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College Football: 10 teams doomed to be worse in 2016

By John Buhler

Jan 1, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second quarter in the 2015 Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second quarter in the 2015 Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 3, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Seth Russell (17) throws against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Seth Russell (17) throws against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

With all that has gone on in Waco this offseason, there may not be a more disliked Power 5 team in the country than the Baylor Bears. A campus-wide sexual assault scandal cost head coach Art Briles his job.

Former Wake Forest Demon Deacons head coach Jim Grobe takes over in the interim and will inherit talent that Briles recruited. However, will Baylor have staying power in the AP Top 25 in what has already been a frustrating 2016 so far for the program?

Last season, Baylor went 10-3 (6-3) in the Big 12, finishing fourth behind Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and TCU. They’ll likely finish behind those three schools again in 2016. Not facing anybody significant in the non-conference should help the Bears get to 3-0 before a tough home games versus the Oklahoma State Cowboys on September 24th.

The Bears shouldn’t have much of a problem with their next three games after the Cowboys. They’ll face Iowa State, Kansas, and Texas, three of the worst Big 12 teams in the span of five weeks.

Then it gets hard for the Bears, as their final five Big 12 games are absolutely brutal: TCU (November 5th), at Oklahoma (November 12th), Kansas State (November 19th), at Texas Tech (November 25th) at West Virginia (December 3rd).

Kansas State should be better than 6-7 (3-6) in 2016. The Wildcats are rarely down back-to-back years under legendary head coach Bill Snyder. TCU and Oklahoma are College Football Playoff hopefuls. Getting them in back-to-back weeks is miserable for any Big 12 team.

Should either Texas Tech or West Virginia pop with their Air Raid offenses in 2016, it could be either the Red Raiders or the Mountaineers as one of the top four teams in the Big 12 instead of Baylor.

Baylor will have great offensive talent in quarterback Seth Russell, running back Shock Linwood, and wide receiver K.D. Cannon, but will it be enough to help Grobe guide the most hated team in college football this upcoming season? The odds, and frankly karma, are stacked against Baylor football this fall.

Next: 3. Duke Blue Devils.

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