2021 Review: They surprised a lot of people in 2021. The minute they hired Dave Aranda, one thing came to my mind: Defense! They were the best defenses in the conference and one of the best units in the nation giving up 18 points per contest and holding opponents to 5.2 yards per snap. The offense also improved from a down year in 2020. Last season, Baylor averaged 31 points per game and 6.3 yards per play. Their two biggest wins of the year came against the Oklahoma Sooners in the regular season and the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big-12 title game.
Key Departures: RB Abram Smith, WR Tyquan Thornton, WR RJ Sneed, LB Terrel Bernard and DB Jalen Pitre.
2022 Prediction: It’s tough to pick against them. They are the defending conference champs after. I’m picking Baylor to win the conference in back to back seasons. Defense will be the strength of this team once again. Yes, they did lose a few key pieces from last season, but the cupboard isn’t bare. The one glaring issue will be their secondary as they return only two starters from last year. Blake Shapen will be the starting quarterback and will elevate the passing game.
