Where Baylor Bears Rank in National Polls After Week 5

The perception of the Baylor Bears has improved since last week.

Oct 3, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver Louis Brown IV (4) celebrates after Baylor Bears running back Caden Knighten (11) scores a touchdown against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the third quarter at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Baylor Bears used Week 5 to extend their winning streak to four games, knocking off the Arizona State Sun Devils in decisive fashion. That performance did more than just improve the Bears' overall record. Quarterback DJ Lagway broke out in a major way, throwing for over 300 yards and accounting for five total touchdowns en route to Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Baylor will not take the field again until Oct. 17, providing a valuable week to rest. While the team didn't suffer any apparent major injuries against Arizona State, the time off should help players like Lagway, Jadon Porter, and others who have only recently returned from health-related issues. For the first time since the start of the season, the Bears appear to have positioned themselves for sustainable success.

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

AP Top 25

The four-game winning streak has still not pushed the Bears into AP Top 25 consideration, not even the "others receiving votes" section. The lack of votes in past weeks seemed justified, and perhaps that remains the case after Week 5. However, with the team not scheduled to face an opponent that currently has a winning record until the day before Halloween, voters might soon run out of compelling reasons to continue excluding Baylor from their ballots.

ESPN FPI

Following Week 5's win, the Bears enjoyed their biggest jump of the season in ESPN's FPI metric, improving 10 spots and landing in the top 30 nationally. Only four programs in the Big 12 -- the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Utah Utes, BYU Cougars, and Houston Cougars -- currently rank ahead of Baylor.

The Athletic's Rankings

While the Bears didn't jump quite as many spots in The Athletic's rankings as they did in ESPN's FPI metric, the multi-week slide has officially come to an end. Baylor, which had fallen to No. 47 overall directly after defeating the Colorado Buffaloes in Week 4, has improved to No. 42.

CBS Sports Power Rankings

Once again, the Bears did not appear in CBS Sports' latest batch of power rankings. Of course, they didn't appear in the previous edition either … or the one before that … or the one before that … or the one before that. However, as with the AP Top 25, Baylor will force the issue in the near future if the wins continue to stack.

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