5 college football programs on the verge of becoming powerhouses

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 01: ESPN’s Katie George interviews head coach Dave Aranda of the Baylor Bears after defeating the Mississippi Rebels 21-7 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 01, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

4. Baylor Bears

I can still remember when Matt Rhule was hired by Baylor in 2017. He went just 1-11 in his first year before going 18-9 over his next two seasons, including an 11-3 record in 2019 with a Sugar Bowl loss to Georgia. He parlayed his turnaround of Baylor into an NFL head coaching job with the Panthers and the Bears were forced to start all over.

Baylor hired another up-and-comer in the form of LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda in 2020 and he went just 2-7 in his first season with the Bears.

It was a restart for Baylor and a COVID-19 year so he couldn’t truly be judged on that opening season. He followed it up with one of the nation’s best turnarounds, going 12-2 in 2021 with a Big 12 title and Sugar Bowl win over Ole Miss. This was a bigger turnaround than the one Rhule made and Aranda only needed one season.

Aranda was a hot name in the coaching carousel this offseason but Baylor was able to retain him and it looks like he’s building something special in Waco.

Baylor brings back some key players, including Gerry Bohanon and an elite defense, along with the Big 12’s fifth-best recruiting class for 2022 so expect the Bears to be favorites for the conference title again. If Baylor continues this trajectory, expect a playoff berth soon and even better recruiting classes (the Bears have the No. 5 class in the country for 2023).

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