A viewing guide for Baylor football fans for the Week 7 bye week
With Baylor on a bye week, fans will get a rare chance to sit back, breathe, sort out how they feel about their team, and scout ahead. As the Bears inch closer to the towards the end the regular season, the next few Saturdays will begin to define who they are, both in the Big 12 race and beyond. And while Dave Aranda’s group regroups and reloads for the home stretch, there’s plenty across the conference worth keeping an eye on this weekend that could tell us a lot about the road ahead.
When Baylor returns, it’ll be for two straight road games, starting October 18th in Fort Worth against TCU, followed by a trip to Cincinnati the following week. Both opponents have begun to hit their stride in different ways, and their matchups this Saturday could offer a useful litmus test for where Baylor stands.
For TCU, Saturday’s game against Kansas State might be the most telling. The Horned Frogs, led by quarterback Josh Hoover, a fellow fringe Heisman candidate alongside Sawyer Robertson, and receiver Eric McAlister — their version of the Robertson/Michael Trigg duo — have been one of the Big 12’s most explosive passing units through the first half of the season. Baylor fans just saw Kansas State up close, and if TCU keeps that same pace, or wins by multiple scores, it might raise some alarms about the gap between the two programs right now. But if Kansas State keeps it close or even edges them, that should give Baylor reason to feel like next week’s matchup in Fort Worth could be winnable, or even a statement to the Big 12's upper crust.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, has quietly turned into one of the league’s bigger surprises. After a narrow Week 1 loss to Nebraska, the Bearcats looked destined for the bottom of the Big 12 in their second season of membership, but a 4–1 start has flipped that narrative. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby has started drawing real NFL Draft buzz for his dual-threat skill set, as a powerful arm that can fit tight windows and the athleticism to make plays off-script. Watching how he performs this weekend against UCF, one of Baylor’s more manageable opponents down the stretch, could be an early gauge of just how dangerous Cincinnati will be when the Bears visit Nippert Stadium later this month.
And while it may feel like a lifetime ago, don’t forget about Utah. The Utes, Baylor’s Week 11 opponent, have been largely written off nationally, but with their only loss coming to a now–top 10 team, they’re far from out of the conversation. Their matchup this weekend, the first of two straight ranked games, should tell us whether they’re regaining their early-season edge in the trenches. Considering Baylor sees them again on November 15th, how Utah trends down the stretch could go a long way in shaping that late-season test.
So while the Bears take a pause this weekend, there’s no shortage of storylines across the Big 12 worth tracking. For Baylor fans, this Saturday is less about relaxation — and more about reconnaissance.
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Josh began covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Before this, he previously wrote for Syracuse men's basketball and football at SI from 2022-24. As a former Division I defensive lineman at Prairie View, Josh is passionate about storytelling from a former athlete's perspective. When he's not covering Baylor, he enjoys traveling, listening to podcasts and music, and loves cooking a good meal.