If you blinked last fall, you might’ve missed it. The moment Sawyer Robertson flipped the script on Baylor’s season. From a sluggish 2–4 start to a red-hot six-game heater to close the regular season, Dave Aranda and his Bears were a different team once No. 13 took control. They finished 8–5, including a bowl game loss, but the momentum was undeniable. And as 2025 kicks off, the hype isn’t just coming from the Waco faithful. It’s coming straight from college football’s front row: David Pollack.

On July 23, during his See Ball Get Ball podcast with Brent Rollins, the former ESPN analyst couldn’t hold back. “I don’t know if I’m going to call them my squad for the year in the Big 12, but I just… I love Baylor, man,” he said. “Brent, I went back and watched game after game and started to see big number 13 at QB. Sawyer Robertson. And he’s a big boy. He’s 6’4″, he’s 220…He shows you the toughness. He shows you the wheels. You know, he really took a hold of this once he started to ascend last year, they started to ascend.”

Pollack wasn’t gassing up just for the sake of it. The tape backs it up. After Baylor started their 2024 season stumbling like they forgot how cleats work, Robertson decided he’d had enough. He dialed in and the Bears lit up. That winning streak to close the regular season? That wasn’t a fluke. It was #13 finding his bag.

Robertson finished 2024 throwing for 3,071 yards on 229-of-368 passing, racking up 28 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. Oh, and he tucked and ran too. Adding 230 rushing yards and 4 TDs with his legs. That Texas Bowl game against LSU? Chef’s kiss. Robertson cooked for 445 yards and 2 touchdowns, even though the Bears came up short. Still, it was Baylor’s highest offensive output of the season: 507 total yards. Against LSU.

“It just reminded me of the Baylor offense of old,” Pollack said. “That kind of power. They can run the football, spread you out, run it again, and then take deep shots. It all started with Robertson and those big plays.” He wasn’t lying. Baylor averaged 34.7 points and 434.5 yards per game in 2024, landing them in the top 20 nationally in scoring. It wasn’t just a one-man show either. Freshman RB Bryson Washington exploded onto the scene with 1,004 rushing yards. As a team, the Bears piled up over 2,300 yards on the ground, thanks to a sturdy O-line and clever play designs that let them control tempo and keep defenses guessing.

Robertson, though? He was the heartbeat. Not since the RGIII days has Baylor seen a quarterback so locked in. And Pollack sees even more in the tank: “I think number 13’s got a real chance to be one of the best guys in this conference.” So here we are. Baylor is buzzing again, folks. But before Waco gets too drunk on optimism, there’s one major headache looming over Dave Aranda’s clipboard.

Dave Aranda’s Biggest Question Mark: Schedule?

Baylor’s 2025 slate is downright cruel. It kicks off with an old-school banger. Auburn comes to Waco on August 30th. That’s the first meeting between the two since 1976. Buckle up. Then they go on the road to face SMU. By the time they catch their breath at home versus Samford, it’ll be mid-September.

And then? The gauntlet begins. Big 12 play opens against reigning champ Arizona State. From there, it’s a snake pit. Road trips to Oklahoma State, TCU, and Cincinnati. Sandwiched between are dates with Kansas State and UCF. November turns sadistic. They’ll battle Utah who might just be the most complete team in the conference before ending the season on a rugged Arizona-Houston back-to-back. Out of 12 games, 11 are against Power Four programs. That isn’t a schedule, that’s a warpath.

Dave Pollack pointed it out bluntly on the podcast: “If those are your only out-of-conference games, you’re not doing yourself any favors.” And Brent Rollins doubled down: ” Their first conference game is Arizona State. So, like, it’s one of those where it’s at home but if you drop those two non-conference games, is it a “hey, let’s wipe the slate clean, we got the conference stuff now?’” That’s the million-dollar question. Can Baylor withstand the early heat and still make a run? Because if they trip up against Auburn and SMU, they’re staring down a season with no margin for error. Those games aren’t just about pride, they could tilt the entire Big 12 playoff picture.

Vegas is torn. Sportsbooks set Baylor’s win total at 7.5 with juice toward the under. They’re priced at +575 to make the College Football Playoff, which sounds ambitious until you consider their closing run last year. With odds to win the Big 12 hovering between +600 and +700, Baylor is in the thick of it, just a notch below Utah. And yet, the math says they need to steal some early wins to keep that playoff dream alive. Going 2-1 out of conference, then ripping through Big 12 play with an 8-1 or 7-2 mark? That might do it. But that margin’s tighter than a drum. The good news? Baylor’s locker room isn’t short on believers. Their fans are talking 9, maybe 10 wins. And why not?