Baylor (yes, Baylor!) won the college football weekend

There was little doubt this would be a rough season for Baylor, but no one ever expected it to be this bad, to be praying for a single win to avoid a winless season. Matt Rhule took over in the spring and has basically had to build the program from scratch. Every good rebuild has to endure its bumps and bruises – but the Bears finally have the building block that won’t leave this season as a total loss. After a slow first quarter, Baylor jumped all over Kansas on its way to a 38-9 win in Lawrence Saturday afternoon. The Bears have come close to winning several games at different points throughout the year, and for what it’s worth (probably not much), were probably the best winless team in the country. Things didn’t get off to a hot start when Liberty went to McLane Stadium and walked out with a win, but Baylor later showed it may have something brewing in a 49-41 loss to then No. 3 Oklahoma. After turning to freshman quarterback Charlie Brewer midway through the Oct. 21 homecoming game against No. 23 West Virginia, the Bears were just a two-point conversion away from sending that game to overtime. The writing was on the wall – Baylor was going to get one sooner or later. The Bears aren’t going to a bowl game and they probably won’t win another game for the remainder of the season. But as dismal as a 1-8 record may be from the outside looking in, the Bears took a big step forward by putting one in the win column. An 0-12 season can be crippling for a program looking to get back on its feet. As Rhule and his staff continue their efforts on the recruiting trail and look to the future, they can point to Nov. 4 as the first of what they hope will be many wins. Even more encouraging than finally breaking through with a victory was the glimpse to the future Brewer provided in his first career start. He threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Sure, it was Kansas. But the Bears had to start somewhere. Brewer showed he has what it takes to be the future of this offense. It may not look like much more than a moral victory, but Baylor won the weekend with its win over Kansas. It’s one the program had to have and a win that should pay off moving forward under Rhule.