Big 12 Program Fires Coach After Blowing Big 4th Quarter Lead

The dominoes are starting to fall in the Power 4 in recent days as a few programs have fired coaches after disappointing starts to the 2-26 campaign.

Maryland fired Mike Locksley during its bye last week. On Saturday, North Carolina State fired Dave Doeren after losing 31-28 to Stanford on Friday night.

On Sunday, the Big 12 saw its first head coach casualty.

More news: Exclusive: Breakout NFL Executives Who Could Become Future General Managers

More news: 4 QBs Generating Serious Trade Buzz Weeks Before NFL Regular Season Starts

Per Pete Nakos of On3, the Baylor Bears fired Dave Aranda on Sunday.

The firing came after Baylor blew a 21-10 lead in the fourth quarter to Kansas on Saturday. The Bears were outscored 15-3 in the final 15 minutes by the Jayhawks. Before Saturday's game, KU had a 2-4 record overall and an 0-3 record in Big 12 play.

Aranda entered the season on the hot seat. Aranda, 50, had his best season with the Bears in 2021 when the program finished with a 12-2 record and defeated Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. Baylor had losing seasons in 2022 and 2023 before finishing with an 8-5 record in 2024. The Bears went 5-7 last season.

During his seven seasons with the program, Aranda went 40-40 overall and 26-32 in Big 12 play.

The Bears showed flashes of being able to turn things around this season. Baylor defeated Arizona State 55-19 on Oct. 3. But the Bears could not stay consistent, dropping a 17-6 contest at home to TCU. After the loss to TCU, Aranda noted he was evaluating ways to make changes to the program.

“If that's moving pieces around, if that's giving competition, if that's challenging guys, all of those things are being talked about and being addressed now,” Aranda said, via the Dallas Morning News.

The changes weren't enough for the Bears to win against Kansas. The loss dropped Baylor to 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in Big 12 play. BU made the decision to fire Aranda on a short week, as the Bears will travel to play UCF on Friday night.

For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.