The Baylor Bears turned in one of the best seasons in program history last year, the second under coach Dave Aranda.
It’s a team that went just 2-7 in his first year, but last year they proved hard to beat in close games and they rode that all the way to a 12-2 record, the Big-12 championship and a convincing win over Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.
This year they’ll be a plucky underdog again with many key contributors departing. That starts at the top with QB Gerry Bohanon. This is now sophomore Blake Shapen’s team, but he sure did show a lot when he took over from Bohanon against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship, throwing three touchdowns and completing his first 17 passes.
The bigger losses will be at running back and wide receiver, with the leading returning receiver being TE Ben Sims and his 31 catches for 361 yards and six TDs.
Three places where the team remains stacked, and could certainly help them continue to win the close games is both the lines as well as the kicking game.
It might not be sexy, but it can certainly help get the job done with a tough schedule to come.
2022 Baylor Bears NCAA Football Futures Odds
- Odds to win the 2022-23 NCAA Championship: 100/1
- Odds to win the 2022 Big 12 Conferences: +550
- 2022 Regular Season Win Total: Over 7½ (-160)
- 2022 Heisman Contenders: None
- Official website: baylorbears.com
- Twitter Account : @BUFootball
Odds to win the 2022-23 NCAA Championship: 100/1
I don’t think they have quite what it takes to compete at the highest level. At some point the warts get revealed, and a team that might struggle to score points against tough competition will eventually get exposed.
The Verdict: Skip it
Odds to win the 2022 Big-12 Conference: +550
With all the change happening at Oklahoma, including a new coach, new system and a new starting quarterback, along with all the new players looking to make an impact at Texas, the opportunity will be there for the repeat.
This is really a four-team race, with Oklahoma State in the mix. I don’t think Baylor is quite in the Cowboys class this year given the turnover at key positions, but it would no longer be a big surprise.
The Verdict: Worth a small bet
2022 Regular Season Win Total: Over 7½ (-160)
Road games against BYU, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Texas likely mean that Baylor is going to have to be pretty close to perfect at home to meet this number. The biggest question there will be versus Oklahoma State on October 1st.
Other home dates include Albany, Texas State, Kansas, Kansas State and TCU.
Figure they get to 5-1 at home this season and this leaves three road wins against a tough slate.
It’s too close to call. There are better bets in the top-25 as this is a school with a lot of potential to go in either direction. They impressed last year, but they lost a lot of talented players, the road schedule is tough and other teams in the conference improved quite a lot.
The Verdict: Skip it, but if inclined, go under
Odds According to Bovada as of August, 2022
Baylor Bears 2022 Schedule
| SEASON | |||
| Date | Time | Opponent | TV |
| 3-Sep | 7:00 p.m. | Albany* | ESPN+ |
| 10-Sep | 10:15 p.m. | at BYU* | ESPN |
| 17-Sep | 12:00 p.m. | Texas State* | FS1 |
| 24-Sep | at Iowa State | ||
| 1-Oct | Oklahoma State | ||
| 13-Oct | 7:00 p.m. | at West Virginia | FS1 |
| 22-Oct | Kansas | ||
| 29-Oct | at Texas Tech | ||
| 5-Nov | at Oklahoma | ||
| 12-Nov | Kansas State | ||
| 19-Nov | TCU | ||
| 25-Nov | at Texas | ABC/ESPN | |
Home stadium: McLane Stadium, Waco, TX
*Non-conference game – All times are in Eastern time
Bet on the Baylor Bears 2022 Season at Bovada Sportsbook.
