SI's Top 25: Baylor Ranked No. 11
The Baylor Bears were crowned Big 12 and Sugar Bowl champions this past season, which is about as close as a team can get to making its claim for the College Football Playoff. And in a game that has been transformed by the transfer portal and NIL, a team like Baylor could be on the verge of having a chance at jumping into the final four teams remaining this upcoming season.
Baylor Bears
Baylor Bears
Baylor Bears
Baylor secured a 12-2 record last year. As a result, media outlets across the nation have increasingly high expectations for Aranda and Co. heading into next season.
Sports Illustrated-based platform, Athlon Sports, released an early top 25 rankings Thursday for the upcoming college football season and has the Bears ranked at No. 11 in the country.
Here's part of what the ranking had to say about Baylor:
Baylor Bears
Baylor Bears
Baylor Bears
The Big 12 might be the toughest conference to predict at the top. Baylor - the defending Big 12 champ - is Athlon's pick to repeat. However, there are plenty of threats in the conference, including Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and potentially a wild-card team or two like Kansas State, Texas and West Virginia. Similar to last season, the strength of coach Dave Aranda's team is its defense. The Bears held teams to 5.2 yards per play and 18.3 points a game and ranked second in the Big 12 in rush defense and pass efficiency defense. A strong front anchored by nose tackle Siaki Ika and Player, a transfer from Tulsa, ranks among the best in college football, but linebacker Terrel Bernard is a big loss. Aranda has to patch a couple of holes in the secondary after the departure of safety Jalen Pitre and fellow defensive backs Kalon Barnes, Raleigh Texada and JT Woods.
While the nation wouldn’t see it as a huge surprise if Baylor qualifies for the playoff given the success the team had last season, the Bears’ qualification would be historical for a program that was just 2-7 in 2020. Sitting at No. 11 in any preseason rankings is a positive sign of what the team can achieve this fall.
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