Big 12 newcomers not going to be easy opponents for Baylor

ARLINGTON — Baylor’s first true introduction to the newcomers in the Big 12 won’t be a cakewalk. When the Bears head to Orlando on Sept. 30 to face Central Florida for the first time as a Big 12 Conference foe, they’ll be up against a coach and roster that is by no means new to the Power 5. “You feel like you’re in a really important moment for the school’s history,” UCF head coach Gus Malzahn said. “It’s really special. You think about all the great players before and the great coaches. We’re blessed to be a part of it, and I’m really excited to be the head coach.” Malzahn won a national championship as an assistant at Auburn and finished with 68 wins in his eight-year stint as head coach of the Tigers, including a 3-5 record against Nick Saban and Alabama. Wide receiver Javon Baker played in 21 games for Alabama before transferring to UCF. He led the Knights with nearly 800 receiving yards last year and had five touchdown grabs. Advantage, Waco: Ex-Midway star Kenna Kilgo happy to return to her tennis roots Waco police arrest man on indecency with child charge McLennan County grand jury indictments: July 6, 2023 Waco golfer John Derrick headed 'across the pond' for British Senior Amateur Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee set multiple records in his three years as the quarterback at Ole Miss. He led the Knights in rushing last year and there for more than 2,500 yards with 14 touchdowns. Plumlee has proven he can perform in the Power 5, and he’s ready to do it again. “I’m not a prove guy, I think I have a lot to show,” Plumlee said. “I’m confident in the guy that I am and the quarterback that I am. I don’t think I have to prove anything to anybody.” UCF was picked to finish eighth in the preseason Big 12 media poll, the highest among the four newcomers to the conference. The Knights instantly become the youngest university in the Power 5, and they’re one of the largest in the country, with a student body of nearly 70,000. They’re 12-2 at home in the last two years under Malzahn. “I really think the fan bases are going to really enjoy Orlando,” Malzahn said. “We've got a great environment as far as our bounce house (FBC Mortgage Stadium) and everything that goes with it.” This is the latest move up the ladder for UCF, which played in the MAC until 2004, was in Conference USA from 2005-2012 and has been in the American Athletic Conference for the last nine years. The Knights won three American Conference titles, including the 2017 season in which they finished 13-0 and No. 6 in the final AP Poll. Moving up to the Big 12 has only motivated the team more. “We’ve recruited at a very high level the last few years, and most of the guys knew that we were going to go into some Power 5 conference,” Malzahn said. “They’re excited about it. They know it’s going to be a challenge, but it’s a challenge they’re looking forward to.” Cincinnati is a different story. Baylor's second run-in with a new conference rival will come on Oct. 21 when the Bears travel to Nippert Stadium. After three wildly successful years under Luke Fickell that saw the Bearcats become the first non-Power 5 team to make the College Football Playoff, Scott Satterfield took over as head coach ahead of this season. “It’s a new league, we’ve got a new team; there’s a lot of newness,” Satterfield said. “Anything you do, you’ve got to work hard. The only way I know how to attack it is to put your feet down and start working. That’s the way our program is, that’s the way it’s been built.” The Bearcats’ roster has almost completely turned over. There’s just one scholarship player on the team that was on the roster last fall, and they’ve brought in 21 transfers. The incoming players expected to make an impact include quarterback Emory Jones, who started a combined 20 games in stints at Florida and Arizona State, and wide receiver Xzavier Henderson, who appeared in 35 games and caught five touchdowns in his three-year career at Florida. Defensive end Jowon Briggs — a Cincinnati native and All-AAC First Team selection last season — is the one player who stayed. “It was pretty much a no-brainer,” Briggs said. “A lot of guys can get distracted by glitz and glam, but when there’s a great thing going on, why leave it? I’ve always been a guy that has been in love with the culture and all the things that are here for me.” Cincinnati is tabbed to finish next to last in the Big 12 in the preseason media poll. Still, the pressure is on. “I think it will take time, there's no question about it,” Satterfield said. “But we're also in a world, the football world, where you don’t have a lot of time. You've got to be good now.”