Bowl-eligible Bears carry success into national top 25 rankings

What a weekend for Baylor football! As you’ve no doubt heard by now, the Bears celebrated Homecoming 2010 by becoming bowl-eligible for the first time since 1995. Baylor is now 6-2 on the season, 3-1 in the Big 12, and sitting all alone in first place in the Big 12 South!

Such numbers are earning Baylor some respect; the Bears are 24th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, 25th in the AP Top 25 and 25th in the BCS standings. It’s been 17 years since Baylor last appeared in the AP Top 25 (15 years since last making the coaches poll), and this is the program’s first-ever spot in the BCS top 25.

The Bears are earning such recognition thanks in large part to the team’s high-powered offense, which ranks fifth nationally, averaging over 500 yards a game. Baylor also ranks fifth nationally in passing offense (314 yds/gm) and 26th in rushing offense (197 yds/gm), with Robert Griffin (third nationally with 344 yds/gm total offense) leading the way.

Interesting, the Bears’ next opponent, preseason Big 12 favorite Texas, did not receive a single vote in this week’s AP poll and only two votes in the coaches poll. Saturday’s game in Austin will be the first meeting with BU ranked and UT unranked since 1986, when the No. 17 Bears beat the Longhorns 18-13 in Waco.

For the Bears to stick around in the polls a second straight week — something that hasn’t happened since 1991 — Baylor will likely need to earn that seventh win Saturday. Want to help? Get your tickets now and support the Bears in Austin!

Sic ’em, Baylor football!