CFB Analyst 'Underplays' Baylor in 2026, Takes Dig at DJ Lagway
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DJ Lagway's litmus test as a starting quarterback will certainly be game one against Auburn. It won't be a home game to comfortably start the season against a soup can of an opponent, but it also won't be a home game for Auburn either as the game will take place in Atlanta, GA. Admittedly, closer to a home game for Auburn than it will be for Baylor, but "neutral" territory nonetheless.
As every quarterback is going to have their struggles and learning curves, especially playing for a new team with a new scheme and new coaches, DJ Lagway isn't going to get the chance to have an easy first game of the season as he, again, starts his season against Auburn.
With Auburn being favored to win the matchup by most conventionally trusted experts and sports-betting gurus (as things are at time of writing), to say that the first game will "be easy" would be a heinously egregious take to have. However, if he's able to establish himself early and set the tempo of the game, DJ Lagway definitely has the potential and ability to show why he was so heavily recruited.
Danny Kanell isn't high on Baylor or DJ Lagway
The question remains though: Will Baylor win over or under 6.5 games this season? The answer to that seems to come down to game one against Auburn. Danny Kanell of the Cover3 podcast seemed to share the same sentiment being content with taking the under, but still having hope that they are proven wrong; and that might be a higher compliment than if he would have flatly stated that he was going to take the over.
Less optimistic than outright predicting ten wins and a chance at the Big XII championship maybe, but it can at least be inferred that they acknowledge that a win against Auburn could set the Bears on the best path for their season.
"I've got — I need to get a little bit balanced here, so I need to underplay," Kanell said. "I've seen the story happen way too many times where we see a five-star coming out of high school and he's projected to be all everything and then falls well short of it and then gets a second opportunity and everybody gets all excited and then all of a sudden you realize maybe just a five star ranking was not correct because maybe that player just struggles to play the sport of football. I hate saying that because it feels kind of mean.
"Give me Baylor under 6.5 wins for the season..I know Jake Spavital's been there and he's the quarterback whisperer. But he's going to be asked to throw the football quite a bit and he's got to figure out the turnover situation. I didn't love some of the things he was saying on the way out from Florida"
Is it hype or will it happen?
The trickiest part of predicting an over/under for a team with a new starting quarterback is that everything comes down to speculation until the season starts. Hype gets misconstrued with happening.
Whether Baylor wins over/under 6.5 games this season rests upon the shoulders of DJ Lagway who has all of the tools to be a happening and the spark that Baylor needs to go over 6.5 wins and end the season with a bowl victory. Lagway also has the same potential to prove that his potential is all just hype and the Bears go under 6.5 wins and fail to even become bowl-eligible.
Fans of the Baylor Bears football team who enjoy watching a good football game, should be optimistic for the season. As a sports fan who has seen this exact sort of scenario play through a number of times throughout the years to both positive and negative results, I'm aware of the risks and rewards to the potential outcomes. As a writer, I'll have my pen and paper ready to follow this story the entire time.
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Brad is a writer and contributes to the Baylor Bears on SI, with aspirations to share his own unique thoughts and perspectives with fans. Whether through the facts and figures of the past or the untold potential and triumphs of the future, sports have always been a large influence on Brad's storytelling and life overall. His inspiration to write began while watching sports when he first noticed the highs and lows of each game, each quarter, each play; there's a story in each of them worth telling, and he wanted to tell them.
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