History, Regionality, Tradition: Designing the Perfect Conference for Baylor
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I am a fairly young college football fan in that I have only really been a true fan of the sport since 2021. Although I have only fully entrenched myself in this great sport for five whole seasons, I am deeply sentimental about the history and tradition it holds.
The tradition and history of Baylor's conference and its opponents have been changing for the past 30 years. In my opinion, for the worse, we lost in-state rivalries that we all held so dear, and we replaced them with cross-country bouts against schools with no relevance to Baylor. I don't blame fans who have fallen out of love with the sport. They miss playing their rivals down I-35, and aren't excited about a transnational flight to Morgantown.
What would the Ideal conference be for the Baylor Bears? It would be quite different than their current set-up in the Big 12. It would be one that respects tradition, regionality, and competitiveness. Tradition is why we love college athletics. Regionality is a lost luxury, as fans used to be able to attend all games on their conference schedule, home and away. This hypothetical conference has ten teams, ensuring that each team plays each other every season.
Continue the Revivalry, Obviously
#SicEm RT @ESPNPR: "Baylor has come from behind to shock TCU and the entire country." - Brad Nessler #TCUvsBAY pic.twitter.com/r9Hp3CYIKg
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) October 12, 2014
TCU was not always a mainstay in Baylor's conference. From 1996 to 2011, TCU floated in the Group of Five before finally joining the Big 12 in 2012. TCU is an obvious choice in my perfect conference world as they are Baylor's primary rival. TCU still remains Baylor's only protected rival in the Big 12, meaning they play against each other every year.
No More SEC
The Aggies and the Longhorns should always be in a conference together, and they should always be in a conference with Baylor. Baylor used to have a long-running rivalry with both these schools; Baylor and Texas have played every year from 1923 to 2024, and Baylor and Texas A&M have played against each other every year from 1920 to 2011 (excluding 1943 and 1944 due to WWII). My professors at Baylor would always make jokes at the expense of Texas A&M rather than TCU, and when the students gave a blank stare back, he would always say, "Back in the day, Texas A&M was our biggest rival!"
Old Southwest Conference Mates
These three schools are also no-brainers for a conference with Baylor. Texas Tech and Baylor share a rich history of playing against each other since 1929. Texas Tech joined the Southwest Conference in 1960 and have been conference mates with Baylor ever since. SMU and Baylor are also old Southwest Conference mates, and as SMU has crawled out of the hole that the death penalty took on them, have grown to a place of consistency that is admirable and desirable for a power conference. Along with that, SMU is one of the only stadiums in the country Baylor fans can go to on a road trip and "take over," as was the case in the 2025 matchup.
Houston is a recent addition to the Big 12 but another Southwest Conference foe; they have also risen to a place where they can consistently compete in the power conferences. Houston and Baylor also have beef dating back to the dissolution of the SWC, as many Houston fans believe there were some political dealings associated with Baylor getting the final spot in the founding of the Big 12.
Rivalries in the Sooner state
Oklahoma State was thiiiiiiiis close to taking the lead in the final seconds.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 4, 2021
Baylor and Jairon McVea had other plans.
Bears win the Big 12.
🎥 @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/a5ShcJni0V
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have to be in a conference with Baylor. Oklahoma and Baylor had some awesome battles in the 2010s and also had a fiery basketball rivalry. Oklahoma State and Baylor also have a long-lasting rivalry. They were two of the strongest teams of the 2010s Big 12, and they had some great battles. Baylor had one of their greatest-ever moments against Oklahoma State in 2021 too, with the Jairon McVea goal-line play. The rivalry has been back and forth since then.
The tenth spot in the conference
I had to decide between the Rice Owls or the Arkansas Razorbacks for the final spot in this Ideal conference for Baylor. While both are former Southwest Conference members and share a rich history with Baylor, both seem like they have other places that they should be. If I had to choose, I would choose Arkansas; not only are they far more competitive with Rice in football, they also bring a competitive edge to basketball that none of the other schools in this ideal conference do. The Baylor-Arkansas basketball rivalry would have been awesome in the past ten years and would be a sight to see for the next ten as well.
A final look of the perfect conference:
- Baylor
- TCU
- SMU
- Texas
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma State
- Houston
- Texas Tech
- Arkansas
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Jacob is a contributor for Baylor Bears On SI. A lifelong sports fan, he started writing game reactions and opinion pieces during Baylor football and basketball seasons, turning that hobby into a growing presence in sports media. He brings an authentic, fan-driven voice to his work and is excited to keep building his voice and breaking down the topics Baylor fans are talking about every day.
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