Predicting the final score of Baylor vs. Arizona

Things just keep getting worse and worse for Baylor. After preseason hype and a potential Big 12 Championship-contending team, the Bears are sitting at 5-5 on the season and Baylor needs one win in the last two weeks to secure bowl eligibility.

Baylor’s remaining games will come against two winning teams and this week, the Bears will travel to take on Arizona. Noah Fifita and the ‘Cats are at 7-3 on the season, and could very easily have a few more wins on the season.

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Arizona has an electric offense with Fifita at the helm, and the Wildcats’ defense is great against the pass. Arizona ranks No. 1 in the conference in stopping the pass and Sawyer Robertson will have his hands full in this game. WR Ashtyn Hawkins is out for the first half after getting into a scuffle late in the game against Utah.

Here is how our staff sees Baylor’s game going down against Arizona.

On paper, these two teams are similar offensively. Both squads can toss the football around and have a good enough run game to get them by. But what separates Baylor and Arizona is the defense. The Bears’ defense is downright bad, and the Wildcats have one of the better defenses in the Big 12.

Sawyer Robertson will be going up against the top-ranked passing defense in the conference; however, it wasn’t that long ago that Robertson crushed a UCF defense that was really good on paper. While Arizona is better than UCF, I think Robertson can have his way.

While the Baylor offense could score points against Arizona, I don’t see the Bears stopping Noah Fifita and the ‘Cats.

Final score: Arizona 38, Baylor 31

The Bears need one win to become bowl eligible. Baylor doesn’t buckle under that pressure. Sawyer Robertson throws for a ton of yards for the second straight week, cuts down on the mistakes, and the Baylor defense bends but doesn’t break in a victory over Arizona.

Final score: Baylor 31, Arizona 27

I believe Baylor will bounce back in Tucson on Saturday. Although Arizona’s defense has been playing its best football of the season, I believe Baylor’s receiving corps is still one of the best in the nation. I don’t believe Sawyer Robertson plays two bad games in a row, and he will find the receivers throughout the game.

Look at Kole Wilson and Josh Cameron to continue to be weapons, with potential for Jadon Porter to play a big role. Although the Baylor defense took a massive step backwards against Utah, I believe there is potential to create trouble for Noah Fifita. I think it is a positive matchup for the Baylor secondary against the Arizona passing attack, and all the pressure lies on the linebackers and defensive line to stuff the run and actually make Fifita uncomfortable.

Final score: Baylor 33, Arizona 24