The Baylor Bears were one of the nation’s top college football programs last season and they look to be on their way to another great season in 2015. One thing they haven’t been too keen on is scheduling tough non-conference opponents.
They have taken some criticism in the past for their non-conference slate and this season doesn’t seem to be going in any different direction. Arguably, the toughest non-conference team on the Bears’ schedule is Rice in the third game of the season. The open the season with SMU and play Lamar in their final game.
Head coach Art Briles recently opened up about the team’s rather weak non-conference opponents and said he isn’t opposed to taking on an SEC program in the future. According to College Football Talk, Briles attended the Houston Touchdown Club luncheon on Friday and he took time to answer some questions.
Briles said “there’s a chance” Baylor could play Arkansas in a neutral-site game in Houston in 2019. According to FBSchedules.com, Baylor’s 2019 non-conference schedule is already full, but they could easily drop one opponent to schedule the showdown with the Razorbacks.
The Bears host Incarnate Wood, an FCS program, on August 31, 2019. That isn’t a required game for the Bears to play, so swapping out them for Arkansas would work out pretty well.
Problem is Arkansas hosts Michigan on that date in 2019, which is the second half of a home-and-home contract. The likelihood of that game being moved to another year is slim to none.
Maybe one day Baylor will learn that if they want to get any kind of love with the College Football Playoff selection committee, they are going to have start playing, and beating, tougher opponents in their non-conference slate.
Until then, we can just enjoy the seventy point beatdowns that the Bears will hand out this season. Maybe Laquan McGowan will get him a couple of touchdowns in the process.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
