Baylor Football To Square Off against LSU Tigers In Texas Bowl

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HOUSTON – Baylor (8-4, 6-3) will play LSU (8-4, 5-3) in the Texas Bowl at 2:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

The Bears and Tigers will face off for the first time in over 35 years; LSU leads the all-time series, 8-to-3, with Baylor winning the last matchup in the 1985 Liberty Bowl.

Dave Aranda spent four seasons as LSU’s defensive coordinator and won a National Championship in 2019 before he was hired to head the Baylor program in 2020.

After opening the fall with a 2-4 record, the Bears rallied and rattled six straight wins to close the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the country.

Baylor is led by its high-flying offense under first-year offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. The Bears average 34.5 points per game and have one of the best quarterback-running back tandems in the country with Sawyer Robertson (RJr.) and Bryson Washington (RFr.).

Robertson totaled 30 touchdowns on the season and had the nation's fifth-highest quarterback rating (83.9). Washington has rushed for over 100 yards in four straight games and became the first freshman in program history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in a single season.

It’s Baylor’s first bowl appearance since 2022 and the program’s third-ever trip to the Texas Bowl; the Bears beat Vanderbilt in 2018 and lost to Illinois in 2010.

Meanwhile, the Bayou Bengals opened 2024 with high expectations under head coach Brian Kelly but tailed off toward the end of the season, losing three of their final five games.

Like Baylor, LSU's offense leads the team, but many questions remain about which players will be available for the Texas Bowl.

Offensive lineman Will Campbell (Jr.) and tight end Mason Taylor (Jr.) have already announced they are foregoing their remaining eligibility to enter the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s yet to be seen if star wide receiver Kyren Lacy (Sr.) will suit up for one final game.