3 Keys to a Baylor Football Win Over Rival TCU

Revivalry week has arrived, and it has helped juice up a hot Baylor team. The Bears are favored as they host TCU on Saturday, but the Horned Frogs have won 5 out of the last 6 meetings.

"We have to go out there and win," Micah Gifford said. "We haven't had the most success against TCU in my time here, and I feel like it's about time that changes."

Here are three keys for the Bears to flip the recent narrative on the rivalry:

Avoid a shootout

Baylor TCU — Oct 18, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes and Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Baylor vs. TCU rivalry has a history of very high-scoring affairs. The Bears need to continue to play their brand of football: play sound defense and let the offense chip away over four quarters.

The TCU offense has had issues; there is no reason to let them find their footing in McLane. Baylor has the ability to take the win either way, but a low-scoring affair is going to favor the Bears.

A slow-paced game is where Baylor seems to be most comfortable. There is no need to play a shootout and force the offense to explode against a TCU defense that has yet to give up more than 21 points.

The offensive line remains solid

Baylor O-Line — Sep 6, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears offensive lineman Ryan Lengyel | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The O-line has been one of the shakier position groups for Baylor after getting overhauled in the offseason. They put together their most complete performance against ASU, but face a tall task against a strong TCU defense.

"Might be the best D-line that we've played to this point," Aranda said. "They've got really twitchy guys in the interior that can really be disruptive. And it's going to be a challenge for our group."

Just like every important game, the Bears will need the run game to get established early on. The offense can ill-afford to wait around until the fourth quarter to get running backs out of the gates.

A huge part of the offense's success in Arizona was thanks to phenomenal blocking from the O-line that allowed for explosive runs from the ball carriers.

Kick the Horned Frogs while they are down

Oct 3, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

TCU has a talented team that has heavily struggled offensively in their 2-3 start to the season. Baylor has the chance to deliver another blow to their 2026 campaign.

"They're a dangerous team," Aranda said. "I think O-line-wise they're improved. I think quarterback is really close just to breaking out. I think tight end is a big mismatch. I think the D-line makes it really hard to run against. I think the safety group might be the best in our league. They're a talented team. Yeah, they're just hunting for belief."

The Bears are riding a four-game heater while TCU is trying to save their season after a 0-2 start to Big 12 play. But Baylor has too many instances of being medicine for TCU (across multiple sports). This cannot be the case on Saturday.

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