Baylor in the Thick of Wide-Open Big 12 Race Amid Brendan Sorsby Gambling Investigation

Things are going to be interesting in the Big 12.

Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

News broke on Monday that Texas Tech quarterback and former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby entered a treatment program for a gambling addiction. Sorbsy was allegedly making thousands of bets during his collegiate career, and it was reported that he made at least one bet on an Indiana game while he was on the team.

Sorsby is indefinitely off of the Red Raiders and the NCAA is currently investigating Sorsby. The chances of the top-ranked transfer ever playing a game for Texas Tech are slim to none. The chances of Sorsby going into the NFL's Supplemental Draft are much higher.

After making the College Football Playoff, Texas Tech was a projected top-10 team entering the 2026 season and was expected to win the Big 12 Conference. But there is a lot of smog covering the Red Raiders right now, and the Big 12 race could get very interesting.

Baylor made moves to get into the mix

Teams like BYU, Utah, and Houston, with potentially Oklahoma State getting some love, will all receive higher odds than a team like Baylor. Texas Tech was the clear favorite this season, but the battle for the No. 2 spot was much closer.

However, the Big 12 is wide open and that's the bottom line.

The Bears were expected to compete for the Big 12 last season, but Baylor ended up going 5-7 and that's without facing the Red Raiders in 2025.

DJ Lagway and Jadon Porter celebrating a score in Spring Ball | @BUFootball on X

Dave Aranda did some self-scouting and opted to hire Joe Klanderman away from Kansas State to run his defense. Aranda is going back to just being the head coach, not calling the plays on defense. That was the first step in getting Baylor back to a winning football team.

As we know, the Bears lost several high-end players like quarterback Sawyer Robertson and playmakers Michael Trigg and Josh Cameron. But the Bears went out and landed former top-five prospect DJ Lagway to lead them out of the transfer portal.

The Bears retooled both lines and will look to cause more havoc in 2026.

What needs to go right in 2026

We are going to learn a lot about Baylor in the opening week. For the second year in a row, the Bears will take on Auburn. Last season, Baylor lost to the Tigers in Waco, but this year, the Bears will take on Auburn in a neutral site.

If Baylor can upset the Tigers in Week 1, Baylor will have three winnable games in a row before it really gets into Big 12 play.

DJ Lagway's Instagram Account

The Bears have games against Arizona State, TCU, BYU, Texas Tech, and Houston — the latter three to finish the season—and the Bears will have to pull off several upsets to contend. But the key for the Bears will be to get out to a quick start and gain momentum with a new-look team.

If Lagway can turn back the clock and play like the five-star he was in high school, Baylor very well can be toward the top of a wide-open Big 12 race.