Three things we've learned about Baylor through the first two weeks
The Baylor Bears have been through a lot in their first two games. They had a hard-fought, physical battle against the Auburn Tigers in the opener, which they lost, but then they went on the road and erased a 14-point deficit against the then-17th-ranked SMU Mustangs and won in overtime.
Watching Baylor football in 2025 has been a rollercoaster, but here are three things we've learned about the team through their first two games.
They could have a top-five scoring offense
If there's one thing you absolutely cannot dispute, it's that Baylor's offense isn't one of the best in the country. They're averaging 36 points per game, but it feels like it should be a lot more. They started slow against Auburn and dropped a late touchdown; otherwise, they may have scored 40+ in the opener. Then this past weekend, they didn't look their best until late in the game when they scored 24 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
They have one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Sawyer Robertson (which we'll talk about more later), and if they can really get their run game going, there's no reason to believe they can't finish as a top-five scoring offense.
Sawyer Robertson is a legitimate Heisman contender
Sawyer Robertson has been, hands down, the best quarterback in the country through two games. He's played one of the hardest opening schedules of any QB in the country, and has thrown for the second-most passing yards (859) and seventh-most touchdowns (7), and he's doing this without much help from the run game. He is already receiving Heisman attention from ESPN and other outlets, and while keeping up his 425-yard pace will be tough, there's no reason to think we should see a dramatic drop off in production anytime soon. Baylor is going to rely on him to win games this season, much like they did against SMU. They'll need him to throw for 300+ yards in a lot of their upcoming games, so pay attention to Robertson, who should continue to climb Heisman ladders throughout the year.
But the defense...
While Baylor's offense has proven they can keep themselves in every game, the defense needs to take a massive step forward if they have any intention of winning the Big 12 and securing a spot in the College Football Playoffs.
Through two games, Baylor has allowed 41.5 points per game, which ranked 119th out of 136 schools. They've also allowed 436 yards per game, which ranked 109th. And that's with a defensive head coach. I will say, they have had to play two very good offenses early, but they haven't been able to stop a nose bleed against either of them.
The worst part about it is, the entire defense is the problem. In the opener against Auburn, they covered well, but allowed over 300 rushing yards. This past weekend against SMU, they held SMU to 3.7 yards per carry, but gave up 295 yards and three scores through the air. They've also already missed 31 tackles this season. If they want to compete for the Big 12 title, they need to improve on every level, and that falls on Dave Aranda's shoulders.
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Luke is a writer for the Baylor Bears On SI. He's an LSU graduate and previously covered the Tigers for two years. He also covers the New Orleans Saints and Formula 1. Luke's passion for sports and storytelling led him to become a sports writer.