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Baylor

Bears · Big 12

GIE rank
#19
of 138 FBS
Rating
1711
2026 Week 12
Record
6-3
2026 season
Proj record
7-5
12-game season

Head coach Dave Aranda Year 7 with Baylor

Season projection

2026 W12 · 10,000 sims
Expected wins
7.4
1.4 more wins in 3 left
Win range (90%)
6 to 9
Final rank (90%)
#23 (12–34)
Make playoff
7%
Win conference
0%

Path to glory

Their playoff probability after a win or a loss in each pivotal game. (Interactive toggles coming once the scenario sim finishes for this team.)

Baylor playoff probability by pivotal game result
Game Win Loss Swing
at BYU on road · Nov 14 · +55pp 55% 0% +55pp
at Houston on road · Nov 28 · +53pp 53% 0% +53pp
vs Texas Tech at home · Nov 21 · +48pp 48% 0% +48pp

Schedule

Full 2026 slate. Tap a row for the matchup breakdown.

Schedule and results
Week Opponent Result or win prob.Result or win probability
Wk 1 Sep 5 vs Auburn SEC · neutral Loss, 16-17 Final
Wk 2 Sep 13 vs Prairie View A&M Non-FBS Win, 44-3 Final
Wk 3 Sep 19 vs Louisiana Tech Sun Belt Win, 36-19 Final
Wk 4 Sep 26 vs Colorado Big 12 Win, 23-13 Final
Wk 5 Oct 4 at Arizona State Big 12 Win, 55-19 Final
Wk 6 Bye
Wk 7 Oct 17 vs TCU Big 12 Loss, 6-17 Final
Wk 8 Oct 24 at Kansas Big 12 Loss, 24-25 Final
Wk 9 Oct 30 at UCF Big 12 Win, 41-9 Final
Wk 10 Nov 7 vs Iowa State Big 12 Win, 42-31 Final
Wk 11 Nov 14 at BYU Big 12 Win probability: 34%
Wk 12 Nov 21 vs Texas Tech Big 12 Win probability: 43%
Wk 13 Nov 28 at Houston Big 12 Win probability: 40%

Latest stories

  • Recap

    Baylor: 2026 Week 12 recap

    Baylor is ranked 31st by GIE after a decisive 42–31 home win over Iowa State last week—a result that lifted the Bears' rating by 4.8 points to 13.3. At 6–3, they've quietly climbed into playoff consideration territory, though the model…

  • Recap

    Baylor: 2026 Week 11 recap

    Baylor sits at 5–3 and holds a rating of 8.5, landing them at No. 43 nationally—unchanged from last week despite a dominant 41–9 road victory over UCF in Week 9. The blowout win showcased their ability to execute in transition, but it…

  • Recap

    Baylor: 2026 Week 7 recap

    Baylor sits at 43rd overall with a 4–1 record and a GIE rating of 8.1, unchanged from last week despite a dominant 55–19 road win over Arizona State in Week 5. The Bears are projecting toward 8.2 expected wins, a modest ceiling for their…

In the news

More coming. Per-team pages get the full treatment in Phase 3: current rating, season projection histogram, schedule with win probabilities, and live overlays on Pylon stream days. For now, this page exists so stories and news have a permanent home as content rolls in.

Returning production · 2026

68 score

  • Quarterback 100% (4/5)
  • Offensive line 65% (11/17) players
  • Skill (RB/WR/TE) 35% (22/31)
  • Front 7 (DL/LB) 46% (19/30)
  • Secondary 73% (19/26)
  • Special teams 78% (5/6)

Share of last season's production each unit returns. Higher means more continuity: 70%+ is healthy, 45–70% a normal rebuild, under 45% a major turnover.

Portal additions · 2026

+1.4 rating

30 proven transfers in, carrying the production below from their prior school.

Baylor incoming transfers
Player From Impact
Garrick PonderDE From Southern Miss Southern Miss 128
Ryan DavisDE From Kansas State Kansas State 118
Daniel CobbsS From Kansas State Kansas State 110
DJ LagwayQB From Florida Florida 99
Gavin FreemanWR From Oklahoma State Oklahoma State 96
Traevon MitchellDL From South Florida South Florida 89

Impact scores offensive skill additions (QB/RB/WR/TE) — prior-season production normalized within position (100 ≈ a 90th-percentile producer at that spot) and discounted for non-FBS competition, so a top back counts alongside a top quarterback. Defensive and O-line additions count as transfers but aren't box-score measurable, so they carry no impact score. The rating figure is this class's portal contribution vs. the FBS average, capped at ±2.5.

Situational efficiency · 2025

FBS percentile rank
  • 3rd-down conversion 38.9%
    65th — average
  • Red-zone TD rate 14.1%
    43th — below avg
  • 4th-down aggression 61.0%
    98th — elite
  • Late & close 7.3 yds/play
    91th — elite

Percentile is across all FBS teams with play-by-play data for the season. "Late & close" is yards per play in Q4+ with a one-score margin — a proxy for clutch offensive performance.