At multiple points during this season, it appeared Baylor football coach Dave Aranda was heading toward being fired. But after two consecutive wins, Aranda's seat is reportedly not nearly as warm as it once was.
With the Bears sitting at 4-4 on the season and having a clear path to their first winning season since 2021, Aranda is, according to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz and John Talty, “coaching himself to safety” in Waco.
“A 2-4 start to the 2024 season cranked up the speculation about Dave Aranda's long-term future at Baylor, but multiple industry sources told CBS Sports this week that Aranda's hot seat has cooled considerably in recent weeks. Baylor is 4-4 now (2-3 Big 12) as the calendar turns to November,” Zenitz and Talty wrote.
One source purportedly told CBS Sports there is a “strong possibility” Aranda remains Baylor's coach in the case of a six-win 2024 season. Another source said Baylor is “trending toward safe.”
Baylor football coach Dave Aranda potentially saving job after tough start to 2024 season
The sense of urgency around the Baylor football program seemed fairly high coming into the 2024 season, Aranda's fifth as head coach. After all, the Bears had failed to capitalize on the 2021 season during which they won 12 games and the Big 12 for the first time in eight years.
Baylor followed that triumphant year up with two consecutive losing seasons, including a 3-9 campaign last season, which marked the worst record of any non-first-year Baylor coach since 2007, Guy Moriss' final season in Waco before being fired.
So to say that Aranda's seat was ‘hot' entering 2024 would seem fair. The temperature did not change much either way, despite an early-season loss to then-highly-ranked Utah, until a brutal loss to Colorado, which featured a Buffaloes hail mary in regulation and a Bears fumble on the goal line in overtime.
Baylor stumbled after the Colorado loss, falling to Big 12 foes BYU and Iowa State, putting the Bears at 2-4 and at major risk of yet another losing season.
However, after the team's bye week, Aranda led Baylor to a surprisingly dominant victory in Lubbock over Texas Tech. The Bears then notched their first home win against a Power 4 opponent in more than two years with a 38-28 victory against struggling Oklahoma State.
Those two wins, while still not guaranteeing a winning record, were needed in order to give the Bears and Aranda a chance at redeeming themselves after last season. Additionally, Baylor's early-season losses are not as bad in retrospect; Utah, at the time, was ranked 11th in the nation and still had starting quarterback Cam Rising; Colorado has won six games and is in contention for the Big 12 title; and both BYU and Iowa State are still undefeated and the favorites to play in the conference championship game.
Baylor would appear to have a very realistic chance at finishing the regular season 8-4 and Big 12 play 6-3. The Bears host TCU this weekend before going on their final bye week of the season. Following that, they visit West Virginia and then Houston before finishing their conference slate at home vs. Kansas.
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