It’s that time again: the days college football fans live or die by. Did your team win 6 games or not? Are they going to a bowl or not? If they are, is the bowl’s reputation one worthy of their own? Is the opponent’s talent deserving to play on the same field? These are questions that torment avid fans late into the night as they toss and turn in a cold sweat.
As a tried and true fan of the Baylor Bears, I can tell you these questions have never given me an ounce of grief in my life. No, seriously, the Bears have been pretty awful in the past 20 years. Sure, they’ve been to 3 bowls in the last 20 years but all 3 of those were as members of the Southwest Conference? Remember that? Yah, neither do I.
The fact of the matter is Baylor has been the underdog of the Big 12 ever since they joined in 1994. I went to school there knowing we wouldn’t be tearing down goalposts, rushing the field, or making ridiculously long road trips for a 3 hour game of glory. And I was okay with that, although we did rush the field 3 times and tear down 2 goalposts in my day. But what happens as soon as I graduate? They get a new coach and, whadjaknow, they’re good! I’d like to think it’s all because of my financial contributions to the University as an alumni.
Today the Bears were invited to and accepted a position in the Texas Bowl, a feat that hasn’t been matched since 1994 when Baylor went to the Alamo Bowl and put up a measley 3 points to Washington State’s lackluster 10. They will face off against the Illinois Fighting Illini in Houston on December 29 at 6pm, so mark your calendars to witness history in the making.
Why is this game important to non-Baylor fans? It’s relevant to the Big 12 and even beyond that, but one point at a time.
The Big 12 has had a rough year: Colorado and Nebraska are leaving, Texas fell into a pit of shame, and Kansas got worse. Sorry rock chalk jayhawks or whatever it is. Anyway, while the conference appeared to be in disarray, the Baylor Bears were rising from next to last (thanks Colorado!) in 2009 to a 2010 record that tied both Texas Tech and Kansas State. Whoever thought that Baylor would be on par with Tech? No, really.
The overall level of talent among the teams in the Big 12 is growing. Texas will rebuild and recover; Kansas, well, let’s hope they do something along the same lines; and Mizzou will continue to excel in the North, especially now that Nebraska is out of the way. Baylor will be there with the rest of them to play Big 12-caliber football, as long as Art Briles and Robert Griffin III stay. While the university will not allocate crazy funds to the program, Briles knows how to win and RGIII has the skills to appeal to recruits. Baylor football has a future for at least the next two seasons.
As for the rest of the collegiate football realm, the more competition out there, the better. Having stellar teams in all conferences ensures that bowls will be worth watching. Sure, there will be blow outs, melt downs, and no shows, but the probability of witnessing train wrecks like that are slimmer. Competition is the answer in just about every conceivable situation, including NCAA football. I think watching Baylor and Illinois will be a solid 3 hours of athleticism that will do justice to long-suffering fans and those just looking for a good game.
Recent Comments