The Baylor Bears lost in overtime of the Big 12 Championship to the Oklahoma Sooners. Not only did they lose a heart-breaker, but will they lose Matt Rhule?
Matt Rhule orchestrated one of the biggest turnarounds in recent college football history and will have several job offers if he wants to leave Baylor.
It was a great season for the Baylor Bears. Nobody outside of Waco, Texas thought the Bears were going to be a factor in the Big 12 this season, much less playing for a shot at the College Football Playoff. A win vs. Oklahoma could have earned them a playoff berth, but they came up short in overtime of the Big 12 Championship Game.
This was Baylor’s second heart-breaking defeat at the hands of Oklahoma this season. With the Utah Utes getting blown out in the Pac-12 Championship Game by the Oregon Ducks on Friday night, this opened the pathway for the Big 12 Champion to get into the playoff, as long as the Georgia Bulldogs fell to the LSU Tigers in the SEC Championship Game.
Though it was a great 11-win season for Baylor, the Bears may not even get a New Year’s Six bowl bid if Georgia wins the SEC, as the Big 12 Champion Sooners would represent the Big 12 in the Sugar Bowl. Not only did Baylor lose its biggest game of the season, but there’s a chance they could lose Rhule to the NFL.
Rhule has been a godsend to the program since he took over in 2017 in the wake of the Art Briles scandal and the team only went 1-11. After getting Baylor back to bowl eligibility in 2018, he was a win shy of the playoff after going 11-2. Rhule has been on the NFL’s radar the previous two offseasons before he committed to staying in Waco.
Could Rhule find it difficult to say no to the NFL again?
Rhule signed an extension that’ll keep him with Baylor through the 2027 season and carries a significant buyout. However, there figures to be between six and eight head coaching jobs open within the next month and Rhule could be the top candidate for half of them with the way he turned around Baylor and changed the culture.
Though Baylor won shares of two Big 12 Championships under Briles, this typically isn’t a program that should be contending for conference championships so even though they fell short this year, it’s still a remarkable achievement. If Rhule rebuffs any interest from the NFL, it’s fair to think he’ll receive a significant raise from Baylor for his showing loyalty to the program.
Ultimately, it’s up to Rhule and where he feels most comfortable and where his family wants to be. He obviously loves being at Baylor, but it also feels like the lure of the NFL will grab him sooner than later.
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