Where Baylor Bears Rank in National Polls After Week 2

The perception of the Baylor Bears has held steady since last week.

Sep 12, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver Jayden McGowan (15) catches a pass for a touchdown against Prairie View A&M Panthers defensive back Fitzroy Ledgister (14) during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A week after suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Auburn Tigers, the Baylor Bears had little trouble dispatching the Prairie View A&M Panthers. By the end of the first quarter, Baylor had established a 17-3 lead and nearly doubled it by halftime. That the offense managed to put up such gaudy statistics without starting quarterback DJ Lagway and starting center Koltin Sieracki suggests the unit can continue to produce against the Bears' upcoming slate, few of which appear to have a defensive front on par with Auburn's.

At the same time, taking an FCS program like Prairie View A&M to the woodshed won't change many minds about Baylor. That doesn't mean the game didn't matter -- a slight victory or loss for the Bears certainly would have sounded the alarm -- but it provides some important context to the national polls that have since hit the internet.

Perhaps Baylor can increase its standing with a victory over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in Week 3. The Bears will again enter the game favored to win, but they won't have the margin for error they did last Saturday.

All of which provides the backdrop to this week's national polling.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

AP Top 25

Just as Week 1's loss to Auburn didn't significantly improve the national perception of Baylor, neither did this past weekend's one-sided matchup with Prairie View A&M. For the second time in two weeks, the Bears did not receive any votes in the AP Top 25. That trend might continue until the program stacks wins into conference play, and a letdown could always lurk just around the corner.

ESPN FPI

Though the change won't look significant, the Bears did improve by a few spots in ESPN's FPI metric. Exiting Week 2, they sit directly behind two fellow Big 12 programs: the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Houston Cougars. Baylor's next opponent, Louisiana Tech, comes in at No. 94.

The Athletic's Rankings

A week ago, the Bears improved by 20 spots in The Athletic's rankings despite losing to Auburn. After Week 2's lopsided victory, they actually fell back three spots, coming in at No. 38. While a minor difference in the grand scheme of things, those two decisions seem odd when juxtaposed against one another.

CBS Sports Power Rankings

To no one's surprise, Baylor did not appear in CBS Sports' latest batch of power rankings. Of course, they didn't appear in the previous edition either.

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