62 Days till Kickoff: Baylor converted 62.86% of 4th down attempts

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With a new offensive coordinator in 2021 came a new mindset for Baylor football. Analytics-based aggression in the form of more attempts at converting fourth downs.

Baylor went for it on 35 fourth downs last season and successfully gained the first down 22 times. That is good for a 62.86% conversation rate.

Nationally, the Bears ranked 28th in conversion percentage and 5th in the Big 12. Kansas State, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Iowa State all had better conversion rates.

If you only look at teams who made 25 or more attempts at conversion last year (an arbitrary cutoff I chose to show commitment to aggression) then Baylor ranked 14th in the nation and second in the Big 12 to West Virginia.

There were obviously times last season, even in the biggest games of the year, where the decision to go for it was unsuccessful and potentially very harmful. However, converting at such a rate, staying committed to the aggression, and showing trust in your team worked out in the end.

If Baylor wants to reach its ceiling and keep winning the majority of its one-score games, then improving this conversion rate could be key.