A gauntlet awaits Baylor, one that could decide whether the 2025 season brackets them in playoff contention or writes them off early.
CBS Sports college football analyst Shehan Jeyarajah labeled Baylor’s upcoming slate as the hardest in the Big 12 this season.
He warns that the Bears’ first six games will define their College Football Playoff trajectory: matchups with Auburn, SMU, Arizona State, Kansas State, and TCU all come before mid‑October, followed by a late‑season road trip to Utah.
Only two of those tests are on the road, and nine of the 12 total games are played inside Texas, but Jeyarajah argues a 2–4 start would sink playoff hopes before they properly begin.
That sequence delivers a brutal mixture of Power Five nonconference powerhouses, established conference rivals, and emerging Big 12 stars. Since Baylor opens with Auburn and Arizona State, the kind of games that shape early narrative, it may hit the reset button by week seven if results don’t fall in the right direction.
Baylor returns quarterback Sawyer Robertson and much of an offense that finished strong in 2024. However, if defensive depth and secondary rotation can’t survive that early stretch, hosting favorable matchups later won’t matter. Jeyarajah frames the season as a litmus test: either Baylor surges out of October or finishes under the playoff radar.
Interestingly, scheduling quirks work both ways for Baylor: staying home for most games reduces travel strain, but it also hands the stakes to home crowds. Each loss at home would carry a bigger weight; each win builds playoff credentials without multiple cross-country trips.
Jeyarajah’s projection highlights the most intriguing early story in the Big 12. For Baylor, the ante is high—start 4–2 or fall behind. Their postseason outlook depends on surviving adversity before conference play truly settles.
