Baylor head coach Matt Rhule walks to the main stage for his Big XII Media Day presser.

There was one team at Big XII Media Days that looked and acted like a championship unit. Everything that the four players and coach wore looked sleek, shiny and joyfully colorful, while their mannerisms and words conveyed definitive determination. The five looked powerful and commanded the room well with charisma, confidence and candor.

By looks alone, nobody would have guessed that this was a coach coming off a one-win season in his first year. Nobody would have guessed that the three of the four seniors were on a defense that ranked 111th in the nation by giving up 437 yards and 35.9 points per game. They gave up five scoring plays on the ground alone that were 40 yards or great last season.

Nobody would have guessed that the lone offensive player in attendance was lost for 66 percent of last season due to a knee injury. That’s mostly because he looked as healthy as an ox. Even in a suit, Chris Platt still looked fast and he would be the first to tell you that he expects to go zero to 60 once the season begins.

Nobody would have guessed any of it, yet here they were. In the Ford Center, the Cowboys’ practice field, Coach Matt Rhule brought Ira Lewis, Greg Roberts, Verkedric Vaughns and Platt to speak with the media about how Baylor was going to build from the dumpster fire that was a 1-11 season last fall.

Together they looked like million dollar men. They were wearing more suits than Fortune 10 executives do today; donning more accessories than I thought was humanly possible; and had more diamonds in their jewelry than Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue.

Here is a snapshot of how everybody from Waco, Texas, was dressed that afternoon:

Matt Rhule: Masters green jacket; Gold Tie to compliment his bronzed vacation face; a crisp white shirt, khaki pants, green belt and shoes, and a BU lapel pin.

Greg Roberts speaks to media at the breakout session of Big XII Media Days.

Greg Roberts: A light blue-grey plaid three piece suit with a light summer white-gold vest; a solid gold watch including the face and hands; a gold ring and bracelets; and a floral silk blue tie.

Chris Platt, recovering from a knee injury, told the media that he could play today if necessary.

Chris Platt: Two sparkling diamond silver crosses on a gold chain dangling overtop a green tie with blue and white stripes; an all blue three piece with white pocket square; and a gold bracelet with a Cactus Bowl championship ring. [1]

Ira Lewis is expected to be a potential All-Big XII player and a leader on defense.

Ira Lewis: Placed an orange, yellow and white floral tie over a three piece charcoal-white gray suit with a navy blue vest; he also wore two diamond earrings.

Out of all the Baylor attendees, Vaughns was the best dressed.

Verkedric Vaughns: A white sear sucker suit with a muted spring bow tie and pocket square, but it was all about the accessories: a Cactus Bowl ring, a sparkling gold watch on his left wrist, a bracelet of wooden beads on his right, an all silver diamond cross around his neck, diamond earrings, and glasses that were tinted gold.

Maybe Baylor is optimistic and viewing the upcoming season through those tinted gold glasses; however, there is something to be said for confidence. All the players said that they dressed this way because if you dress well you play well, and that this was a business trip for them.

Coach Rhule said specifically that this team is ‘light years’ ahead of where they were last year. It was a quote that defined the Baylor media days. Yet, there is still a lot of work to be done in order to see tangible results on the field.

Will fans see those results in 2018? Some say yes, some say no. Everyone agrees that the Bears will be better than last year; and everyone inside the organization expects to be back at a bowl game.

Soon enough we will see if Baylor plays as well as they dressed.

[1] These rings looked like they could have been Big XII or even national championship rings.