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NCAA Football

Baylor Finally Beefing Up Non-Conference Scheduling

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Jerome Miron – USA TODAY Sports

In a move that is way overdue, the Baylor Bears will FINALLY be looking to enhance their future non-conference schedule with more formidable opponents, according to athletic director Ian McCaw.

The constant criticism of Baylor as they have risen to national prominence over the last several years has been their cupcake scheduling of non-conference opponents. Year in and year out, the Bears have the weakest strength of schedule outside of conference play and it always gets used against them when ranking Baylor against other high profile teams in the rankings and quite possibly kept the team out of the inaugural College Football Playoff (along with other mitigating circumstances).

Last season, Baylor played a tissue-soft non-conference schedule against the SMU Mustangs (1-11 in 2014), FCS Northwestern State, and the Buffalo Bulls (5-6). The Bears crushed this lineup, as they should, by a combined score of 178-27 but ultimately were hindered by these games because the level of competition did not match up with other contenders. The end result was a “soft” 11-1 regular season record and a bid to the Cotton Bowl rather than a ticket to the College Football Playoff.

While it is too late to help Baylor’s 2015 non-conference slate (SMU, FCS Lamar, and the Rice Owls), McCaw has vowed to be working on scheduling some tougher competition that is commensurate with the Bears’ status as back-to-back Big 12 champions.  Where in prior years, Baylor never scheduled an out-of-conference Power 5 opponent, the AD said at the Big 12 spring meetings that the program would be looking to schedule them most years going forward and would be open to making changes to existing future opponents on the schedule (which does not include a challenging opponent as of now).

For Baylor to truly break through as an elite program, they have to start scheduling like one. That means going out and taking on challenges from top programs to flex your muscle and enhance the team’s resume for the Playoff Selection Committee. With the success they have had in the Big 12 and on the recruiting trail in recent years, it is past time for them to take on the challenge.

You can follow Tyler Brett on Twitter @ATylerBrett, on Facebook and on Google.

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