Sports media personality questions Baylor Basketball's trajectory
Since 2015, the hierarchy of the Big 12 in basketball has remained remarkably consistent, with the Baylor Bears and the Kansas Jayhawks consistently at the top. However, given the new dynamic in collegiate athletics, we are beginning to see more parity across the conference due to the effects of NIL and revenue sharing. In the case of the Bears, the last two years have seen them combine for an overall record of 44-26. Comparatively, the two years prior, the Bears finished with a combined record of 50-18.
Given the slow start over the last two years, Sports Media personalities alike have taken notice, most recently by CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein. On Monday, Rothstein released his Big 12 rankings on his most recent edition of 'Inside College Basketball Now'. When asked about the current status of the conference, Rothstein went on to say, "We have a changing of the guard in the Big 12 Conference because, for years, and other people took a seat at the table from time to time... I’m going to go through my Big 12 Preseason Power Rankings here in just a second, but I’ll tell you this. Kansas and Baylor are not picked in the top-five.”
Later on in the interview, Rothstein eventually ranked the Bears as his No. 9 team in the Big 12. While that ranking may be a little low, especially given the success of head coach Scott Drew over the years, Rothstein made some compelling points. One of the key factors in this ranking is the significant amount of roster turnover that the Bears are facing for this upcoming season. Rothstein stated, "Baylor didn’t just lose Rob Wright. Baylor lost everybody of significance from last season. It is a complete rebuild in Waco."
While the Bears certainly have an uphill battle in front of them, the quality of their incoming transfers, along with the star-power freshman class they are bringing in, has many, including myself, questioning Rothstein's ranking. Nevertheless, the college basketball season is still a few months away, and only time will tell if this new version of the Baylor Bears will make it to the second weekend in March.
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Josh started covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Prior to Baylor Bears on SI, he worked as an intern for TheMichiganInsider at 247Sports. Josh graduated from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, with a bachelor’s degree in economics, where his passion for collegiate athletics continued to grow after attending his first game in The Big House. Combining his analytical background and his affinity for collegiate sports, Josh enjoys providing his unique perspective on the shifting dynamic equilibrium of the collegiate athletics landscape. When not watching sports, Josh enjoys cooking a nice meal, running, and traveling to new places with his friends and family.