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Baylor had odds of 18-1 to win the 2016 College Football Championship entering this new season.
The Bears were given a price of -150 to win OVER 10 regular season games in 2015.
With a new quarterback starting, Baylor will need to rely a little more on their defense as opposed to the offense that led this team to back-to-back championships in recent seasons.
Baylor was undergoing some off-the-field drama heading into the new season that could have an impact on the team’s performance.
Defensive end Sam Ukwuachu has been sentenced to six months behind bars and 10 years probation for sexually assaulting a fellow student and there are those who believed the coaching staff was aware of the incident long before the media found out.
The story of Ukwuachu and his violent past included an assault on his former girlfriend at Boise State whereby he allegedly punched her in the head several times, choked her and physically restrained her from leaving.
On Friday, Baylor coach Art Briles claimed he knew nothing of Ukwuachu’s violent past.
"No mention of anything beyond Sam being depressed and needing to come home," Briles said. "So that was our information. And that's what you go by."
Former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen (now head coach at Washington) disputed Briles statement: "After Sam Ukwuachu was dismissed from the Boise State football program and expressed an interest in transferring to Baylor, I initiated a call with coach Art Briles. In that conversation, I thoroughly apprised Coach Briles of the circumstances surrounding Sam's disciplinary record and dismissal."
Whether the Bears can overcome this scandal remains to be seen in the coming weeks.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
