In The Web: What 'They' are Saying about Baylor in Week 6

After five weeks of apathetic football, Baylor finds itself in a no-man’s land of interest around the program. The questions about Dave Aranda’s job security are out there again, but at this point, nobody really cares except the fans who have been done with his tenure.

Baylor (2-3, 0-2) has been a complete disaster under Aranda for the past two seasons. Under his guidance, the Bears are 5-14 against ranked opponents and 15-23 in Big 12 play. The Bears now have to travel to Ames this week to face No. 16 Iowa State (4-0, 1-0), where the Cyclones hold a 6-5 series lead over the Bears at Jack Trice Stadium.

Las Vegas doesn’t see Baylor having a chance in this game, as the Bears opened up as a double-digit dog against the Cyclones when the lines dropped over the weekend.

While Baylor’s defense has vastly improved this season, the offense remains a question mark for the program. The lack of consistency in the rushing attack has made life difficult for quarterback Sawyer Robertson (RJr.), who was able to overcome adversity last week against BYU and put up career-highs in yards (324), touchdowns (3), attempts (48) and completions (27).

Despite Robertson’s efforts to get the offense moving, Baylor will remain at the bottom of the Big 12 standings in yards per play in 2024.

The rankings and analytics continue to reflect Baylor's weekly struggles. The Bears have now fallen to No. 56 in ESPN’s SP+ Rankings, sandwiched between Boston College and Liberty. Kelley Ford Rankings also projects them to finish 14th in conference play, ahead of Houston and Arizona State.

To add insult to injury, Baylor also found themselves on the wrong end of Heartland College Sports’ ‘Top 5’ Big 12 Moments of September for the failed Hail Mary defensive attempts against Colorado.

Baylor desperately needs a win this week against Iowa State, but it will be a tall task. The Cyclones have an elite defense that ranks No. 2 in passing defense, No. 10 in interceptions, No. 8 in first-down defense, No. 4 in scoring defense, No. 1 in team passing efficiency defense and No. 11 in total defense nationally.

Kickoff for the Bears and Cyclones is set for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and will be aired nationally on Fox with Tim Brando and Devin Gardner on the call.