Josh Gordon Proud as Baylor Bears Start the 2014 Season High

Has Josh Gordon been somewhere near Waco recently? Because those Bears are higher than they have been since 1957. Hold on, we read the release wrong. This is about polls. Baylor earned a ranking of No. 10 in the preseason AP Top 25, after garnering 966 points in the poll that was released over the weekend.

It is the first time since 1986 that the Bears have been in the AP Top 25 to start the season. The ranking is also BU's highest in the preseason AP poll since being seventh in 1957.

Last year, Baylor opened the season receiving votes in the AP Top 25 and climbed to a season-high mark of No. 3 in mid-November, after a 9-0 start to the year.

After claiming the Big 12 championship and winning 11 games for the first time in school history, the Bears were ranked 13th in the final AP poll of the 2013 season.

In his seventh season in Waco, Art Briles and his 2014 squad will look to build upon last season's success, while moving into a new home. Baylor's $266 million, riverfront McLane Stadium is set to debut at the end of August.

In its history, Baylor has only been ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 four previous times: 1951 (13th), 1953 (20th), 1957 (7th) and 1986 (12th).

At the end of August, Baylor was also ranked 10th in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll. It was the Bears' first preseason recognition in that poll since being 25th in 1991. However, BU had received votes in the preseason coaches' poll in 2012 and 2013. Last year, Baylor finished ranked 13th by the coaches.

The Bears open the season and McLane Stadium on Aug. 31 vs. SMU at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on FS1 and is already sold out.

Portions of this article may contain materials or information provided courtesy of the Baylor Bears athletic department.