Baylor isn’t playing around in 2025; they’re coming out swinging. After a frustrating 3-9 season in 2023, the Bears turned things around last year. Led by Sawyer Robertson and with Dave Aranda revitalizing the program, Baylor turned their season around with a six-game winning streak in Big 12 play before finishing 8-5. That momentum rolls into this season, with everyone watching their opener against Auburn. There’s no easing in, no feeling things out—Baylor’s set to make a statement and set the tone for the season from the first whistle.
Baylor’s season kicks off with a challenging game against Hugh Freeze’s Auburn Tigers in Waco. And adding fuel to the fire, CBS Sports analyst Brad Crawford anticipates a possible loss for the Bears in this opener, even with 13 returning starters, including quarterback Sawyer Robertson. And that’s just adding pressure on them. This initial contest will showcase Dave Aranda’s team’s strengths and weaknesses, offering fans an early indication of their championship aspirations.
That’s exactly why Dave Aranda and his team aren’t taking any chances against the Tigers. Their move? “We’ll really start the week of Auburn. And I think there’ll be things, though, that we’re working on right now that will kind of lend to an easier game week, you know, in terms of, like, “Hey, this is how we look at unbalanced.” This is how we look at empty. This is how we look at Wildcat. And those things will play out in that game,” Aranda said on 365 Sports. So, Hugh Freeze will decide if this team actually has any future in the game or not.
Last year, Auburn began by routing Alabama A&M 73-3 but then faltered the following week against California, losing 21-14 with multiple turnovers. This is a scenario they’ll want to avoid this season, as Dave Aranda’s squad is well-prepared. They’re not rebuilding; they’re reloading. Baylor brings back 9 of 11 offensive starters from a unit, ranking among the top 15 nationally. “But I think, you know, just moving it to morning practices, having a little bit more time as coaches to talk and to work through things, because we have afternoon walkthroughs, is a little bit better. The schedule we have now is as we’re racing from thing to thing.”
Welcome to the @Big12Conference, @BYUfootball @GoBearcatsFB @UCF_Football @UHCougarFB!
Looking forward to competing against more great coaches @kalanifsitake @CoachFick @CoachGusMalzahn @Holgorsendana! #SicEm #BUncommon https://t.co/Q8T1e2G9Wz
— Dave Aranda (@CoachDaveAranda) September 10, 2021
Baylor begins its 2025 campaign versus Auburn on August 30, then heads to SMU, Samford, and Arizona State. The Bears avoid BYU, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech, and West Virginia, which lightens their schedule considerably. They’re mostly in Texas early on, travel sparingly until late October, and have a perfectly placed bye week before the final push. Three of their initial four Big 12 road games are against non-bowl teams from last year, and the last five games feature similar opponents.
But the season presents challenges; a difficult mid-season stretch includes three road games in four weeks, with consecutive trips to TCU and Cincinnati. September appears particularly tough, featuring Auburn at home followed by SMU and Arizona State. So making an early impact by winning against Auburn is very important for them. And that impact’s already showing in his fall camp.
Dave Aranda’s satisfaction with his team’s final camp
As Sawyer Robertson enters his final season with one clear goal: giving Baylor a championship run. And he’s already making an impact on fall camp. “I thought Sawyer looked really good in the time that he had,” Dave Aranda said, praising him. But this turnaround wasn’t that easy. Throughout his college career, he played for 11 games across two schools, with only four starts. Following Baylor’s Week 2 loss last season, he took over as quarterback and quickly shone, tossing eight touchdown passes and rushing for three more in the next four games.
This guy averaged 244.5 passing yards with a 59.1% completion rate. His standout play, including five touchdowns against Texas Tech, contributed to Baylor’s first eight-win season since 2021, ending at 8-5. Over 11 starts last season, Robertson passed for 3,004 yards and 27 touchdowns, with just eight interceptions. Now, with Robertson, his overall team is turning heads in the practice. “I thought the O-line improved from last time out. I thought that Caden Knighten continues to impress, and I thought defensively Devin Bobby had a forced fumble. I thought Jackie Marshall had a scoop, and he got caught at the one-yard line. Almost score. So there are positive things on both sides,” Aranda said.
So, all in all, it’s a win-win situation for Dave Aranda and his team. And even the odds are in their favor. Sportsbooks have established the over/under at 7.5 wins, featuring +110 odds on the over and -145 on the under, a figure supported by many forecasts. Analysts at CBS Sports, 247 Sports, and Heartland College Sports predict Baylor will achieve an 8-4 record or better. Following an 8-5 season in 2024 with a Texas Bowl defeat against LSU, Dave Aranda’s team enters the year with confidence, eager to begin strong against Auburn and chase another solid year.
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