Baylor Football: Will Bears make another jump under Matt Rhule?

Baylor football is looking to build on 2018 and its 7-6 record after going 1-11 in 2017. Can the Bears make yet another jump under Matt Rhule?

Following the 11th loss of the season, Matt Rhule made a promise to Baylor football fans in 2017: Baylor would be in a bowl game in 2018 and he delivered on that promise.

However can Rhule continue to build the Baylor program back to heights it had seen with previous staff? Baylor managed to get back to a bowl game in 2018, defeating Vanderbilt in the Texas Bowl and that set up the Bears for a good year in 2019.

Baylor returns eight upperclassmen offense and seven on defense. A lot of the same players that had to endure the 1-11 season are now experienced players who have developed under the tutelage of Rhule and his staff. The willingness for Rhule to play freshmen early on in his tenure should pay dividends in 2019.

Even with all the experience the team has, expect young players to have roles and make impacts in 2019. The new redshirt rule makes it so much easier for coaches to manage young players on their rosters.

Can 2019 be the year that the Bears make another leap in their rebuild? Can they compete for a Big 12 title this year?

Let’s jump right in and take a look at the Baylor offense and defense before analyzing the schedule and making a prediction for the 2019 season.