The Baylor boards are calling for Aranda’s head. He is signed through 2029 (Rhule cashed in on his big season by going pro; Aranda cashed in with a contract extension). They have not yet come to terms with the new math of college football.
10 years ago, there was a simple formula for Baylor, OSU and TCU- find your coach, and pay what it takes to keep him. Players weren’t paid, the conference media money was shared equally, and if you make the modest fan expectations (contend every few years, make at least a minor bowl almost every year, don’t worry about recruiting rankings-you’ll get a few years to develop your guys) meet the coaches’ performance level, you had a happy program for years. You schedule three patsies every year, including a FCS team, to help reach bowl eligibility, because you’re not worried about providing interesting games for the media partner; that’s the blue bloods’ job.
Things are now changed. NIL gives a big advantage to the teams with large fanbases. That’s money that just isn’t available to the smaller programs.
The portal is a huge change, in that scouting and evaluation is a much bigger operation. SEC teams and B10 teams have media payments that are $40-50 million per year higher than the B12’s. They can afford to hire scouts and analysts. Smaller programs, that can’t afford to stand up a new NFL style personnel department will have to ask their coaches to assume the tasks. Which is a year round task, involving a nation and several generations of prospects.
And Baylor fans think they can solve their problem with a new coach, that they really can’t afford. I am enjoying watching their journey.