Baylor Football Projected for Historic Bowl Matchup Against This Big Ten Foe in 2026
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Baylor has suffered three losing seasons in the last four years and have made it to just one bowl game in the last three seasons.
Dave Aranda is facing a make or break season as the Bears' head coach, and while the schedule will do Baylor little to no favors, Aranda has to win some games in order to keep his tenure rolling in Waco. Aranda went out and added some key pieces, most notably former five-star quarterback DJ Lagway, in hopes of getting the Bears back and rolling.
And luckily for Aranda and Baylor, The Sporting News' Bill Bender predicted Baylor to get to a bowl game in 2026. In fact, you could call it the bowl game of the hot-seat coaches.
Historic bowl game matchup
Bender has Baylor playing in the Servpro First Responder Bowl on Jan. 2 against the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. Like Baylor, Luke Fickell is squarely on the hot seat in Madison and needs to win some games in order to keep his job.
With this prediction, clearly Bender sees both teams winning at least six games in order to qualify for a bowl game. But playing on Jan 2, maybe he envisions the Bears winning seven or maybe even eight games on their schedule.
What makes this game even more unique is that the two teams have never played one another. Wisconsin has been a power in the Big Ten for a long time, but under Fickell, the Badgers have struggled to remain relevant in the Big Ten. With the additions of Oregon, USC, and Washington, Wisconsin has taken a backseat.
Baylor's history against Big Ten teams in a bowl game
It's not common for Baylor to get matched up against a Big Ten opponent in a bowl game. In fact, not counting UCLA or Washington, which weren't in the Big Ten at the time, the Bears have played just three Big Ten programs in bowl games — ever.
Back in 1991, the Bears played their first Big Ten foe in a bowl game, matching up with Indiana in the Copper Bowl. The Hoosiers blanked the Bears, 24-0.
Fast forward to 2010, Baylor drew Illinois in the Alamo Bowl, where once again, the Bears weren't a match. Illinois took down Baylor, 38-14.
The final time would come in 2014, when Baylor faced Michigan State. The Spartans won a thrilling 42-41 game over the Bears in the Cotton Bowl.
Baylor is 0-3 all-time against the Big Ten in bowl games. If the Bears would draw Wisconsin, Dave Aranda would hope to change that losing streak.
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