Baylor Wears Black To Their Program Funeral

In our season preview, Jason Chilton and I predicted that Baylor would start the season 6-0, soar up the rankings, raise expectations to the sky, have pundits opine that they'd never missed a beat...and then lose at least four games down the stretch while fracturing completely.

I got a couple of interesting emails from Baylor fans who read the preview (or, in fairness, had it read to them), but our logic was pretty straightforward.  It wasn't just wishful thinking.

Waco is a poisonous environment with a figurehead head coach trading his good name for a quick payoff "leading" a program trying to sustain from the toxic vapors left over from Art Briles' brilliant, morally bankrupt program.  It's a team of mercenaries bonded by opportunism looking to quit and a coaching staff eager to find their next soft landing once the easy wins stop rolling in.  They're just waiting for the excuse.

Texas gave Baylor the excuse it needed last week with a tough loss in Austin.  How would a 6-1 Baylor respond after their first adversity of the season?

Today, we found out.

Baylor hosted a TCU team that's 2-3 in conference play.  To welcome them, some Baylor students and alumni had an Art Briles themed Blackout - yes, this actually happened, extraordinarily, even in light of all we now know - to celebrate the coach that presided over a nearly historic level of program corruption and filth not seen since...well, Dave Bliss at Baylor.

The football team also wore black uniforms and while the Baylor public relations machine has played coy (that color has no association with Briles!), I suspect we can read the subtext.

CAB.

Their Man in Black.

Though HBO's Westworld viewers have a deeper understanding of it.

A show of solidarity and defiance celebrating Art Briles. Against all evidence.  Against all reason. Against all good sense.

It was 38-14 TCU at halftime.

Final Score?  TCU - 62, Baylor - 22.  TCU outgained the Bears by 273 yards.  And Baylor RB Shock Linwood pushed an assistant coach on the Baylor sideline.

This was the most predictable dynastic fall since the Ottoman Empire.

And if you think Texas has the market cornered on Baylor hate, you need to spend a minute talking to Gary Patterson some time.  He delivered that beating with particular relish.

Thanks, Bears.  Considerate that you wore black to your own funeral.

So where to now?