UCF opponent previews: Baylor aims for bounce-back, faces Knights in Big 12 home opener

Nickname: BearsLocation: Waco, TexasEnrollment: 20,709Home field: McLane Stadium (Capacity: 45,140)Conference: Big 122022 record: 6-7, 4-5 Big 12All-time series record vs. UCF: 0-1Last meeting: Jan. 1, 2014 (UCF won 52-42)

Editor's note: This is the fifth installment in a 12-part series highlighting UCF's 2023 football opponents.

There surely would have been some poetric symmetry had Texas been chosen as UCF's opponent for its Big 12 football home opener.

After all, the Longhorns christened FBC Mortgage Stadium on Sept. 15, 2007, with a 35-32 win in front of 45,622 raucous fans — a capacity crowd that shook the brand new building to its core as the Knights threatened to pull off an upset over the sixth-ranked team in the country.

UCF Week 1 opponent: Kent State undergoes roster overhaul under new coach Kenni Burns

UCF Week 2 opponent: Boise State seeks Mountain West redemption behind QB Taylen Green

UCF Week 3 opponent: Experienced, upset-minded Villanova eyes return to FCS playoffs

UCF Week 4 opponent: Defending league champ Kansas State to welcome Knights to Big 12

Alas, it was not to be, and the Longhorns depart for the riches of the SEC next July. Still, the Knights have plenty of meaningful history with the actual choice: Baylor.

Had it not been for UCF's 52-42 Fiesta Bowl triumph over Baylor as 17-point underdogs on New Year's Day of 2014, who knows where the Knights might be right now? It was a landmark moment for the school's football program: a first BCS victory — no less in the American Athletic Conference's lone year as an automatic qualifier — and a showcase for Blake Bortles to be selected third overall in that year's NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

UCF finally arrived on the national scene. Four seasons later, the Knights went unbeaten and took down Auburn in the Peach Bowl to cement their status as a desired brand for college football's evolving landscape of realignment.

Baylor, to its credit, has been one of the Big 12's better teams for the last decade. The Bears have posted double-digit wins six times since 2011, although they faltered down the stretch a year ago and closed with four consecutive defeats to finish 6-7.

Will the Bears return to top-of-the-conference contender status, or regress further in a league loaded with hungry newcomers? Let's learn more about Baylor, the Knights' final foe in the month of September.

Dave Aranda, entering fourth year, has contract running through '29

Dave Aranda engineered one of college football's great turnarounds in taking Baylor from 2-7 in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign to 12-2 Sugar Bowl champions in 12 months time. Chosen as the Big 12's Coach of the Year, Aranda landed a huge contract extension through 2029, though financial terms were not disclosed by the private university.

Aranda, who will turn 47 the day before Baylor's contest at UCF, holds a 20-16 record over his first three seasons in Waco. The California native previously worked as a defensive coordinator at LSU, Wisconsin, Utah State, Hawaii, Southern Utah, Delta State and Cal Lutheran.

Baylor opens the 2023 season with four consecutive home games, including marquee matchups with Utah (Sept. 9) and Texas (Sept. 23). The aforementioned four-game losing streak the Bears closed 2022 on included defeats to, arguably, the Big 12's top three teams — league champion Kansas State, national runner-up TCU and resurgent Texas. Air Force handled them 30-15 in the Armed Forces Bowl, rushing for 276 yards and building a 23-point, fourth-quarter lead.

Blake Shapen named starting QB, Richard Reese named Preseason All-Big 12

Key Offensive Returners: WR Monaray Baldwin, OL Gavin Byers, WR Josh Cameron, WR Hal Presley, RB Richard Reese, QB Blake Shapen

Key Defensive Returners: DL TJ Franklin, DL Gabe Hall, DB Devin Lemear, LB Matt Jones, EDGE Garmon Randolph

Blake Shapen endured a bumpy 2022 campaign behind center, but fended off the challenge from Mississippi State transfer Sawyer Robertson to win the starting quarterback job in the spring.

Shapen, a fourth-year junior, completed 63.3% of his attempts last season for 2,790 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. However, he tossed multiple picks three times in Big 12 play and failed to surpass 270 yards in any of his final seven games.

Richard Reese was Baylor's lone representative on the Preseason All-Big 12 team, released Wednesday afternoon; UCF did not have a single player selected. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound running back set a program record for rushing yards by a freshman (972) while ranking fourth in a single season all-time with 14 touchdown runs.

Baylor tallied 24 sacks defensively last season — 10 coming in the first four games, and 11 more combined in contests with Texas and Texas Tech. Aranda made a switch at defensive coordinator, firing Ron Roberts and bringing back former safeties coach Matt Powledge from Oregon.

The Bears' secondary appears full of underclassmen, but Hall (6-6, 296), Franklin (6-5, 265) and Randolph (6-7, 247) could be a handful for opposing offensive lines with their length, strength and athleticism.

BYU brothers Clark, Campbell Barrington bolster Baylor O-line

Transfer Portal Additions: OL Campbell Barrington (BYU), OL Clark Barrington (BYU), DB Ajani Carter (Utah State), DB Isaiah Dunson (Miami), WR Ketron Jackson (Arkansas), EDGE Treven Ma'ae (Oregon), QB RJ Martinez (Northern Arizona), RB Dominic Richardson (Oklahoma State), TE Jake Roberts (North Texas), QB Sawyer Robertson (Mississippi State), LB Mike Smith (Liberty), K Jack Stone (Michigan State), EDGE Byron Vaughns (Utah State)

Transfer Portal Departures: WR Elijah Bean, QB Kyron Drones (Virginia Tech), WR Jaylen Ellis (Colorado), WR Josh Fleeks (Nebraska), DB Lorando Johnson (Arkansas), WR Seth Jones (South Florida), IOL Micah Mazzccua (Florida), DB AJ McCarty (Texas Tech), DB Devin Neal (Louisville), K Noah Rauschenberg (North Texas), DB Al Walcott (Arkansas), RB Sqwirl Williams (Louisiana Tech)

Clark Barrington's portal switch from BYU to Baylor is one of the most significant transfers in the Big 12, bar none. According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-6, 305-pound guard has maintained an 85.3 overall grade (out of 100) the last two seasons while allowing a sack or QB hit only three times in 843 pass-blocking snaps.

Younger brother Campbell Barrington, named a Freshman All-American by several outlets in 2021, also joins after making nine appearances for the Cougars off the bench last year.

Former Liberty linebacker Mike Smith (85 tackles, 10 TFLs, three forced fumbles) could be a difference-maker at the second level, and Isaiah Dunson is likely to fill a void at cornerback after joining from Miami. On offense, Robertson will continue to push Shapen at QB, while Ketron Jackson and Jake Roberts are new weapons in the passing game and Dominic Richardson (1,139 career rushing yards, 15 TDs) adds experience in the backfield and weakens a conference rival.

Micah Mazzccua, now enrolled at Florida, is the most significant departure. Described by PFF as an "absolute people-mover," Mazzccua ranked ninth among Power Five guards in run blocking (78.5 grade), while his 14 big-time blocks were good for second in the country.

Watch out for freshman RB Bryson Washington, JUCO addition Jerrell Boykins Jr.

Top Incoming Freshmen: WR Micah Gifford (Pflugerville, Texas), TE Matthew Klopfenstein (Scottsdale, Ariz.), LB Corey Kelly (League City, Texas), OL Isaiah Robinson (Arlington, Texas), DB LeVar Thornton Jr. (Keller, Texas), DB Tay'Shawn Wilson (Houston, Texas), DB Carl Williams IV (Baton Rouge, La.)

Baylor checked in 36th in 247Sports' overall 2023 recruiting rankings, aided by the 13 additions out of the transfer portal. Aranda's staff signed just two four-star athletes from the high school rankings, 6-foot-7, 288-pound tackle Robinson and 6-foot-2, 165-pound cornerback Thornton.

Unsurprisingly, Baylor found players in every pocket of the Lone Star State. Sixteen of the Bears' 21 enrollees from the high school and JUCO ranks hail from Texas.

Given the Bears' losses on the back end, Thornton, Wilson and Williams could earn a chance to play out of the gate.

As far as instant impact is concerned, defensive lineman Jerrell Boykins Jr. should enter the D-line rotation after registering 18 tackles, 1.5 TFLs and one fumble recovery for NJCAA runner-up Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College.

Klopfenstein, who caught 42 passes for 652 yards and six touchdowns for Horizon High in Arizona, has a college-ready frame and is a willing blocker. Running back Bryson Washington (Franklin, Texas) enjoyed a big spring and was singled out by 247Sports in May as a player who could earn snaps immediately.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF opponent previews: Baylor draws Big 12 home opener