Baylor Football Still in Hibernation

Chalk up another losing season for the Baylor Bears, and give an F to the athletic department.

Baylor (3-8) was abysmal this year on both sides of the ball, and managed to go winless in Big 12 play.  Conference opponents outscored Baylor by an average of 30.5 points a game this season.

With the results offering little promise, athletic director Ian McCaw fired head coach Guy Morriss following the Bears’ loss to Oklahoma State. Morriss, who went 18-40 in his five years at Baylor, never managed to produce a winning season.

The Bears haven’t seen the right side of .500 since 1995. They haven't been to a bowl game in 12 years.  Only seven other Division-I teams have gone longer without a bowl appearance.

All signs seemed to point to Baylor legend and San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary to be at the top of McCaw’s list.  Fans supported the idea of seeing Singletary stroll the sidelines at Floyd Casey Stadium next year.

But McCaw contacted Singletary the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to discuss the opening at Baylor.  Somewhere along the line, Singletary discovered he wasn’t a match for Baylor.

The most disheartening aspect for Baylor fans is why Singletary turned the job down.

"I told Ian that I know what a national championship looks like. I think I said exactly this: Unless you're talking about doing what it takes to win a national championship, you're talking to the wrong person,” Singletary said.

Fans should be ashamed of Baylor’s commitment to athletics.  If winning isn’t a priority, then Baylor should get out of the Big XII. This isn’t Pop Warner—it's Division I-A football.  Programs at this level should want to win.

If the athletic director doesn’t have winning national championships atop his to-do list, then something’s wrong.

When reporters attempted to contact McCaw, he said he would avoid public comment until a new coach was hired—just another example of Baylor burying its tail between its legs.

Rumors circulated that former University of Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt was second on the AD's list, but before McCaw could make his move, Ole Miss hired Nutt.

After missing out on their top two choices, Baylor called a press conference today to announce the next head football coach. It seems the man for the job is University of Houston head coach Art Briles.

Briles has gone 34-28 as head coach for the Cougars and claimed the Conference USA title in 2006.  Briles could also add some life to the Bears' anemic spread offense quicker than other candidates. U of H had encouraging success with a similar offense installed after Briles’ arrival.

Baylor’s always had a quick trigger with their head coaches and each time it hasn’t proved much success.

For Briles to succeed, he’s going to need time. I’m talking at least seven years.

As bad as the program is now, a quick turnaround will be nearly impossible.  It’s time for Baylor to show some commitment to their coaching staff—otherwise, they’ll remain the doormat of the Big XII.