Blackout on the Brazos: 4-1 Baylor Hosts TCU Saturday in the Revivalry With the Defense Riding a Historic Start

By Mac Rivera, RF Sports Radio Baylor voice

Sic 'em. The blackout is loaded, the rivalry is the most played in Texas, and Baylor's defense has not allowed a 21-spot yet. That is the kind of October stage McLane was built for.

The facts

Baylor is 4-1 and 2-0 in the Big 12 with a four-game win streak. The Bears have held all five opponents to 20 points or fewer, the longest such streak to open a season since 1966, per BaylorBears.com. They host TCU (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m. Central at McLane Stadium on FS1 — billed as Revivalry / Blackout on the Brazos, the 120th meeting and the most-played rivalry in Texas. TCU leads the series 60-54-7. TCU won 42-36 in Fort Worth last year; Baylor won 37-34 in Waco in 2024.

Baylor is receiving votes in the coaches poll. TCU is coming off an idle week after a loss to BYU. SI's Big 12 power rankings conversation has kept both clubs in the same weekly churn: hot Baylor defense versus a Horned Frogs team searching for an identity after early conference bumps. Idle weeks can sharpen a desperate visitor. They can also leave rust on a team that already struggles to finish drives.

That is the setup. Home blackout. National TV. A defense playing historic early-season football. A visitor with a series lead and recent shootout DNA. For Baylor, a clean win keeps the coaches-poll chatter alive. For TCU, a road upset resets the conference narrative overnight.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: Baylor's defense is the best story in the Big 12 right now, and Saturday is the loudest test of whether that story travels into rivalry week. Holding five straight foes under 21 is not a fluke sample anymore. TCU can still pop a big play — last year's 42-36 game proved these clubs do not do quiet — but the Frogs' 0-2 Big 12 start says they have not solved complementary football. At McLane in black, I trust Aranda's front to set the tone and the home crowd to make third-and-long louder than any TCU tempo.

My call: Baylor 27, TCU 17. The Bears keep TCU under 20 again and walk out still receiving votes. That is a prediction. If TCU hits explosive plays early, the blackout can flip into a track meet Baylor does not want.

What to watch next

Kickoff is Saturday at 6 p.m. Central on FS1. Wear black if you are going. Watch Baylor's first two third-down stands — that is the pulse of this defense. For the film angle on TCU, read our TCU film-study preview ahead of the Revivalry, and get ready on the Baylor Football page.

Radio question: can Baylor's defense keep TCU under 20 in a Revivalry blackout?

Sources: BaylorBears.com — Red-hot FB hosts TCU in Blackout on the Brazos; SI (TCU) — Big 12 football power rankings Week 7.