How Baylor's Big 12 start could define its 2025 season
The 2025-2026 college football season is now three weeks in, and for many universities, including the Baylor Bears, that marks the conclusion of their non-conference schedule. The Bears come into week 4 with a 2-1 record, a realistic start given the difficulty of their matchups in weeks 1 and 2 against Auburn and SMU, respectively.
With that being said, things are only going to get more difficult for the Bears now that their Big 12 conference schedule has arrived. The Big 12 has more talent than it ever has, and in order for Baylor to remain in title conversations, and even playoff conversations for that matter, perfection is almost essential.
When evaluating Baylor's path to a postseason birth, a few games are circled on the calendar, with one being the Bears' opponent for this week, the Arizona State Sun Devils. Coming off a College Football playoff berth last season, the Sun Devils were a team that many people had as a Big 12 title favorite for this season. With quarterback Sam Leavitt returning for another season, along with a plethora of other returning players, ASU has the talent to make another push for the CFP.
With ASU dropping a game in their non-conference slate, this game is of even more importance for Baylor. If the Bears can find a way to come out of week 4 victorious, it gives them a firm win over an ASU team that could no doubt be ranked within the top 25 by the end of the season.
Momentum can be potent in college football - just look at Baylor last season. Following a rough start to the Bears' season, Dave Aranda and company were able to completely flip the script and rattle off 6 wins to finish the season. If Baylor can replicate some of that momentum, but start now rather than halfway through the season, the Bears should be able to ride that wave of momentum through the beginning, middle, and end of their Big 12 schedule.
A strong start helps recruiting
One final underrated aspect of the importance of Baylor to start quickly comes off the field: recruiting. Dave Aranda and his staff have done a great job thus far at assembling a strong 2026 recruiting class, most notably headlined by high four-star recruit, Jamarion Carlton. As we all know, recruiting is very fluid, and on-field production is one of many ways to convince current commits to stay put and to convince others to join. A strong start to the season could pay massive dividends for Baylor on the recruiting front, and could be enough to help push them into the top 25 or even top 20 recruiting class.
Only time will tell if Baylor will be able to start quickly, but if you had to ask me right now, between Sawyer Robertson's play and the strong defensive performance from last week, I like the Bears to beat the Sun Devils and start Big 12 conference play strong.
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-c6d300a6cd3bbc37e5025fa0d47bc7a7.jpeg "Trent Knoop")
Trent is the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI and also serves as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines on SI. His work has additionally been featured on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.
Josh started covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Prior to Baylor Bears on SI, he worked as an intern for TheMichiganInsider at 247Sports. Josh graduated from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, with a bachelor’s degree in economics, where his passion for collegiate athletics continued to grow after attending his first game in The Big House. Combining his analytical background and his affinity for collegiate sports, Josh enjoys providing his unique perspective on the shifting dynamic equilibrium of the collegiate athletics landscape. When not watching sports, Josh enjoys cooking a nice meal, running, and traveling to new places with his friends and family.