Big 12 Football Preseason Power Rankings: Boomer Sooner
By VF Castro
No. 6: Baylor Bears
Preface: The storm surrounding Baylor and its ongoing issues are very troubling. But with expansion on the horizon, the Big 12 needs to be as competitive as it can possibly be, so nobody wants to see Baylor fail. And if it does, due process played a role in ensuring its downfall, and we’ll have to move on.
With that said, it’s crazy to be ranking Baylor this far down on the list, especially considering the Bears were expected to be playoff worthy before implications from the scandal began raining down on Waco. But, hear me out.
I planned on ranking Baylor at No. 4 heading into preparation for my Big 12 Power Rankings, however, I ran across an article on Sporting News that displayed some alarming numbers that really highlighted what the Bears are up against this season.
Due to transfers, disqualifications, and the scandal, Baylor is down to what first-year head coach Jim Grobe thinks is around 70 full-time scholarship players–15 less than the FBS Division-1 maximum amount of 85.
For comparative purposes, FCS teams are allowed a maximum of 63 full-time scholarship players.
Eleven members of Baylor’s 2016 signing class were granted releases from Baylor, and Russell’s backup Jarrett Stidham transferred, leaving its depth very thin.
A lot of experts are saying that Baylor should be fine with an easy schedule early on against Northwestern State (Sept. 3), SMU (Sept. 10), and at Rice (Sept. 17), but far too much stock is being placed on quarterback Seth Russell.
As the season progresses, injuries are something nobody is exempt from, so depth should be a huge concern to all.
I think Baylor has enough motivation to pull off some wins and maybe become bowl eligible. But there are teams in the conference that are more advanced, so it’s going to be an uphill battle.
Silver Lining: Grobe sees 2016 as a rebuilding year, but despite the unpredictability of the Baylor staff, that does leave its 2017 signing class a big sell as players won’t have to compete, and will see playing time early on–barring any NCAA sanctions.