RANKING THE STATE
Texas Div. I football rankings: A&M and UT have big tests this weekend
Oct 10, 2019, 6:06 am
RANKING THE STATE
Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio and Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
As predicted, Rice took another loss and the lost season continues. It's tough to say where it all ends but on the plus side they're off this week. With just two wins in as many seasons under Bloomgren, Rice has trended steadily downward since the 2013 Conference USA Championship and things aren't looking good for the young head coach.
So I was saying nice things about these guys playing tough opponents but that they now had a chance to win against UTSA, but they didn't. They lost head to head to the team right below them in the ranking? That means they switched places. Don't worry Miners fans, basketball season is coming soon enough.
UTSA came out of the game victorious and that means they moved up one spot over UTEP, whom they beat. That's a cool feeling. This week though UAB comes to visit after beating Rice and they play good football, so this may be a short run of success but if it isn't, they're only one game (and a heads up loss to Baylor) out of the lead in their division.
Hopefully rust gathered because these guys haven't been playing great and maybe they could use an excuse or at least a change in habits. They travel to Southern Mississippi and now we'll see what direction things are going in, when they lose they don't score more than 30 points, when they win they score over 40. So keep an eye on the scoreboard.
After two wins in a row and a week off to feel great about themselves Texas State is hosting UL Monroe, another team they can beat if they play well. Let's see if these guys have figured out what winning football looks like yet. UPDATE: They haven't and they lost.
Tech turned in its biggest win of the year, beating Oklahoma State as a 10-point underdog. The Red Raiders get a chance to back that up with a win at unbeaten Baylor. Back to back wins from the underdog position would launch this program back into the low end of some of the ranking metrics and sets an opportunity for them to finish the season strong.
Houston seems to be trying to settle things and right the ship, Cincinnati is a good program but this is a possibly winnable game for Houston. Let's see what they put together this weekend. Houston is currently a hard program to judge just because of all the turmoil that's swirled through the program this year, but winning and losing is ultimately the way we tell the story in football, so a win here helps to further settle things down.
TCU is off this week. That win against Kansas looks less and less worthwhile after completely dropping the ball against Iowa State, and for those who have been reading this with me weekly know that I think time off after a loss is the worst thing for a football team, so lets see how TCU handles it.
For the first time since the death penalty was laid on SMU over twenty years ago, the Mustang are ranked now. They squeaked out a dramatic win against Tulsa and are now off this week. The run they've been on is impressive and I'm not ready to bump them over Texas A&M, even though the nation has, because the Aggies are hosting Alabama this weekend but that might change next week.
Well, this is really their last chance to stay in the top three. Let's see what happens this week, I mean I think they're going to lose, but maybe not.
They won while A&M was off, we'll see what happens this week. I think Baylor will win against Tech and A&M will lose and SMU is off this week, so more than likely there won't be much change here. In my opinion Baylor needs to keep winning to hold onto it's position in the rankings more than a program like A&M, considering there are zero quality opponents on the list of teams they've beaten so far.
Well this is the big one, The Red River Rivalry. Jalen Hurts just made the grave mistake of downplaying the importance and size of this rivalry. This is the most dangerous game on Oklahoma's schedule, I think and the one game where they see it coming and may not be able to stop it. Here we go.
Feel free to check out my brand new comic book Another Day at the Office or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
The Houston Astros will go for the sweep Wednesday afternoon in Phoenix as they wrap up a three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With wins in the first two games of the series and three straight overall, the AL West-leading Astros are starting to find their rhythm again, and they’ll look to keep it going behind left-hander Brandon Walter.
Walter (1-3, 3.66 ERA) has been steady since joining the rotation, and he'll be tasked with keeping Arizona’s contact-heavy lineup in check. The Diamondbacks, sitting fourth in the NL West at 50-52, are hitting .253 as a team, fifth-best in the National League, but have struggled to string together wins at home, where they’re just 26-27.
Opposing Walter is right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who enters with a 10-6 record and 4.74 ERA. He’s capable of missing bats but can be vulnerable to power, something the Astros lineup will try to exploit as they look to post at least eight hits for the fourth straight game. A mark that has typically led to success this season (39-19 when they reach it).
Houston will again lean on veterans like Jose Altuve and the red-hot Victor Caratini, who’s 13-for-36 over his last 10 games. Brice Matthews and Christian Walker have also sparked the offense in recent days, while the bullpen continues to deliver under pressure.
For Arizona, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez have been the primary power threats of late, with Suárez clubbing eight home runs in his last 10 games. If the Diamondbacks want to avoid the sweep, they’ll need to capitalize on any early chances against Walter and match Houston’s timely hitting.
First pitch is set for 3:40 p.m. EDT.
Lineup takeaways
For the finale, you'll notice Cam Smith is not in the leadoff spot and playing right field. Smith gets the day off with Taylor Trammell hitting first and playing center field, followed by Victor Caratini, who is playing first base. Christian Walker is the DH and hitting third, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Brice Matthews (2B), Mauricio Dubon (SS), Cooper Hummel (LF), Chas McCormick (RF), and Shay Whitcomb (3B). Jose Altuve's name is nowhere to be found. It seems like manager Joe Espada is happy with the series win based on this lineup.
Last one on the road.
⚾️: 2:40 PM CDT | 12:40 PM MST
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM#BuiltForThis x @reliantenergy pic.twitter.com/A9VAhNhG4U
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 23, 2025
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -116, Diamondbacks -104; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
___________________________
*ChatGPT assisted.
Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!