Baylor Bears Will Break Through to Next Level This Season

The Baylor Bears have been established themselves as a yearly Big 12 contender but haven’t broken through to get a chance to play for an NCAA Football championship yet. That could and very well will change come December when the selection committee has no choice but to include Baylor in the four playoff teams.

This Baylor team has come out like world beaters this season. Yes, they haven’t had the hardest of schedules but they are handily beating everyone they play and that says something when a lot of top teams such as Ohio State are struggling against inferior opponents. In their six wins so far this season, including today’s 62-38 win over West Virginia, Baylor’s lowest point total is 56. The rest of their point totals in the four other wins this season are: 66, 70, 63, 66. That is an average of 63.8 points per game. Obviously they can’t keep that pace up but I think Baylor has proven that it won’t slow down much either.

Quarterback Seth Russell has waited his turn patiently and he has not disappointed in his first season as the starter. Counting today he has 27 touchdown passes this season and has to start garnering some Heisman love. The weapons at his disposal are an embarrassment of riches. Receivers like Corey Coleman, KD Cannon and Jay Lee give him one of the best, if not the best, corps around. Meanwhile running back Shock Linwood is no slouch at all. This Baylor team is different than some of the others thanks to it’s ability to beat you in the air or on the ground.

However, like all the other good Baylor teams of the past few seasons, the defense is the weakness of this squad. They don’t have to go out there and shut out opponents or hold them under 20 points a game. They just have to go out there and and bend but not break. They have a couple of studs and future pro players on their defensive line that could help. Shawn Oakman is a physical monster and Andrew Billings is no slouch either.

With their 62-38 win over a pretty decent West Virginia team here in Week 7, it’s becoming more and more clear that for Baylor this could be a very special season. All eyes will be on their matchup with TCU on November 27 but for now, Baylor has to be considered a playoff team and they will finally reach the top level.

Andrew Frosceno is a New York Giants beat writer and college football writer for www.Rantsports.com. You can follow him on Twitter and Google.