College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25, Week 3

Even without any game reps, the Bears are poised to jump from the land of others receiving votes into the AP Top 25 proper. Baylor was set to open their 2020 campaign at home against Louisiana Tech, but the Bulldogs were unable to travel to Waco after Hurricane Laura ramped up positive cases of COVID-19 on the Ruston campus.

The Bears now wait to see if they can reschedule the game against the Conference USA opponent or whether the coronavirus pandemic cost them their only non-conference tilt on this year’s slate. That means we have yet to see how Baylor will perform under new head coach Dave Aranda, who had limited time this season to familiarize himself with his new team. Aranda takes over in Waco after Matt Rhule moved on to the NFL with the Carolina Panthers.

The cupboard is bare on defense for Aranda, formerly the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and LSU. At least the offense should be loaded with quarterback Charlie Brewer returning for his senior season after back-to-back 3000-yard passing seasons. As of now, Baylor’s first test this year looks to fall on September 26 when they face Kansas at home in the Big 12 opener for both teams.