Calls Mount for College Football Program to Fire Head Coach After Week 5 Performance

Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda is on the receiving end of some notable backlash from college football fans for the team's performance against No. 22 BYU on Saturday.

The 2-2 Bears were considered as 3.5-point favorites before welcoming the undefeated Cougars to McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas. However, after two quarters of action, Baylor is down 31-14 to Kalani Sitake and company. BYU scored 21 unanswered points in the first quarter and the Cougars have only punted one time in six drives.

Aranda entered the 2024 college football season already on the hot seat, according to a preseason story from USA TODAY's Scooby Axso n, who mentioned that the Bears had 'the worst offense and defense in the Big 12' a year ago.

In 2023, Baylor averaged 23.1 points per game, which was tied for last place in the Big 12 with BYU. Defensively, it allowed a league-worst 33.5 points per game.

This season, Baylor's 29.8 points scored per game rank 12th in the Big 12 and its 16.8 points allowed rank No. 5, per CFBStats.com.

"Dave Aranda might get fired at halftime," a fan wrote .

"Dave Aranda welcome to the unemployment line," one said .

"I love Dave Aranda but he might be cooked after this game," another responded . "I understand Baylor has injuries but this is just a hard watch."

"Dave Aranda gonna be working at Bucee’s this time next week," one user wrote .

It wasn't long ago that Aranda was a rising up-and-comer as one of the better coaches in the sport. The Bears set a program record of 12 wins in Aranda's second season at the helm in 2021.

It seemed like Baylor was building something special, but there has been no consistency after that record-breaking season. The Bears entered the year with two straight losing seasons and the future is unclear for Aranda.

Coming into Saturday, Aranda held a record of 25-27 at Baylor, including 3-9 a season ago. This year, the Bears have dropped games to Utah (23-12) and Colorado (38-31 OT).

"Dave Aranda being a disaster as HC is a surprise for me," a Baylor fan wrote . "I at (least) thought he would have a good defense under his tenure. The longer he’s there the worst it gets."

Aranda is only 11-18 over the past three seasons. Additionally, he has a losing record in conference play since winning the Big 12 in his second year.

Aranda, 47, has been coaching college football since 1996 when he was the linebacker's coach at his alma mater, Cal Lutheran. After that he became a graduate assistant at Texas Tech, where he also attended college. Before coming to Baylor, he was the defensive coordinator at LSU from 2016-19.

Next week, Baylor has another ranked matchup vs. No. 18 Iowa State. No. 20 Texas Tech is also on the schedule.

Aranda signed an extension following the 2021 season that keeps him in Waco through 2029. It would cost Baylor upwards of $20 million if he is fired this year.

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