Northwestern State at Baylor

Northwestern State opened last season on the road, and the Demons lost 98-68 at Texas A&M and 80-53 at North Texas. They were 1-6 after their first seven games. Baylor opens its season at home with a roster built heavily on newcomers. In its exhibition against Florida, 61 of its 82 points came from new players, and its bench outscored Florida's 33-3. Scott Drew is in his 24th year at Baylor and has signed a five-star recruit in six straight classes. That recruiting depth lets him play through a rotation without a drop in talent. Baylor was picked to finish 10th in the Big 12, and the Bears will have to prove they can play together as a unit. A Southland team from Natchitoches, Louisiana, in the first game of its season is a gentle place for a new group to start. The Demons were beaten by wide margins in both of last season's openers against mid-to-high-level competition. Baylor's second unit has already shown against a quality opponent that it can score, and I expect the margin to keep growing after the starters sit. I'm laying the points with Baylor on the spread tonight.