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

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WACO, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 23: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns throws against the Baylor Bears in the second half at McLane Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

2. Texas’ late TD hurts the optics of Baylor’s win

It was a frustrating sequence to watch for Bears fans. Texas, down 24-3, was about to be held without a touchdown and was about to suffer an ugly loss. With seconds left on the clock, Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger completed several passes, ran for a 17-yard gain, and then handed it off to Daniel Young for a meaningless touchdown.

Baylor would win by a two-touchdown margin, but the pessimist in Big 12 fans might look at the overall damage caused. The “eye test” and style points are controversial when employed by the CFP committee, but they are doubtless important when it decides the best four teams in college football. Baylor lost the chance to gain some major style points with the last-second touchdown allowed.

LSU, the nation’s current top-ranked team, escaped Austin with a 45-38 win early in the season. The two teams are in different places now, but that road win by the Tigers looks a lot less impressive now that the Longhorns are 6-5.

With a romp of a win, Baylor might have gained some of those intangible “eye candy” points in the eyes of voters and CFP committee members. If the Bears defeat OU in two weeks, the one-loss Bears would need all the help they could get when comparing résumés with the likes of Alabama, Georgia, and/or Utah.

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