Bold predictions for Baylor's 2025 football season
The Baylor Bears finished the 2024 season as one of the hottest teams in the country. They won their final six regular season games before losing to the LSU Tigers in the Texas Bowl. They boasted one of the top offenses in college football, and with a strong returning core, many expect the Bears to compete for the Big 12 title in 2025.
Offensively, this team doesn't have a whole lot of questions. They have a proven quarterback in Sawyer Robertson, one of the best running backs in the country in Bryson Washington, and a deep receiving core, which includes Josh Cameron, who recorded over 700 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
The defense will be what determines how far this team can go in 2025. Dave Aranda is a defensive-minded head coach, but his unit was disappointing a year ago. They gave up over 28 points and 246 passing yards per game, both of which ranked outside the top 75. However, they brought in a handful of transfers who they think will help get them back on track.
With the start of the season just a couple of weeks away, here are my three bold predictions for the Baylor Bears in 2025.
Bryson Washington rushes for 1,500 yards
After redshirting his first year, Bryson Washington exploded onto the scene in 2024, rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns on the ground. He was one of the best running backs in the country, and he had to split time with Dawson Pendergrass.
Coming into the season, many believed Baylor had the best 1-2 punch in the country, but with Pendergrass out for the year with a foot injury, Washington will carry the bulk of the load in 2025. In my 2025 stat line predictions, I predicted Washington would rush for 1,320 yards, but for my bold prediction, I'm saying he'll rush for over 1,500 yards. He's one of the best running backs in the nation, and with Pendergrass out, they're going to rely heavily on his legs in what could be his final season with the team before turning pro.
Baylor ranks top 40 in scoring defense
I spoke about some of Baylor's defensive struggles last season earlier, but heading into 2025, I think Dave Aranda's unit could be much improved and possibly finish as a top 40 scoring defense.
Last season, Baylor's opponents averaged 246.3 passing yards per game, which ranked 100th in the country. They were horrible on the back end and gave up a ton of chunk plays, which really hurt them defensively. In response to that, the Bears added six defensive backs - three corners and three safeties - in the transfer portal, including former top 100 recruit, Calvin Simpson-Hunt from Ohio State. On top of that, they returned Caden Jenkins, Tevin Williams, and others from last year's team. They have enough talent on the backend to find the right combination of guys who can start and give them solid reps in the secondary.
Despite giving up over 150 rushing yards per game, they allowed only 4.2 yards per carry, which isn't amazing, but was good enough to finish in the top half of the nation. They get two of their best run defenders, Jackie Marshall and Devonte Tezino, back while also adding five defensive linemen in the portal.
Baylor has finished outside the top 70 in scoring defense in three consecutive seasons, but I think this is the year Aranda gets his team back to playing sound defensive football.
Baylor makes it to the Big 12 title game, but loses to Arizona State
When I evaluate how good I think a college football team is going to be, I immediately look at the quarterback. If you want to be a good team, you need a good QB, especially in college, and I think Sawyer Robertson is one of the best in the country and arguably the best in the Big 12.
The Bears have done an excellent job of surrounding Robertson with talent this offseason, whether that be through retaining players or the transfer portal. He has one of the best running backs in the country, a deep receiving core, and a talented tight end in Michael Trigg. This offense shouldn't have any problems starting fast, and if the defense is even marginally improved, they'll contend for the Big 12 title. However, I think Sam Leavitt and Arizona State might just be too much for the Bears if they make the conference championship.
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Luke is a writer for the Baylor Bears On SI. He's an LSU graduate and previously covered the Tigers for two years. He also covers the New Orleans Saints and Formula 1. Luke's passion for sports and storytelling led him to become a sports writer.