SicEm365 Staff Roundtable: What is the Toughest Game on Baylor's Schedule?

As fall camp approaches, the SicEm365 staff will address the most pressing questions about the football team. This week, the staff gave varying opinions on breakout players and the biggest questions surrounding the squad. Today, the staff will answer who Baylor’s toughest game on the schedule is.

Colt Barber: @ West Virginia (November 16)

Somewhere on this website, I talked about West Virginia being the most undervalued team in the Big 12 for 2024. I still feel that way, and though I admittedly haven’t researched their roster too in-depth, I know they have a solid group returning from a 9-win team in 2023. Neal Brown is a really good coach, and he has a quarterback who can shred you on the ground and be explosive through the air. A mid-November game at WVU with potentially a bowl game on the line could be difficult. 

Grayson Grundhoefer: @ Iowa State (October 5)

The game in Ames feels like a trap. The Bears will have just played five games in a row against tough competition heading into this one and might be eyeing the bye week following this game. Plus I think they will be feeling good about themselves after beating BYU so a lot of those factors have me suspicious about what Baylor will do here. On the other hand, I expect Iowa State to be 4-0 or 3-1 heading into this one for its first big home game of the season. All of this isn’t good, plus I think Iowa State’s strengths and play style will give Baylor some issues on both sides of the ball.

I would have chosen the Utah game but I left it for someone else to do and no one chose it. That is pretty shocking to me and I think there is a lot of people underrating that team. The Utes return a top QB in Cam Rising, the best TE in the league Brant Kuithe, three very good OL, a top 3 DL in the league, and the most proven coach. Oh they also have only lost at home three times since 2018.

Travis Roeder: @ Colorado (September 21)

If the Utah game were later in the season I’d probably go with it, but I think it helps Baylor to play the Utes in Week 2. As a general rule of thumb in college football, the toughest games tend to be night games on the road. Funnily enough, Baylor probably either needs to be good or terrible to have many night games; good games get slotted at night, and then bad games do as well because those go to ESPN+ and the home team decides the kickoff time. 

With that being said, I’m going with the conference opener against Colorado in Boulder. For one, I think they’re going to be good this year, maybe even great. Furthermore, with the early season hype being there, this is probably going to be a night game, maybe with a big broadcast crew. It is also Colorado’s first Big 12 game, so the crowd should be rowdy. Plus altitude. And if Baylor takes an early loss at Utah (and god forbid to Air Force at home) they’re going to have a lot of pressure to get a win here.

Craig Smoak: Vs. TCU (November 2)

This matchup doesn't require anything beyond bragging rights to be amongst the Bears' toughest contests mentally, physically, and, in some years more than others, emotionally. You can now toss in the Gary Patterson advising Aranda subplot this season, even if he stays in the shadows by design. It's a rivalry that can burn as hot and get as off the rails as any in the country, especially when the stakes are high.

But its importance only grows greater in a post-OU and Texas world. Because if there's one game still on the schedule that can send morale soaring no matter what the season looks like, it's beating TCU. And nine games in, meaningful big-picture opportunities could be in play for one or both, but either way, you know it'll be a real fight, and at home, no less.