Maintaining success harder than it seems for Baylor, Big 12 contenders

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Baylor football doesn’t need to be rebuilt. It simply needs to be maintained.

Continuing the program’s on-field success — which pales in comparison to the off-the-field overhaul — sits high on the priority list of new coach Jim Grobe. The former Wake Forest coach could end up being a good choice to take over for Art Briles, who was removed this offseason from the program he had built to prominence, if he’s able to change the culture while simply maintaining Baylor’s recent success.

“If someone (asked) ‘Would Jim Grobe be a good hire at Baylor with the circumstances?’ I would have said no doubt,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “He’s a very smart, mature, veteran coach so I would think whatever circumstances he’s presented, he’d have the best chance to make good decisions. He’s going to sit down and think things through.”

The off-the-field work is the most important project for Baylor’s new head coach, but continuing to drive forward a program which won 50 games during the past five years to go from Big 12 also-ran to title contender is also important. Briles was at the center of it all, the driving force behind Baylor’s rise, so the key for Grobe is to figure out how to combine his ways with the elements that helped the Bears win a pair of Big 12 titles.

Baylor and TCU have worked hard to be Big 12 title contenders, but maintaining that success is a challenge, too. Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports

“The last few years they’ve had as much success as anyone,” Gundy said. “What he’s faced with, you gotta bring guys in and start over or stay …

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