Which Incoming Big 12 Program Is Baylor's Biggest Rival?

Two new teams joining the Big 12 could serve as a great rival for Baylor football in the new-formed conference

Baylor looks to remain the top team in the Big 12 following the departure of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC. The Bears have the resume, coming off a Big 12 title and first-ever 12-win regular season. 

They have the right coach in Dave Aranda, who seems content in Waco and recently signed a seven-year extension in the offseason. Between Baylor and Oklahoma State, one program should be the top contender each offseason, thus creating a vicious rivalry in the coming decades. 

Who else could rival the Bears, though? Which new program joining the madness of the conference pressures Baylor most? 

Houston Cougars

Houston Cougars

Houston Cougars

Four teams are set to join the Big 12 in the coming years from multiple conferences. Houston, BYU, UCF, and Cincinnati all have presented cases in their respective settings to transition over to the Power 5 with ease. 

Again, which conference provides the biggest rivalry with Baylor? There are two early options to join the conversation with TCU: Houston and BYU. 

The Cougars and Bears have a rich history of matchups during their time in the Southwest Conference. For two decades, the duo met in either Waco or just outside the downtown loop for 60 minutes of spit-swapping Texas-style of football until the conference was dissolved in 1996. 

On location alone, Houston seems like the more logical program to create an oversaturated disdain for. The two schools are separated by 165 miles and both fan bases travel well, making games at McLane Stadium and TDECU Stadium must-see spectacles. 

Both programs were also consistent through most of the 2010s in both recruiting to create cultures. The Bears picked up six 10-plus win seasons since 2010 under former Houston coach Art Briles, and later Matt Rhule and Aranda. 

Houston, which currently is entering the fourth season of the Dana Holgorsen era, has finished above .500 in eight of its last 10 seasons and been ranked inside the top 25 three times. 

For BYU, there's the religious aspect. As a private institution, Baylor is known in the country as the largest Baptist university in the world. BYU, which is named after one of the pioneers of the Mormon religion, Brigham Young, is the largest LDS school in the nation. 

The addition of BYU now creates a trifecta of private universities in the Big 12 based on religious aspects, joining forces with TCU in Fort Worth. For over a decades, most of college football have believed the Bears' biggest rival is the Horned Frogs based on similar schools' curricula. 

In large part, TCU and Baylor became rivals due to their time in SWC, having been members from 1926 until it dissolved 80 years later.

Much like Baylor, BYU remains on the rise as one of college football's budding programs. The Cougars have finished with 10-plus wins in three of the last 10 years. They've finished ranked six different times since 2010 and have produced early-round talent such as other programs with ease. 

BYU Football

BYU Football

BYU Football

When BYU traveled last season to play Baylor at the team's homecoming, a banner read “A United Conference for the Big 12,” while also breaking down the Cougars' history. There's mutual respect between the two schools in large part due to their philosophy and beliefs away from the athletics. 

On the field, rivalries still could be formed in due time. 

TCU still should serve as the "biggest" rival to the Bears for now. Most programs, however, have a second or third opponent that mirrors the process. Texas and TCU have been in second place, respectively due to the Red River Showdown. 

A new silver medal rival must be formed for the Bears. Which path with it choose; the in-state opponent or the religious impact across the country?  

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