Baylor visits No. 10 BYU on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, in a game that gives the Bears a chance to leave Provo with a road win over a ranked team. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.
The matchup is drawing attention because Baylor is coming in on two straight wins, while BYU returns home after a loss at Utah on Nov. 7. The Cougars have lost two of their last three games, but the Bears arrive with momentum after beating Iowa State 42-31 and UCF 41-9 in back-to-back weeks.
DJ Lagway has driven that run, throwing two touchdown passes and running for 119 yards against Iowa State after a four-touchdown passing day at UCF. He has 15 touchdown passes this season, and Baylor will need him sharp again against a BYU defense that allows 199.6 passing yards per game and has only six interceptions.
What makes this one harder for Baylor is the pressure waiting on the other side. BYU has 20 sacks, a concern for a quarterback who has been brought down 14 times this season, even though Baylor brings 37 sacks into Provo and Garrick Ponder leads that rush. The Bears also have to protect against a defense that stops the run well, allowing only 102.7 rushing yards per game.
That leaves Baylor trying to balance its passing game around Gavin Freeman, who leads the Bears with 69 catches and 852 receiving yards. Freeman has five 100-yard games and had five catches for 114 yards and a touchdown in the win at UCF, while his 77-yard catch this season shows the kind of play that can change a game quickly. Baylor also enters with Devon Jordan accounting for nearly half of its nine interceptions, a sign the Bears can create problems if BYU is forced into mistakes.
BYU has its own threats. Bear Bachmeier leads the Cougars in rushing with seven rushing touchdowns, and he has been sacked only five times. But he also threw four interceptions in BYU's 28-20 loss at Utah, and Legend Glasker remains the top target with 703 receiving yards and five touchdown catches, including a seven-catch, 118-yard performance in that loss. Baylor's 235.9 passing yards allowed per game leaves room for BYU to attack, but the Cougars have to do it after a setback and against a team that has found its form at the right time.
If Baylor can handle the pass rush and keep Lagway on schedule, the Bears have a path to one of their most useful wins of the season. If they cannot, No. 10 BYU will make them pay for every missed block in Provo.
