Realistic expectations for Baylor football in 2024

Baylor football is regressing. It's been a few years since Dave Aranda and the Bears lived up to expectations and were considered contenders in the Big 12, but could that change in 2024?

It's hard to say that Baylor is going to go from 3-9 all the way to a contender in just one offseason, but the Bears should be better than they were in 2023. They bring in Toledo transfer Dequan Finn at quarterback and many are expecting him to do big things with the Bears this season. He was actually one of the more intriguing quarterbacks on the market.

Along with Finn comes former elite tight end Michael Trigg from Ole Miss and some really solid transfers on both sides of the ball -- especially on the offensive line.

Baylor returns nine starters on offense and seven on defense which may not be a great thing from a 3-9 team, but at least there's now valuable depth on both sides.

So with all of that being said, what can we realistically expect from this team in 2024?

Looking at the schedule, I think a bowl berth is very possible, if not likely. I see the Bears starting the season 3-2 with wins over Tarleton, Air Force, and BYU and losses to Utah and Colorado on the road. They'll then lose to Iowa State and Texas Tech on the road before beating Oklahoma State and TCU at home to improve to 5-4. They'll need just one win against West Virginia, Houston, and Kansas to end the season. There's a decent chance they go 0-3 in those games, but I'm projecting them to steal one.

So a 6-6 record in Aranda's fifth year isn't exactly great, but it's probably going to do enough to show the athletic department that he's back on track.