Staff Predictions: Baylor Football Looks to Win Home Opener vs. Prairie View A&M

The Bears return to Waco in hopes of landing their first win.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Baylor Bears return to Waco in hopes of getting a win on their record. After a heartbreaking loss to Auburn, a game in which Baylor had several chances to win, the Bears will be a heavy favorite in the game against Prairie View A&M on Saturday night.

The Panthers come into McLane Stadium as the SWAC champions and a program that is used to winning. They return the 2025 SWAC Freshman of the Year in RB Chase Bingmon, along with the SWAC Coach of the Year, Tremaine Jackson.

While Prairie View A&M is a good program, if the Bears are going to contend in the Big 12, they have to take care of business. DJ Lagway might be a game-time decision, and it's hard to tell how long he will play if he does, but Baylor has the talent to win with or without Lagway on the field.

Let's dive into score predictions from the staff of Baylor on SI.

Trent Knoop

Baylor's offense didn't struggle to move the football against Auburn, the Bears struggled finding the end zone on a consistent level. I wouldn't be shocked to see Baylor score more than 38 points, but star QB DJ Lagway does have an injured ankle and it's hard to tell how much he plays.

Look for the Bears' defense to play well, but once Dave Aranda pulls his starters, Prairie View A&M could score a late touchdown to make the score closer than the game really was.

Final score: Baylor 38, Prairie View A&M 10

Bennett Parker

Baylor is far and away the better team here and will not be messing around in the home opener. Prairie View is not a 'trap game,' as some are calling it. DJ Lagway throws for three touchdowns before getting pulled for backups in the late 3rd quarter.

Final score: Baylor 52, Prairie View A&M 6

Jacob Haddadin

Baylor will comfortably win this game, but Prairie View A&M could spice things up on special teams or throw backup quarterback Nate Bennet for a loop when he inevitably enters the game. They have a lot of athletes and some former FBS players, but ultimately Baylor should be better.

Last season's FCS game was a mess. The offense kept misfiring, and the defense gave up multiple chunk plays. I would really like to see Baylor find their rhythm offensively, especially in the run game, while also keeping the defensive momentum from the Auburn game rolling.

Final sore: Baylor 41, Prairie View A&M 3

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brad Teague

Baylor is coming off of a loss against Auburn and will be looking to avenge that and get back to .500 on the season. At the time of my prediction, DJ Lagway is still listed as day-to-day, but I have full confidence that he will be starting in this game. Thankfully, as the Bears are rather heavy favorites.

This doesn't mean that this game will go so easily though as Prairie View runs at a comparable tempo to Auburn and all it takes is one misalignment taken advantage of for a Prairie View touchdown to happen. If Baylor still struggles with third down conversions or has half of their passes fall incomplete as they did against Auburn, this game can certainly be a lot closer than the current predictions read.

Having said that though, I fully expect Baylor to be able to handle their business in this game and get their first win of the season. By all accounts, Baylor's defense should be able to keep pace with Prairie View enough to prevent them from getting into Baylor territory very often. Baylor's offense will be the true thing to watch in this game, as they will need to establish the running game early and effectively. DJ Lagway simply cannot be passing the ball another 54 times in this game.

Final score: Baylor 35, Prairie View A&M 10

Jason B. Hirschhorn

In the wake of Week 1's shocking results -- UMass upsetting Rutgers in Piscataway, Michigan needing a replay-assisted clock adjustment and a Hail Mary to topple Western Michigan – the notion of Prairie View A&M seriously challenging Baylor this Saturday doesn't seem outlandish. Head coach Dave Aranda has embraced this idea, insisting that the Bears' upcoming opponent has a strong offensive system that produces wide-open receivers who "put you in conflict."

Still, a Baylor team that came within literal inches of upsetting Auburn in an unfavorable environment last Saturday should handle its business at home this weekend. The more telling development will take place under center, where the Bears will find out how much DJ Lagway's ankle injury will limit his mobility and, downstream of that, affect OC Jake Spavital's play- calling.

If Lagway looks more comfortable moving around than he did for the majority of the season opener, that bodes extremely well for the program's outlook once conference play begins. Alternatively, if Lagway appears limited to the pocket, life will probably get a lot harder for the offense when the competition ramps up. But in either case, the Bears should even their record to 1-1 on Saturday.

Prediction: Baylor defeats Prairie View A&M

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