In The Web: What "They" Are Saying About Baylor in Week 2

What unfolded on Saturday at McLane Stadium not only sent shockwaves throughout the Big 12 but nationally as well. Baylor’s 42-31 loss to Texas State was the latest in a five-game skid for the Bears that dates back to last season.

The Bobcats absolutely dominated Baylor in the trenches and were the better-coached team all around once the dust had settled in Waco. It marked Texas State’s first-ever win as a Power 5 — or 4 at this point — program and it was the first time that the Bobcats had ever beaten Baylor as the all-time series now sits at 9-1 in favor of the Bears.

Here is what Chris Vannini and Sam Khan Jr. of The Athletic had to say about the disappointing performance by Baylor and the current state of the program in Year 4 of the Dave Aranda era.

The duo referred to Saturday’s performance as “A tough way to start Year 4 of the Arnada era,” they continued by stating “Losing at home is tough, it’s worse when getting outplayed the way Baylor did by a program outside of a power conference.”

One of the more jarring observations on Saturday was the talent discrepancy in favor of Texas State. The Bobcats had the more talented quarterback and were bigger and stronger in the trenches which is honestly alarming. 

The “Person Over Player” concept for Baylor is a good mantra to have, but does it actually translate in the current landscape or college football? The transfer portal and NIL have rekindled to flames of the old SWC brethren that Baylor once competed with, and now that SMU, TCU, and Houston have been given a level playing field, their deep pockets and geographical footprints should be cause for concern for Baylor.

Baylor’s overall talent level is a glaring concern and the momentum of regression is something that was once again highlighted by Khan in The Athletic again this week.

“That wasn’t a fluke win by Texas State, they controlled the game most of the way,” he continued “What stood out most was the overall talent level. Texas State was a lot faster than Baylor and in Year 4, this program should be peaking, not regressing.”

The Bears also took major dips in the Power Rankings following the loss to Texas State. Baylor opened the season sitting atop the Big 12 Power Rankings according to Pete Mundo and the crew over at Heartland Sports, but things drastically changed as Baylor now finds themselves in dead last heading into Week 2.

14. BAYLOR BEARS
Baylor was a four-touchdown favorite and lost to Texas State. The offensive line is a mess, I’ve never been sold on Blake Shapen and the defense was in shambles. Things could unravel quickly in Waco this season. Let’s wait and see.

As far as the rankings go within the borders of The Lone Star State, Baylor is once again a cellar dweller. According to Mike Craven of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, Baylor now sits at No. 9 only ahead of UTEP, Rice, Sam Houston, and North Texas.

9. BAYLOR BEARS
Baylor joined Texas Tech and TCU by losing to a double-digit underdog in Week 1. The Bears' defense and offensive line left a lot to be desired in the loss to Texas State.

Things aren’t going to get any easier for Baylor this week, as they get set to host one of the most physical teams in the nation, No. 14 Utah. The Utes took care of business in their season opener against Florida 24-11 despite not having a lot of their starters available, including star quarterback Cam Rising.

The experts out in Las Vegas opened the line for the first-ever meeting between the Utes and Bears at -4 Utah, but it’s now shifted even further in favor of Utah and could possibly move even more throughout the week.

Baylor is going to have to do some soul-searching this week in preparation for Utah and try to figure out a way to get things back on track, or it could be another long season on the Banks of the Brazos.

As always, get the latest on Baylor Football from SicEm365.com and tune into our pregame show on the 365 Sports YouTube Channel or KWTX on local television in Central Texas!