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Texas Tech football: Extra observations from dominant win over Baylor

By Matthew Conner

Oct 7, 2023; Waco, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders tight end Baylor Cupp (88) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown catch against the Baylor Bears during the second half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 7, 2023; Waco, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders tight end Baylor Cupp (88) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown catch against the Baylor Bears during the second half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 2, 2023; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda on the side lines during the second half against the Texas State Bobcats at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 2, 2023; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda on the side lines during the second half against the Texas State Bobcats at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports /

Texas Tech fans are enjoying Baylor’s fast fall

Finally, while watching this game, I couldn’t help but notice how bad Baylor is.  In fact, it is stunning how far that program has fallen in such a short time.

It was only two years ago that the Bears went 12-2, won the Big 12 Championship Game, and beat No. 8 Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.  That was the 2021 season, just Aranda’s second in charge.

Since then, that program has gone just 8-11 overall.  What’s more, Baylor has now lost six of its last seven games against Power 5 opponents.

Aren’t programs supposed to use conference championships as building blocks?  Shouldn’t that propel a program to further excellence?  That hasn’t been the case in Waco.

Now, people associated with that program have to be asking if picking Aranda over McGuire in 2020 was the right call.  That’s because the two men seem to have their respective programs moving in vastly different directions.

We all know the momentum McGuire is building on and off the field in Lubbock.  The same can’t be said of Aranda.

The Bears’ last three recruiting classes have been ranked just 36th, 40th, and 37th nationally and their 2024 class sits at No. 60 overall and 11th of 14 teams in the Big 12.  Meanwhile, Tech has the No. 1 class in the conference in the current recruiting cycle.

Baylor might be a program in trouble under Aranda.  Though he supposedly has a brilliant football mind, he doesn’t seem to possess the charisma and personality required to build a program.

Remember that the conference title he won was done mainly with Matt Rhule’s players.  Now, Aranda’s fingerprints are all over the Baylor program and the results have been rather disheartening for people in green and gold.

Aranda is the opposite of McGuire in personality and energy and it appears that his program is starting to take on his mellow and somewhat lifeless persona.  If the Bears don’t find a way to get to a bowl game this year, he could enter 2024 on the hot seat, but given how unanimated he is, he probably would not show any emotion even if his seat was literally set ablaze.

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