By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor’s upcoming 2023 football season has more questions than answers. Less than 100 days until the start of the campaign, Dave Aranda’s tenure is likely at a crossroads to deliver a team that will find better fortune than what happened in 2022. The Bears finished 6-7.
That’s going to be asking for something. At this time last year, the hype for Baylor reached unprecedented levels. Indeed, the Bears were picked to win the Big 12 and ranked in the preseason Top 10.
With so much turnover from that roster, expectations don’t figure to be near as high.
But the game that could tip the balance of where 2023 is Sept. 9 against Utah. The 11:00 am start on ESPN will be an opportunity for the Bears to showcase what they may be able to accomplish.
Why Utah: Well, consider the Utes are coming off a PAC 12 championship that included two wins over USC – including the PAC 12 championship game – along with an appearance in the Rose Bowl.
Utah is returning 14 starters from that team and figures to be picked in at least the Top 3 of the preseason PAC 12 rankings. Head coach Kyle Whittingham’s program should also be ranked in the Top 15 when the AP and Coaches preseason rankings are released in August.
Of note: Utah starting quarterback Cameron Rising, an intriguing dual threat, is coming off a torn ACL he suffered in the Rose Bowl against Penn State. However, there are indications that he will be close to being ready once the season begins. If Rising is not, redshirt freshman Brandon Rose, who finished the Rose Bowl, likely opens as the starter.
Running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, a one-time Texas Longhorn who is from Duncanville and switched from quarterback, has developed into a budding star based on the way he finished the campaign.
There’s also an experienced tight end in sixth-year Brant Kuithe.
Utah’s defense is always considered aggressive. There is experience along the front and especially the secondary. That last line of defense is led by Ole Miss transfer Miles Battle. Safety Cole Bishop is back following his 2-year LDS mission.
After the opener: Utah will begin on Aug. 31 against Florida. The Gators upset the Utes in Gainesville, FL last year. However, Utah will have two extra days to prepare for the Bears who will play on Sept. 2 against Texas State.
Now, it might not have much impact on Baylor since the Bears will be heavily favored against a team that just changed coaches and may be able to pull everybody by the third quarter.
Football is week to week, but Utah’s performance will play a lot into how it approaches this game.
Baylor’s end game: Baylor likely will be an underdog in this game. It may not be much of a point spread. However, the talk will be how the Utes either carry forward from the win over Florida or how they bounce back from the loss to Florida. That’s OK. Baylor needs to stay under the radar.
Of course, an upset of any kind – close, last-second or domination – will change the belief factor in that locker room.
The same would be for a close loss. Nobody likes to lose, of course. However, a program that needs to find out where it is and what it is capable of doing for the remainder of the season can build off of this game.
A blowout loss or one where the Bears never had a serious look (lose by 17 or something like that) may sit like a bad bowl of chili. It doesn’t kill the season, but it presents the question of whether this team can compete for anything.
Following Long Island on Sept. 16, the Bears would start to answer those questions Sept. 23 against Texas.
Publisher
Baylor’s upcoming 2023 football season has more questions than answers. Less than 100 days until the start of the campaign, Dave Aranda’s tenure is likely at a crossroads to deliver a team that will find better fortune than what happened in 2022. The Bears finished 6-7.
That’s going to be asking for something. At this time last year, the hype for Baylor reached unprecedented levels. Indeed, the Bears were picked to win the Big 12 and ranked in the preseason Top 10.
With so much turnover from that roster, expectations don’t figure to be near as high.
But the game that could tip the balance of where 2023 is Sept. 9 against Utah. The 11:00 am start on ESPN will be an opportunity for the Bears to showcase what they may be able to accomplish.
Why Utah: Well, consider the Utes are coming off a PAC 12 championship that included two wins over USC – including the PAC 12 championship game – along with an appearance in the Rose Bowl.
Utah is returning 14 starters from that team and figures to be picked in at least the Top 3 of the preseason PAC 12 rankings. Head coach Kyle Whittingham’s program should also be ranked in the Top 15 when the AP and Coaches preseason rankings are released in August.
Of note: Utah starting quarterback Cameron Rising, an intriguing dual threat, is coming off a torn ACL he suffered in the Rose Bowl against Penn State. However, there are indications that he will be close to being ready once the season begins. If Rising is not, redshirt freshman Brandon Rose, who finished the Rose Bowl, likely opens as the starter.
Running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, a one-time Texas Longhorn who is from Duncanville and switched from quarterback, has developed into a budding star based on the way he finished the campaign.
There’s also an experienced tight end in sixth-year Brant Kuithe.
Utah’s defense is always considered aggressive. There is experience along the front and especially the secondary. That last line of defense is led by Ole Miss transfer Miles Battle. Safety Cole Bishop is back following his 2-year LDS mission.
After the opener: Utah will begin on Aug. 31 against Florida. The Gators upset the Utes in Gainesville, FL last year. However, Utah will have two extra days to prepare for the Bears who will play on Sept. 2 against Texas State.
Now, it might not have much impact on Baylor since the Bears will be heavily favored against a team that just changed coaches and may be able to pull everybody by the third quarter.
Football is week to week, but Utah’s performance will play a lot into how it approaches this game.
Baylor’s end game: Baylor likely will be an underdog in this game. It may not be much of a point spread. However, the talk will be how the Utes either carry forward from the win over Florida or how they bounce back from the loss to Florida. That’s OK. Baylor needs to stay under the radar.
Of course, an upset of any kind – close, last-second or domination – will change the belief factor in that locker room.
The same would be for a close loss. Nobody likes to lose, of course. However, a program that needs to find out where it is and what it is capable of doing for the remainder of the season can build off of this game.
A blowout loss or one where the Bears never had a serious look (lose by 17 or something like that) may sit like a bad bowl of chili. It doesn’t kill the season, but it presents the question of whether this team can compete for anything.
Following Long Island on Sept. 16, the Bears would start to answer those questions Sept. 23 against Texas.
