THE TEXAS REPORT
Ranking the Texas Div. 1 schools: A&M stumbles as SMU rises up the rankings
Sep 12, 2019, 6:59 am
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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!
12. RICE
This season isn't looking up for Rice after a brutal loss to Wake Forest. This is the team though with the least to prove and just want to survive this season in better shape than how they finished last year. None of that starts here this week against Texas though.
11. TEXAS STATE
So last week I wrote they probably aren't the 11th worst team in the state but they were down. Well, they stayed down and this week they play SMU and another loss basically locks them in here at the bottom of the list.
10. UTEP
At 1-1, they at least are better than Texas State and Rice right now, but the Texas Tech game was brutal and you hate to have time off after a bad loss. A lot of coaches talk about time off is the hardest thing in a season, if you're winning you want to keep playing and if you're losing then you want to get rid of that funk as possible. On the plus side you can't lose to the bye week.
9. UTSA
So UTSA lost to Baylor and honestly the only reason they didn't move down is because UTEP lost to Texas Tech so they can all stay in the same spots but be sad about it. Army's coming to town and they've been playing and playing well, so it'll be interesting to see how UTSA can prepare for the triple option offense.
8. NORTH TEXAS
They lost to SMU. They should have been a little bit better than SMU but they weren't and now Cal is inviting them to town and things don't look to get better this week. It's always hard to drop a game with a hard game on the schedule coming up, they call them "trap games" and honestly this is what happens when teams lose focus. Hopefully they can get it back this week.
7. TEXAS TECH
Like I talked about last week, they beat a team they should have beat. The expectation of a win was high and the team took care of business. The real test comes this week, on the road at Arizona. They aren't my pick to win, so an upset would certainly help their case for dominance in the best state in the country.
6. SMU
SMU came out on top, and if you tuned in last week, you saw I predicted they might. They were the team most likely to steal one from this list last week. SMU is now poised to be the darling of the list if they can keep momentum going and beat Texas State which they really should considering they are at home and coming off a good win. Although this is the one where teams can get too excited and experience a letdown. SMU is a team that can go either way this week.
5. BAYLOR
Baylor won, which was the expectation and taking care of business is expected but not rewarded, so they stay in fifth place. They're off this week so there isn't any real pressure or expectation of progress but we'll keep an eye on it.
4. HOUSTON
This might just be the up and down season that comes with starting up a new program after a failed program. They beat Prairie View which they should have, but now they face #20 Washington State and a win would be massive for this program, especially at this time in the season. If they lose though, it isn't a big upset but it's kind of how this season may go.
3. TCU
Coming up this week is Purdue, on the road at the Boiler Makers. This is a tough game but winnable and would be a program boosting win nationally. This is one to watch this week.
2. TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M went out and under performed against Clemson honestly. I thought Clemson and A&M were closer than this but it turns out they aren't. Now the real question becomes, is Clemson that much better than this many programs or is A&M worse than we thought? This week we shouldn't learn much as Lamar shows up to take a beating.
1. TEXAS
That was an awesome heavyweight fight between two programs but someone has to lose and someone has to win. Texas coming out the other side of this knows they played well and belong with the big boys this season. Rice is coming to town and that isn't a problem unless they aren't paying attention to this week which is a possibility.
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.
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A month into the 2025 season, the Houston Astros have emerged as one of MLB’s most confounding teams. Their offense ranks near the bottom of nearly every key category, yet they remain competitive thanks to a pitching staff that has quietly become one of the most formidable in baseball.
Despite winning back-to-back games just once this season, Houston’s pitching has kept them afloat. The Astros boast a top-10 team ERA, rank seventh in WHIP, and sit top-eight in opponent batting average—a testament to both their rotation depth and bullpen resilience. It’s a group that has consistently given them a chance to win, even when the bats have failed to show up.
Josh Hader has been the bullpen anchor. After a rocky 2024 campaign, the closer has reinvented himself, leaning more heavily on his slider and becoming less predictable. The result has been electric: a veteran who’s adapting and thriving under pressure.
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And the timing couldn’t be better, because the Astros' offense remains stuck in neutral. With an offense ranked 26th in OPS, 27th in slugging, dead last in doubles, and just 24th in runs scored, it's clear the Astros have a major issue producing consistent offense. For all their talent, they are a minus-two in run differential and have looked out of sync at the plate.
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With so many offensive questions and few clear answers, a trade for a left-handed bat—whether in the outfield or second base—would be ideal. But with the front office laser-focused on staying below the tax threshold, don’t count on it.
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We have so much more to get to. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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