Baylor football: 3 overreactions to statement win over Texas in Week 13

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WACO, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 23: The Baylor Bears marching band performs before a game between the Texas Longhorns and the Baylor Bears at McLane Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

3. Baylor, Texas programs are moving in different directions

Baylor’s win over its in-state rival felt more meaningful than a routine, late-season game. It felt like a changing of the guard of gridiron supremacy in the Lone Star state.

To illustrate how Baylor has surpassed Texas in recent years, consider the following:

The loss was Texas’ third in its last four games. The Longhorns (6-5, 4-4) will face Texas Tech on Friday in an effort to avoid a .500 mark for the regular season. Since Mack Brown left after 2013, Texas is in danger of finishing a .500 or worse for the fifth time in six seasons.

Baylor and Texas have split their last 10 meetings. Texas has a losing record in the last decade to Big 12 opponents such as TCU (2-6), Oklahoma State (3-7), and Oklahoma (3-8).

For Baylor, the obvious contrast with Texas is the team’s two-year turnaround. A 1-11 finish in 2017 was followed by a 7-6 mark last year. This season, the Bears carry a 10-1 record into its regular-season finale before a berth in the Big 12 championship game for the first time. It’s difficult to compare the situations for coaches Tom Herman and Matt Rhule right now.

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