Big 12 adds suspense to Baylor football vs. Arizona Week 13 showdown
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The Baylor Bears are coming off their second bye week of the season and this weekend, the Bears will host one of the top teams in the country when Utah comes to town for a primetime game. Baylor has five wins on the season and needs to win one more for bowl eligibility, but winning out would be huge not only for the program, but Dave Aranda's future as well.
Following Utah, Baylor will hit the road next weekend and take on Arizona. The Wildcats are 6-3 on the season, and have won two games in a row. Arizona has a prolific offense led by Noah Fifita, and the Wildcats lost two close games to both BYU and Houston, so Arizona's record could be much better than it is.
On Monday, we found out that Baylor vs. Arizona is a part of the six-day window. That means we don't know the start time yet for the Bears' showdown against the 'Cats. But it will be announced by Saturday.
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History between the two programs
This will be the first time the two teams have met since Arizona came over to the Big 12 Conference. In fact, Baylor and Arizona have met just one time -- ever. Back in 1992, on New Year's Eve, Baylor took down the Wildcats.
Baylor won a thriller in El Paso, 20-15 and holds a 1-0 record against Arizona.
Taking on Noah Fifita
Baylor might have the top passer in the conference in Waco, but Arizona has one of the best, too. Noah Fifita has bounced back in a big way since having a down season in 2024. Fifita ranks No. 4 in the Big 12, averaging 244.4 yards per game through the air.
Back in 2023, Fifita was one of the best QBs in the country, throwing for 2,869 yards, 25 TDs, and six INTs. But last year, he struggled. Fifita threw for 2,958 yards, but had just 18 TDs and 12 INTs to go along with the passing yards.
It's been a bounce-back season for the Arizona QB, and with how Baylor hasn't defended good QBs this year, the Bears could be in a dogfight next weekend against the 'Cats.
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