No. 10 BYU vs. Baylor: Game day preview plus score prediction
Nov 14, 2026, 2:31 AM | Updated: 2:33 am
PROVO — BYU vs Baylor is going to happen. After a whirlwind Friday because of the FAA ground stop, there were a few hours when a football game seemed to be in doubt.
Now, we’re set for a primetime clash with potential implications for the Big 12 Championship race, impacting both teams.
Despite last week’s loss at rival Utah, BYU’s hopes of reaching Arlington for the Big 12 Championship Game are alive. BYU got a boost when Colorado upset Houston on Friday night.
BYU needs to take care of business against Baylor tonight; then, if Oklahoma State can hold serve at home against Texas Tech, the Cougars will return to the No. 2 spot in the Big 12 standings.
It won’t be an easy game against Baylor.
The Bears enter this game on a two-game winning streak after firing Dave Aranda as head coach. Interim coach Joe Klanderman has Baylor playing loose, and dare we say, consistent? Something that has been lacking in Waco since their 2021 Big 12 Championship season.
Baylor is 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 play. BYU is 7-2 overall and holds the same record in conference action as the Bears at 4-2.
BYU leads the all-time series over Baylor at 3-2. The Cougars have won the last two meetings, which include Baylor’s last visit to Provo in 2022, a double-overtime thriller.
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This will be the first meeting in Provo between these two faith-based programs as Big 12 foes. It will be the second all-time meeting as conference mates.
No. 10 BYU vs. Baylor
Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
Kickoff: 5 p.m. (MST)
TV: FOX
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM) — Extended pregame begins at Noon
Three game day thoughts
1. Bear Bachmeier bounce-back opportunity against the Bears
Last week, BYU sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier tossed a career-high four interceptions in the 28-20 loss at Utah in Salt Lake City.
Utah didn’t have any sacks on Bachmeier last week, but they got their share of hits on the BYU star. At the beginning of the second half, Bachmeier was seen with a wrap on his throwing arm near his elbow. He continued to sport that wrap throughout practices this week in preparation for Baylor.
Did that impact his arm strength against the Utes? Possibly. BYU didn’t call the deep shots they showed in the first half, including the 75-yard touchdown to Legend Glasker.
BYU’s offense has asked a lot of Bear since LJ Martin suffered his ankle injury on October 3. But one thing we know for sure: he’s a competitor, and when he feels slighted at all, he plays with even more intensity than he usually has. Just ask Notre Dame.
Look for Bachmeier to have a strong bounce-back performance today after last week’s uncharacteristic outing.
2. The return of the Vampire Cougs
The past three games have been in the day for BYU. They went 1-2 in that stretch. Many thought BYU had moved past the whole “can’t win in the daytime” argument. But they haven’t played well these past three weeks.
VAMPIRE COUGS TAKE FLIGHT TOMORROW NIGHT!! pic.twitter.com/9XDzjZ3fUy
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 14, 2026
Today’s game was slated to be the fourth consecutive day game, the most consecutive day games for BYU since 2019, but the FAA ground stop kicked it over into the nighttime. Good news for BYU, that unleashes the “Vampire Cougs.”
3. Red zone efficiency could play a big role in this game
BYU is currently 15th in red zone defense in Big 12 Conference play, allowing opponents to score 88.2% of the time. Baylor isn’t a great Red Zone offense, ranking 13th in the Big 12 at 76.9%.
Last week against Utah, BYU was 3-of-5 in the red zone, coming up empty-handed on two drives that completely altered the game.
Whoever takes care of business in the red zone today will likely come out on top.
Two BYU vs Baylor questions
1. How will Baylor perform after traveling in on the same day?
Older BYU fans will remember when Gary Crowton took his nationally ranked 2002 BYU team to Reno for a quick game-day flight to face the Nevada Wolf Pack.
That decision was the beginning of the end for Crowton and BYU as Nate Burleson (yes, the guy who is now on CBS) and Nevada upset the Cougars. BYU never recovered from that moment.
Even last year, BYU seemed a little out of their usual routine when they arrived at their team hotel in Lubbock, Texas, just 16 hours before an early 11 a.m. (CST) kickoff at Texas Tech.
Routines matter for college football teams. When that gets interrupted, it can affect on-field performance.
Baylor didn’t choose the game-day travel. The FAA ground stop forced that on them, but it’ll be interesting to see how they perform just hours after landing from a 2 1/2-hour flight.
2. How many carries will LJ Martin have tonight?
It was a great sight to see BYU have their star LJ Martin in the backfield once again. However, it was clear he was nowhere near 100% against the Utes.
He finished that game with seven carries, none of which were in the fourth quarter.
There have been no concerns about his availability this week. He’s cleared to go and expected to have a bigger role on the offense today. But how big?
BYU built this offense around the talents of LJ Martin. If they could get a dozen quality carries from Martin, that could do a world of good against a Baylor defense that is second nationally in sacks this season.
One score prediction for BYU vs Baylor
When you get to game 10 of a season, you’re in that territory where you kind of are who you are as a team. At this point, BYU is a team that keeps games in the 20s and usually plays one-possession ball.
It would be great for BYU to put together a style-points performance for the selection committee this weekend, as they did a year ago against TCU after a loss. But I’ll be modest with this prediction: BYU wins, but it will be a one-score game.
Score prediction: BYU 27, Baylor 21
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
