Ganaway rumbles, Lady Bears vs. Vols, and volleyball NCAA bid make for happy Thanksgiving weekend

For a holiday weekend, there sure was a lot going on for Baylor athletics this weekend — all of it good.

With Robert Griffin III on the sidelines due to injury, the entire Baylor team (particularly backup QB Nick Florence and national player of the week nominee Terrance Ganaway) stepped forward to beat Texas Tech for the first time in 15 years, 66-42. The No. 1-ranked Lady Bears went to Knoxville and beat No. 6 Tennessee, 76-67, to end the Lady Vols’ 38-game home winning streak. And Baylor volleyball earned its second NCAA tournament bid in three years; the Bears will play Michigan in the first round Friday.

After Saturday’s win, Baylor football moved up to No. 17 in the BCS, No. 18 in the coaches poll and No. 19 in the AP Top 25. With the Lady Bears maintaining their No. 1 ranking and the men’s basketball team up to No. 7 today, Baylor remains the only school in the country to have all three teams ranked in the top 25.

Or, here’s another way to look at Baylor’s recent success… During the 2011 calendar year, 17 of Baylor’s 19 teams have advanced to the postseason. The only two that did not are men’s basketball (now a top-10 team) and women’s golf (currently ranked No. 21). Given those two teams’ projections into the spring, there’s a very good chance that every one of Baylor’s varsity sports will reach the postseason during the 2011-12 school year.

Sic ’em, Baylor athletics!