Staff Predictions: Baylor vs. Texas

The Baylor Bears travel to Austin to try and end the Longhorns’ current streak of success. Since Art Briles left, the Baylor program has not been the same — but Matt Rhule appears to have the Bears heading in the right direction. The Baylor offense will give the Texas defense some problems, but having a full crowd at DKR after a big rivalry win will make it very difficult for the Bears to pull off the upset.

Daniel Seahorn (2-4)

Can this Texas team put a big Oklahoma win behind them and avoid a hangover against the Bears from Waco? I for one am anxious to see how this team handles success as the season wears on, particularly after a win over a conference rival that was exhausting physically and emotionally.

The Longhorns are the better team on paper and should be on Saturday.  The Bears aren’t going to roll over, though. They have an offense that is able to give a defense some problems. The Longhorns control their destiny after the win over the Sooners, and now more than ever need to be following their mantra of going 1-0 each week. Focus on the task at hand with the Bears, and everything else will take care of itself.

I like the the Longhorns to be victorious this week, but I expect the Bears to be more competitive than they were last year in Waco.

Prediction: Texas 45, Baylor 27

Jameson McCausland (4-2)

The trend with Texas this season is playing up and down to their competition. If that continues on Saturday, Texas will find itself in a close ballgame late in the 4th quarter. The 2018 Baylor Bears are not as bad as some think. They are extremely thin at certain positions, but Matt Rhule has brought in some nice pieces to build around, namely QB Charlie Brewer.

The Baylor defense is terrible, and that is putting it nicely. This is a unit that is worse than the Oklahoma unit Texas put up 48 points on a week ago. I expect big games from Tre Watson and Keaontay Ingram, and I will predict a long touchdown for Devin Duvernay. Baylor will hang around for most of the game, but I expect the Texas offense to simply be too much.

Prediction: Texas 38, Baylor 21

Aaron Carrara (5-1)

Post-Oklahoma, Tom Herman mentioned how nice it was for his offense to carry the team instead of having to rely on the defense to get the job done. The Longhorns will need Sam Ehlinger and the offense to put up points and carry the team against a Baylor offense that is equally as capable as the Sooners. Texas has the edge in defense, which is why I think they get the job done on Saturday. I expect Texas to have success in the air against the Bears, but I would be surprised if they aren’t run-heavy against a defense that allows almost 200 rushing yards per game. Keaontay Ingram was 14 yards shy of the century mark against the Sooners, but he could be in for a big day on Saturday. Todd Orlando’s defense needs to play better than they did in the 4th quarter against Oklahoma, or it could be an interesting game. Baylor is no slouch and Texas knows it, but Tom Herman has done a fantastic job of preaching and ingraining the 1-0 mentality week after week with his players.

Prediction: Texas 38, Baylor 31

Harrison Wier (2-4)

Baylor is no slouch. Texas fans may not know it, but Texas certainly does. If the Longhorns allow the Bears to stay in the game, things could get interesting late. I ultimately believe Texas will come away victorious due to lack of productivity from the Bears defense this season.

Todd Orlando has a great opportunity to use this game as a confidence-builder for his unit. The Baylor offense is extremely capable of putting up points on anyone, and if Texas holds, it could do wonders for the unit’s confidence after giving up 21 unanswered points to Oklahoma last week. The Texas offense has been consistent and dominant lately, and that should not change on Saturday. I expect big games from Sam Ehlinger and the Texas running back corps.

Ultimately, Texas should be too much for Baylor. Matt Rhule has the Bears heading in the right direction, but the program is just not quite there in terms of competing with the rest of the conference. Texas will impose its will at times and hopefully not take its foot off the gas.

Prediction: Texas 42, Baylor 31