No Easy Saturdays: Baylor’s Power-Packed Path Starts with Auburn

The Baylor Bears are preparing to host the Auburn Tigers for the first time since 1975, and that’s just the start of one of the most challenging seasons in program history.

The Bears, who host the Tigers on Friday at McLane Stadium in the season opener for both teams, are one of just two schools in the nation with 11 power four games on their schedule. Oddly, their Revivalry rival, TCU, is the other.

Bears head coach Dave Aranda talked about the challenge he knew was coming when he met with the Big 12 and national media during the conference’s media days in July. He not only knew it, but his players knew it too, and he said that permeated everything Baylor did this offseason.

“I know that there’s great player leadership on this team and I really feel that is being driven by knowing what the schedule is, where the start of it all is, and they’re really focused on holding a really strong standard,” Aranda said.

Baylor’s Strong Schedule

Going back to 1975, the Bears tied the Tigers, 10-10. That was part of a staggering non-conference slate that include consecutive games against Ole Miss, Auburn, Michigan and South Carolina. This year’s slate isn’t quite as daunting. But the Bears will only receive one non-power conference break on Sept. 13 when they host Samford.

After hosting Auburn on Friday, the Bears head to SMU to face the Mustangs on Sept. 6. After the Samford game, Baylor will host Arizona State on Sept. 20, followed by a trip to Oklahoma State on Sept. 27 and a home game with Kansas State on Oct. 4.

The rest of the Big 12 slate includes at TCU (Oct. 18), at Cincinnati (Oct. 25), vs. UCF (Nov. 1), vs. Utah (Nov. 15), at Arizona (Nov. 22) and vs. Houston (Nov. 29).

TCU’s only non-power conference game is against Abilene Christian on Sept. 13. The Horned Frogs open with North Carolina on Labor Day and host SMU on Sept. 20. In Big 12 play TCU will face Arizona State, Colorado, Kansas State, Baylor, West Virginia, Iowa State, BYU, Houston and Cincinnati.

After years of having its non-conference schedule pilloried for its ease, Aranda and his administration has chosen a hard road if the Bears want to reach the Big 12 title game for the first time since 2021.

“I feel really strong and about the conference and our schedule is an example of it,” Aranda said. “You look at the amount of teams we’re playing that have got quarterbacks that are just so difficult to contain. You got defenses that are so pressure heavy and disguise their looks. Just look at the forefront of college football and the tough road environments. I think you look at every Saturday, it’s a toss-up in terms of who’s going to come out and so I’m looking forward to that.”