Baylor football still has a path to the Big 12 Championship Game, and the Bears could reach Arlington by winning their final three games and getting some help from Utah.
It’s a remarkable position for a program that fired head coach Dave Aranda just a few weeks ago.
Since Joe Klanderman took over as interim head coach, Baylor has won two straight games, beating UCF 41-9 and Iowa State 42-31. The Bears are now 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 play, putting them right back in the conference championship conversation.
And here’s where things get interesting.
How Baylor Can Reach the Big 12 Championship Game
Baylor has three regular-season games remaining, and all three are against teams involved in the Big 12 title race.
- November 14: at No. 12 BYU
- November 21: vs. No. 10 Texas Tech
- November 28: at No. 14 Houston
If Baylor wins all three games, the Bears would finish 7-2 in Big 12 play.
They would also hand BYU, Texas Tech and Houston losses, knocking out several of their biggest competitors for a spot in Arlington.
The other important piece? Utah needs to win out.
If the undefeated Utes finish 9-0 in conference play, they would claim one spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, leaving Baylor in position to grab the other.
Baylor Could Win a Big 12 Tiebreaker Over Oklahoma State
Here’s the part that makes this scenario particularly interesting.
Even if Oklahoma State wins its final three games and finishes 7-2, Baylor would hold the advantage in a two-team tiebreaker.
Under the Big 12’s tiebreaking procedures, winning percentage against common conference opponents comes into play when two tied teams haven’t faced each other.
In that scenario, Baylor would finish 6-1 against common opponents, compared to Oklahoma State’s 5-2.
That would send Baylor to Arlington for the Big 12 Championship Game on December 4.
Of course, there’s one significant catch: Baylor has to win three difficult games, including road trips to BYU and Houston and a home matchup against Texas Tech.
That’s hardly a guarantee.
But considering where this program stood when Aranda was fired, the fact that Baylor even has this opportunity is remarkable.
The Bears aren’t simply playing out the string anymore. They’re playing for a potential trip to the Big 12 Championship Game.
