Baylor Football Schedule 2026: Full Bears Slate, Dates, and Key Games

by

Baylor opens its 2026 season in Atlanta. Dave Aranda’s seventh Bears team faces Auburn in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sept 5, then comes home to McLane Stadium for two non-conference games before Big 12 play begins against Colorado.

One date to note: the UCF game moved to Friday, Oct 30. Six home games, a well-placed bye, and a November that closes with Texas Tech and Houston in back-to-back rivalry weeks.

2026 Team Schedule
Baylor Football Schedule
Big 12 · McLane Stadium · Dave Aranda (7th year)
6
Home Games
9
Big 12 Games
Sept 5
Opener vs Auburn (Atlanta)
Oct 17
Circle It: TCU
Date Opponent Time (CT) / TV Result
Sat, Sept 5 vs Auburn (Atlanta, Aflac Kickoff) 2:30 PM · ABC —
Sat, Sept 12 vs Prairie View A&M (home opener) 7:00 PM · ESPN+ —
Sat, Sept 19 vs Louisiana Tech 3:00 PM · ESPNU —
Sat, Sept 26 vs Colorado (Big 12 opener) TBA —
Sat, Oct 3 at Arizona State TBA —
Sat, Oct 10 Bye Week — —
Sat, Oct 17 vs TCU (The Revivalry) TBA —
Sat, Oct 24 at Kansas TBA —
Fri, Oct 30 at UCF 6:30 PM · ESPN —
Sat, Nov 7 vs Iowa State (Homecoming) TBA —
Sat, Nov 14 at BYU TBA —
Sat, Nov 21 vs Texas Tech (home finale) TBA —
Sat, Nov 28 at Houston TBA —
Fri, Dec 4 Big 12 Championship (Arlington, TX) If qualified —
Times listed in Central. Remaining Big 12 kickoff windows are announced in-season.

Games That Will Decide Baylor’s Season

Sept 5 vs Auburn A 2:30 p.m. ABC window in Atlanta against Alex Golesh’s first Auburn team. The series sits at 2-2-1 after Auburn’s 38-24 win to open the 2025 season.
Oct 17 vs TCU The Revivalry at McLane Stadium, straight out of the bye week. The in-state Big 12 rivalry is a season-defining game for both programs most years.
Nov 14 at BYU Provo against a top-15 Cougars team. BYU leads the series 3-2 and has won the last two, including a double-overtime thriller in 2022.
Nov 21 vs Texas Tech The home finale against the defending Big 12 champions. Baylor leads the all-time series 42-40-1 and is 20-12 in Waco, including a 59-35 rout in Lubbock in 2024.
A Friday Night in Orlando
The UCF game moved off Saturday to Friday, Oct 30 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN — a standalone national window and a short week going into Homecoming.
Closing With Two Rivalries
Texas Tech at home, then Houston on the road. The Cougars won 31-24 in Waco in 2025, cutting Baylor’s series lead to 15-14-1; the road series is level at 7-7.
Oregon Series Cancelled
Baylor and Oregon mutually agreed to cancel their home-and-home series scheduled for 2027 and 2028, part of a wider reshuffle of future non-conference dates.

How the Schedule Sets Up

Auburn in Atlanta is a real swing game to open — winnable, and worth a great deal to the resume if it lands. Prairie View A&M and Louisiana Tech follow at home, so Baylor should be 2-1 or 3-0 entering Big 12 play against Colorado. October is the crucible: Arizona State on the road, the bye, TCU at home, Kansas away, then a Friday night in Orlando. November brings Iowa State for Homecoming, a difficult trip to Provo, and the two rivalry games to finish. Six home games is on the light side and the November road dates are hard, but the bye is placed perfectly ahead of the TCU game. For the postseason picture, here’s how the College Football Playoff works under the 12-team format. Conference scheduling across the NCAA FBS continues to trend toward deeper league slates.

The Bottom Line

Six home games, Auburn on ABC in Atlanta to open, The Revivalry out of the bye, a Friday night at UCF, and back-to-back rivalry games to close — Dave Aranda’s seventh Baylor schedule offers a fair path with two genuinely hard November road trips. Bookmark this page; times, networks, and results are updated throughout the season.