Baylor Football: Ranking Bears’ 2020 opponents by toughness

Texas may not be “back” like Sam Ehlinger claimed after the 2018 season, but the Longhorns are coming off an eight-win season and the senior quarterback is one of the best in the nation.

Also, playing this game in Austin with 16 starters returning for the Longhorns makes this one heck of a battle. Baylor has the talent to win, but facing a Texas team on the road is never easy, especially when Ehlinger is looking for a victory tour in his final season.

Texas’ defense was horrid in 2019, ranking 97th nationally along with the fourth-worst passing defense in the country but nine starters as back. Can this side of the ball finally improve to turn the program back into a winning one?

Once again, Oklahoma will be the favorite to win the Big 12. It seems as if Lincoln Riley’s reign atop the conference is far from over and that’s even with a new quarterback under center.

Luckily for the Sooners, Spencer Rattler could be the latest Heisman-contending quarterback in Norman. He was a five-star recruit out of high school and he waited patiently behind Jalen Hurts on the depth chart last season. He’ll be one of the best first-year starting quarterbacks in the nation and he has a wealth of talent around him, such as Charleston Rambo and Kennedy Brooks.

Surprisingly, the one thing that has held Oklahoma back for years — defense — took a massive step forward in 2019 under Alex Grinch. The Sooners had the second-best defense in the Big 12 and nine starters return.

Oklahoma may not lose a game in 2020.