed by very few people in modern college football, Joe Paterno being one of the select examples. Baylor drowned in an ugly, toxic culture which basically looked the other way while a number of players in the football program had either committed prior acts of harassment against young women, or had been suspected of doing the same and carried red flags on their profiles. Briles – in his actions – demonstrated a lack of concern about those red flags, and when public reports surfaced, he had to step down. Jim Grobe, formerly a coach at Wake Forest, stepped in as an interim in 2016. Baylor barely qualified for a bowl game, but now the process of regrouping from the Briles mess truly begins. Lots of recruits have left the program, and the new staff has to restock the cupboard and start from scratch.
How Did They End 2016
Baylor started the 2016 season 6-0 but then lost its next six games to finish at 6-6 before winning the Cactus Bowl against Boise State. The Big 12 schedule was backloaded, which caught up with the Bears in a big way. This team wasn’t as good as its 6-0 start, and it wasn’t as bad as its 0-6 finish before the bowl win.
Offseason Changes
Interim Jim Grobe gave way to Matt Rhule, who brought Temple defensive coordinator Phil Snow to Waco, along with other members of his Temple staff. Rhule, however, also put staffers familiar with Texas high school football on his roster of coaches at Baylor. Rhule knows he has to win recruiting battles in the Lone Star State in order to compete with Oklahoma and the University of Texas in the Big 12. New coaching staff, new roster, new playbook – virtually everything which existed under Art Briles will give way to something very different under Rhule.
Team X-Factor
The receivers replacing K.D. Cannon and being asked to provide depth will be squarely in the spotlight. Receiving depth is something which didn’t exist often enough last year for Baylor, and in this reworked passing game, the Bears have to be able to keep pace in the shootouts which have become normal in the Big 12. Baylor’s defense might be really good in the future, but it will require a lot of reorganizing this year.
What To Expect From The Bears This Year
It is hard to know exactly what to expect with a team bringing in a new coaching staff with a new philosophy in the wake of attritional losses flowing from the recent scandals at Baylor. On a general level, though, one should expect a lot of rough edges and inconsistency. Everything about this season is meant to build toward year two in 2018. Thinking Baylor will be great seems to be a stretch. As long as Baylor is decent, Rhule will have done well.
Record Last 5 Seasons
2016: 7-6
2015: 10-3
2014: 11-2
2013: 11-2
2012: 8-5
Schedule and Outlook
Baylor gets to ease into the season with a couple of cupcakes before things get serious. They’ll host Liberty and UTSA in the first two weeks, and should be 2-0 after that. From there, though, three of their next four games are on the road, including a tricky test at Duke. Their only home game will be a showdown against Oklahoma, deemed to be one of the top programs in the Big 12. Then they’ll go to Kansas State and Oklahoma State. While their 2-0 start could bring optimism, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this team was 2-4 after six games. The good news for them is that four of their final six games are at home, so they could get some momentum. However, it’s hard to say how their Big 12 matchups will go; this isn’t a dominant team.
Every team in the Big 12 plays the nine other schools in the league, so Baylor gets no escape from the top teams in the conference. That should push this season’s win total near the .500 mark. A 7-5 season seems like a good finishing point.
Regular Season Win Total Prediction: Under 7.5
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