They finished 8-5 overall and are looking to be a playoff contender next season. The BIG12 Conference only had one team make the playoffs and that was the Arizona State Sun Devils. Baylor will have a lot of talent returning next season.
CBS Sports writer Shehan Jeyarajah listed five different playoff contenders ahead of the 2025 college football season out of the BIG12 Conference. The Sun Devils defeated the Iowa State Cyclones a season ago in the conference title game. Jeyarjah thinks that the Bears could be a contender this season. He said,
“No one in the Big 12 was better in the second half of 2024 than the Baylor Bears. Baylor zoomed through the latter half of Big 12 play, ending on a six-game winning streak with a dominant 28-point win over a Kansas team fresh off three straight victories. With quarterback Sawyer Robertson, running back Bryson Washington and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital all back, the Bears should be serious conference contenders.
However, the Bears have to start the year quicker than last season. Baylor plays CFP teams SMU and Arizona State in the first four games, then mixes in a marquee nonconference game against a desperate Auburn squad in a Friday game. Getting back to conference contention was an important first step, but now is the moment for Dave Aranda to prove he has staying power.”
