Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda reacts on the sidelines against the Auburn Tigers during the first half at McLane Stadium Chris Jones-Imagn Images

From preseason hype to post-Auburn reality

Originally posted on Baylor Bears on SI
By Joshua Abraham | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 8:18 AM ET

0-1, definitely not the start that Dave Aranda and the Baylor Bears were looking for before the 2025-2026 season. Additionally, it was certainly not the start that many among the sports media community expected as well. Prior to the 2025 season, Baylor had been ranked somewhere between the 20-40 range of all eligible college football teams and had been projected by some to even make a push for the College Football Playoffs.

One ranking in particular to notice is that from The Sporting News, which each week updates its ranking of all 136 college football programs. Before week 1, Baylor was ranked as the 27th best college football program; however, following their loss to Auburn, they slid down by 17 spots. Below are the teams surrounding Baylor in the most recent week 2 rankings:

Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Sliding 17 spots is certainly a bit extreme, given that Auburn was ranked as a top 40 team by The Sporting News . Still, Baylor will certainly have an opportunity to gain some of that ranking back if it can manage to pull off a win in week 2 against the SMU Mustangs. The Mustangs, who are currently ranked as the 16th-best team in the country, will not be an easy game, especially given that it takes place in Dallas. Below, here is what The Sporting News had to say about the Mustangs and the history of their games vs Baylor:

16. SMU (1-0)
SMU opened with a 42-13 victory against East Texas A&M ahead of a Week 2 showdown with Baylor. Keep an eye on Miami transfer Chris Johnson Jr., who had 44 rushing yards and a TD in his Mustangs' debut. SMU has lost 13 straight meetings against Baylor – a streak that dates back to 1986.

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

As always, we'll have to stay tuned until next week, but this upcoming game could have huge implications for the Bears and their postseason aspirations.

This article first appeared on Baylor Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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