If you were to tell me that the University of Baylor football team would be 6-2 and atop the Big 12 South division in August, I would have given you the stink eye, laughed hysterically and then officially concluded that you were living in a fantasy world.
Funny how evident fantasies turn into a sudden reality. The private research institution in Waco, Texas has shocked everyone. Let’s put it in perspective, and hope this explains why I never saw this coming:
At 6-2, the Bears are bowl eligible for the first time since 1995 and could play in their first bowl game since 1994. That’s right: I was five the last time the Bears were in a bowl game.
The win propelled the Bears into the USA TODAY Coaches Poll for the first time since 1995, currently ranked No. 24.
At 3-1, the Bears are atop the Big 12 South this late in the season for the first time since the league was formed in 1996.
There have been plenty attempts to revitalize the program. Everyone can remember the Kevin Steele hire, and even Guy Morris’ hire, but the Bears still remained the laughing stock of the Big 12.
But Art Briles? He took over the program from Guy Morris in November 2007. What did he inherit? A team that had a 30-game Big 12 losing streak during one stretch and a team that had won 11 games in league play from 1996 to 2007.
The third year in the Briles era has proven to be the charm, as the Bears have already matched the amount of conference wins they had (three) the past two seasons.
The major “X” factor has been the play of Bears quarterback Robert Griffin, who has thrown for 2,373 yards and 18 TDs this season while rushing for 384 yards and six scores. He has accounted for 24 of the Bears’ 30 offensive touchdowns, and is the main reason the Bears are 6-2.
He showed signs of matriculation as a true freshman in 2008, when he threw 28 touchdown passes, but a knee injury in 2009 sidelined him for most of last season.
Texas coach Mac Brown said that Griffin should be in the Heisman Trophy race. This is a compelling statement coming from a program that has dominated the Big 12, and produced stock loads of talent over the years.
The Bears play Texas Saturday, and they are going to win. Are we living in a dream world? Texas could be 4-4 after Saturday and Baylor 7-2? I think I feel a third arm growing out of my side.
Okay maybe not, but this has never happened before. Baylor was the program everyone joked about; the school known more for track and its doctorate program than football.
They were so bad in my lifetime I often wondered what they were even doing in the Big 12. After all, they are the only private school in the conference. But even then, Northwestern is the only private school in the Big Ten but they manage to play consistent football.
The parity of college football is that much more evident, but that’s the beauty of sports. Any team from any conference can beat any school, no matter the time or place.
For the Bears football program, the time is now.