CBS Projects Baylor to Miss a Bowl Game; What Would That Mean?

CBS recently ran a projection of the college fotoball season, and said the Baylor football program would miss the postseason altogether. What would that mean for their program?

Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Baylor head coach Dave Aranda speaks to reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Baylor football is entering a massive season for both head coach Dave Aranda and the football program as a whole.

They were 5-7 a season ago, and have overhauled their offense with essentially a brand new offensive line and wide receivers surrounding their new starting quarterback DJ Lagway. They need to win and they need to win immediately.

The bad news? We’re not buying it. We’ve talked before about not buying the hype that surrounds Lagway. The infrastructure around Lagway is a big reason for that as well as his own inconsistencies.

As it turns out, I am not alone. CBS Sports recently did a bowl projection story, where they projected who will make the College Football Playoff, and play in the subsequent bowls that follow.

Baylor was not on it. They were not on it, because CBS expects Baylor to not be bowl eligible for the second consecutive season.

In this age of college football, coaches are not awarded patience, and patience is running thin with Aranda at Baylor.

What would missing a bowl game mean for the Bears?

Mass Exodus

There’s little question that missing a bowl game would result in a change at head coach, and a likely overhaul of the coaching staff. That would put a ton of pressure on the athletic department to nail the next hire at head coach before turning attention to the roster.

It’s hard to foresee what other jobs could become available. Going into last season, it would have been hard to forecast that LSU, Florida, and Michigan would come open individually. By the time December rolled around, all three jobs were open.

It’s unlikely those jobs will open up, but in this age of college football anything goes. What if Alabama struggles again relative to their expectations? Could Kalen DeBoer find his way onto the hot seat looking for an exit strategy?

How about Nebraska with Matt Rhule? Oregon with Dan Lanning if they can’t get over the hump and into the national title game?

Marcus Freeman flirted with the NFL a season ago and could find his name come up in those circles again.

All of the aforementioned jobs are likely more attractive than Baylor, which would cause the athletic department to have to scramble to find a coaching candidate and lock him in before another job opened up to where that school could pounce.

That does not account for what could happen with the roster. If a coach were to sign with Baylor, there would be some work done with the roster. Matt Campbell, for example, brought over a good portion of his Iowa State team when he went to Penn State.

Kyle Whittingham brought key contributors from Utah over to Michigan. It’s not that it cannot be done, it’s just an upheaval to a program.

Structure is something that can be a positive on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal. Even in this modern age of college football, there is a comfort in feeling like a parent knows who they’re sending their son to play for during their college career.

This is a huge year for Baylor, make no mistake about it. For the sake of their program, they had best prove us and CBS hilariously wrong.  

Follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.