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Baylor and Auburn will begin the season Friday at McLane Stadium in a prime-time matchup. There's a lot at stake for both teams. Trib sports editor Brice Cherry and the Trib's Baylor beat writer Zach Smith are joined by Auburn beat writer Peter Rauterkus of AL.com to talk about the game.

• How big is this game for both schools and their fans?
• What has Baylor done to make McLane more intimidating?
• Who are going to be the key players to watch for both teams?
• What are the biggest matchups to look out for?
• Will a loss put Auburn coach Hugh Freeze on the hot seat?
• Where should Auburn fans eat in Waco?

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Baylor and Auburn will kick off the season this Friday night, and Chris Vannini, a senior college football writer at The Athletic, will be watching a game at McLane Stadium for the first time. He and the Trib's Baylor beat writer Zach Smith talk about their expectations for the game, give an outlook for Baylor this season and discuss where the Big 12 fits in the ever-changing world of college athletics.

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• It’s the nature of the college game these days, but there’s always a lot of new athletes to keep track of every year. We talked last time about how Dave Aranda’s Baylor defense will need to make some headway this season. Who are some of the new additions you’re expecting to make a big impact?

• How about offensively? Who should Baylor fans keep track of there?

• We discussed Nicki Collen’s team a bit last week. Is there one particular new player you’re particularly intrigued in seeing play?

• And what about the Baylor men? There are a few newcomers to choose from.

• Finally, word came down that the Baylor women will open their season in Paris against Duke. We’ve seen international games in the summer, but we really can’t remember Baylor playing a regular-season game overseas. What does this do for the program?

Editor's note: This episode was recorded in June 2025.

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Let's talk Texas Bowl — the Trib's Baylor beat writer Zach Smith (@ByZachSmith) and sports editor Brice Cherry (@BriceCherry) check in for some Baylor and LSU football talk: 

• No Pop-Tarts here: Baylor is headed to Texas Bowl vs. LSU at NRG Stadium on New Year's Eve. What's your reaction to that placement? About right? Good location?
• Call it the Dave Aranda Bowl, too — it's been just 5 years since the Baylor HFC won a championship at LSU, an amazing team with an amazing defense. How do you view this as an SEC-Big 12 "rivalry"-esque matchup?
• Baylor has a few Houston guys on its roster, as you'd expect, and this isn't their first trip to the Texas Bowl either, including trips with Art Briles and a Charlie Brewer-led squad. It's also a recruiting hotbed for LSU, so do you expect a decent crowd to attend?

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We're joined by Houston beat writer Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle (@Joseph_Duarte), along with the Trib's Baylor beat writer Zach Smith (@ByZachSmith) and sports editor Brice Cherry (@BriceCherry), ready to dig into some BU and Big 12 football talk: 

• Both Dave Aranda and Willie Fritz have done admirable jobs, with Aranda's resurrection of the Bears and Fritz's Cougars with three surprising wins over TCU, Utah and K-State after starting 1-4. Which of these guys' coaching jobs is more impressive, and is there any chance either of them get Big 12 coach of the year consideration?
• Clearly Baylor is on a roll with four straight wins, but the Cougars are good at home at 3-2. The Bears are an 8-point favorite, but what do you think — is this a trap game?
• BYU finally took their first loss of the week vs. a resurgent Kansas team. The Cougars and Colorado are now tied at 6-1, with Arizona State and Iowa State at 5-2 and then a big ol' jumbled mess of 4-3 and 3-4 teams. Out of any of these teams, who do you think has the best shot to win multiple games in the CFP, assuming they can get there?
• Let's look to 2025: Is this season of Big 12 parity just a one-year thing or is it here to stay? Do you see someone emerging who will be that year-in, year-out contender, a la Oklahoma of old?

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We're joined by Cody Nespor (@CodyNespor) of WVSportsNow.com, along with the Trib's Baylor beat writer Zach Smith (@ByZachSmith) and sports editor Brice Cherry (@BriceCherry) as the Bears head to Morgantown this week. 

• Let's call it the Big 12 Bowl — two teams face off that reflect the topsy-turvy nature of 2024 in the league. The Mountaineers have won back-to-back road games and the Bears have won three in a row. Anything from 5-7 to 8-4 seems possible for either squad. Where do you see these teams going? 
• Neal Brown seems like a perfect role model for Dave Aranda: He was on the hottest seat last year, then went 9-4 and won a bowl game. Aranda was facing a similar situation in Waco, but now has his Bears on the cusp of a bowl. So what's the feeling toward Neal Brown in Morgantown, and do you think Aranda will be here long term? 
• In the new CFP rankings, undefeated Big 12 leader BYU came in sixth, which would give the Cougars a first-round bye if that's how it ends up. But are Big 12 teams actually rooting for BYU to win out and make some noise in the playoff, for the good of the conference? How are people seeing this? 
• After nine games, who's the biggest Big 12 disappointment and who's the biggest surprise? 

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We're joined by longtime Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Mac Engel (@MacEngel) of the Tulsa World, along with the Trib's Baylor beat writer Zach Smith (@ByZachSmith) and sports editor Brice Cherry (@BriceCherry) as the Bears rekindle the Revivalry this week.

• Don't look now, but Baylor and TCU are both headed in the right direction again after the Frogs beat Utah on the road and escaped Texas Tech last week, while Baylor has strung together two wins for the first time in a long time. What's sparked these twin turnarounds in Fort Worth and Waco?

• Let's talk Sonny Dykes: He's had a wide range of outcomes leading the Horned Frogs thus far. Was it too much success too fast in Fort Worth? Will we see him at TCU long-term, or will he be moving on?

• Kendal Briles is returning to Waco this week with TCU. He's highly thought of as an offensive coordinator around the sport. He's only 41, so do you think he'll be a college head coach someday, or is the Briles name just too toxic?

• As far as the Big 12 goes, it seems pretty safe they'll get at least one team in the new 12-team CPF. But is two possible? BYU and Iowa State are still undefeated. If they both get to Jerryworld undefeated, could they both make the field? Or is there a path for Colorado to get in?

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We're joined by Oklahoma sportswriting raconteur Berry Tramel (@BerryTramel) of the Tulsa World, along with the Trib's Baylor beat writer Zach Smith (@ByZachSmith) and sports editor Brice Cherry (@BriceCherry) as the Bears return to Waco for Homecoming this week. 

• While Baylor had a big breakthrough last week in Lubbock, Oklahoma State hasn't yet won a conference game. Has Mike Gundy passed Dave Aranda on the Big 12's hot-seat-o-meter?

• We ask Berry: What has been the issue with these Cowboys? Only three wins on the year — can they get three more and get to a bowl game?

• In terms of press-conference styles, Mike Gundy and Dave Aranda could not be more different. As a sportswriter, do you prefer an animated, colorful guy, or is there something to the subdued, introspective approach?

• Let's talk about a Big 12 doomsday scenario: What if the conference gets left out of the College Football Playoff entirely? Berry breaks down how it could actually happen.

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