Baylor · Big 12Baylor opens at Auburn with Dave Aranda facing another pivotal season
The Bears went 5-7 in 2025 after an eight-win rebound, putting immediate weight on a Sept. 5 opener and transfer quarterback DJ Lagway.
AUG 28, 2026
Baylor opens 2026 at Auburn on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 3:30 p.m. ET, with Dave Aranda entering his seventh season under renewed pressure after the Bears finished 5-7, missed a bowl and went 3-6 in Big 12 play in 2025.
The Bears won eight games and reached the Texas Bowl in 2024 after a three-win 2023 season, but Baylor lost five of its final six games last fall. USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg wrote that Baylor is “running low on patience” heading into Aranda’s seventh season. The reporting does not establish a specific performance threshold or the terms of Aranda’s contract.
The turnaround begins against an Auburn team that also went 5-7 in 2025. Transfer quarterback DJ Lagway is expected to be central to Baylor’s offensive response. After Auburn, Baylor’s listed schedule includes Prairie View A&M, Louisiana Tech, Colorado, Arizona State and TCU before road games at Kansas on Oct. 24 and UCF on Oct. 30.
ESPN’s Football Power Index ranks Baylor’s 2026 schedule 42nd-toughest nationally and second-toughest among Big 12 programs. Baylor is also slated to play eight straight unranked opponents after Auburn before a three-game run against ranked BYU, Texas Tech and Houston.
Aranda has previously recovered from a difficult season. This time, Baylor opens with a road game that starts the evaluation immediately.