2022 Baylor Bears Win Total Odds and Picks

It was somewhat of a Cinderella season for the Baylor Bears in 2021. After head coach Dave Aranda’s 2-7 inaugural season in 2020, the Bears tore through their schedule last season and wound up 12-2 with a Big 12 championship and a Sugar Bowl victory over Ole Miss.

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In contrast to the Baylor teams of year’s past, the 2021 version had one of the better defenses in the country. The Bears held 12 of their 14 opponents last season to 24 points or less. That defense will be called upon once again to lead the way in 2022.

QB Blake Shapen returns after his Sugar Bowl win to lead the Bears offense. Can Aranda and Baylor repeat the success of 2021?

Baylor Bears Regular Season Win Total Betting Lines

OVER 7.5 (-150)

UNDER 7.5 (+120)

Last Season

Aranda and Baylor knew they had something after an early upset win over No. 14 Iowa State. Then came wins over No. 19 BYU and Texas before an upset loss to TCU.

The Bears redeemed themselves when they upset No. 8 Oklahoma 27-14 the following week. After losing to Oklahoma State in Week 5 of the regular season, Baylor captured the Big 12 title with a 21-16 win over the Cowboys.

The prime time victory over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl capped one of the best seasons in program history.

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Baylor Key Losses Heading Into 2022

The defense loses a ton of production from last year’s team. Gone is All-American safety Jalen Pitre. Joining him are LB Terrel Bernard and safety JT Woods. The big losses are Pitre and Bernard as they were the leaders of Aranda’s unit.

Shapen took over for QB Gerry Bohanon and wound up as the MVP of the Sugar Bowl Bohanon entered the transfer portal, so it’s all on Shapen in 2022.

2022 Baylor Bears Team Preview

As mentioned, Shapen will lead an offense that returns an experienced offensive line. Connor Galvin and sixth-year senior Khalil Keith are the tackles, Grant Miller and fifth-year senior Mose Jeffery are the guards, and former transfer Jacob Gall is the center.

Despite the losses on defense, All-Big 12 nose tackle Siaki “Apu” Ika will lead the Bears up front. Dillon Doyle, a former transfer from Iowa, is back at middle linebacker where he has 145 tackles over the past two seasons.

NCAA Football Predictions

2022 Baylor Football Schedule

The Bears open the season with a gimme – FCS Albany at home. Baylor will play a tough non- conference game at BYU the following week. After Texas State in Week 3, the Bears will begin the Big 12 schedule.

Aranda’s team is at Iowa State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Texas to end the regular season. Kansas State and Oklahoma State represent difficult home opponents.

2022 Baylor Bears Regular Season Win Total Prediction

TCU and Oklahoma will have new head coaches, but both programs have plenty of talent and Baylor will face both later in the season. The games at Iowa State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Texas will be extremely difficult to win.

That said, getting to seven wins is a possibility. Getting the eighth win? With a complete overhaul on defense and an offense that doesn’t resemble those of the Bears’ past, eight wins isn’t going to happen in 2022.

PICK: BAYLOR UNDER 7.5 (+120)

Check out our Black Knights win total prediction and Bearcats win total prediction next.