Texas FBS rankings week 11
The Cougars fall short in their chance to take their place as the No. 1 program in Texas
Nov 7, 2018, 5:45 am
Texas has 12 FBS teams. Each week we rank them based on season-long performance, the prior game, and success relative to their competition. These are the updated rankings following Week 10 and looking forward to Week 11.
For the first time this season a new team takes over as the worst FBS program in Texas. The Rice Owls have done so by losing to the UTEP Miners 34-26 this past weekend and now have failed to win a game since their victory in week 1.
While moving up to the eleventh ranked team in Texas may not be an impressive achievement it is reason to celebrate for a UTEP team who just saw their first win in almost two full years. The Miners most likely will not win another game this season, but at least they were able to break their winless curse.
The Roadrunners drop one spot in this week’s rankings after being dominated by UAB 52-3. UTSA has now lost their last three games and will head into a matchup against the 6-3 FIU Panthers that does not look promising.
Believe it or not by the Texas State Bobcats are on a two-game winning streak. The Bobcats took down Georgia State 40-31 to improve their record to 3-6. Texas State has a difficult task ahead of them in Week 11 when they face off with 6-2 Appalachian State. One bright spot that can be taken from this upcoming matchup is the fact that App State lost by 20 points to a Georgia Southern team that the Bobcats came just two points away from defeating in Week 7.
For the second week in a row the Horned Frogs sit in the No. 8 spot. TCU squeaked by Kansas State last weekend in an unimpressive 14-13 victory. The Horned Frogs continue to struggle to find any dependable offensive production since the loss of quarterback Shawn Robinson but are glad to get back into the win column after suffering three straight losses. TCU will likely have little hope in their Week 11 matchup against No. 9 West Virginia.
The Mustangs redeemed themselves after a heartbreaking overtime loss in Week 9 by notching a big win over the extremely talented Houston Cougars. SMU’s defense showed up in a big way last Saturday when they held star quarterback D’Eriq King to under 200 yards passing. The Mustangs should be able to collect their fifth win of the season this coming weekend as they go up against a very porous Connecticut team who has won just one game all year.
The Red Raiders were unable to move up from the No. 6 spot despite their very impressive performance against one of the best teams in the nation. Texas Tech came up just five points short against No. 6 Oklahoma which made it difficult to keep them idle in this week’s rankings. Despite the urges to reward Tech for their showing this past Saturday, it is hard to overlook the fact that they have lost their last two games. The Red Raiders will have another chance to make a statement in week 11 against the No. 19 Longhorns but will need quarterback Alan Bowman to stay on the field if they hope to complete the upset this time around.
Baylor jumped up to the Top 5 in this week’s ranking after a big win over Oklahoma State. The Bears were able to hold off the Cowboys 35-31 to collect their fifth win of the season, despite not even eclipsing 200 yards passing. Baylor has a big matchup against the 23rd ranked Iowa State Cyclones in Week 11 who have been on a four-game tear, dominating some of the top teams in the Big 12.
North Texas moves up one spot after gathering their seventh win of the season. While UNT’s win over Rice was a seemingly unimpressive feat, the Mean Green were able to move up in this week’s rankings due to losses by some of the top tier teams on this list. UNT should be able to easily secure their eighth win in week 11 when they face off against the 2-7 Old Dominion Monarchs.
The Aggies suffered their second consecutive loss and fourth of the season in week 10 after falling to the Auburn Tigers 28-24. A&M was able to get back to their normal form offensively, but their defense continues to be their downfall. Unfortunately for Texas A&M the SEC is an extremely even conference this season as only one team has less than four wins and A&M has a dangerous matchup with a high flying Ole Miss offense in week 11. The Aggies now find themselves tip toeing the edge of relevance in the 2018 college football season.
While the Cougars looked to have a promising opportunity to overtake the No. 1 spot in this week’s rankings, they blew their shot with a big loss to SMU. Houston had been one of the hottest and most exciting teams as of late, after going on an impressive five game winning streak. Luckily their loss did not cause them to fall in this week’s rankings because of losses by both Texas A&M and Texas Tech. The Cougars will line up against a sneaky Temple team in Week 11 and cannot afford to take another game for granted.
The Longhorns lost in heartbreaking fashion in week 10 when West Virginia quarterback Will Grier threw a last-minute touchdown to steal the win out from under them. Despite their loss, UT was able to hold their title as the No. 1 team in Texas because of losses suffered by the next three teams in line to take over: Houston, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. The Longhorns will hope to bring an end to their two-game losing streak with a win against rival Texas Tech, who always puts up a good fight.
Jalen Green tied his career high with 42 points, capped by a layup that gave Houston the lead late, and the Rockets rallied for a 120-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.
The Grizzlies were down by four before Jaylen Wells made a 3-pointer followed by a steal and layup from Brandon Clarke that put them up 115-114 with just under a minute left.
Green’s layup put the Rockets on top 116-115 before a turnover by Ja Morant gave Houston the ball back. Amen Thompson was fouled and made two free throws with 8.1 seconds left to make it 118-115.
Morant missed two free throws after that and Fred VanVleet added two free throws for Houston with 2.1 seconds left to make it 120-115 and secure the victory.
It was Houston’s fourth straight win overall and second in a row over Memphis after beating the Grizzlies 119-115 on Thursday night.
Morant swished a 38-footer to put the Grizzlies up by 12 with about eight minutes to go.
The Rockets went on a 16-2 run after that to take a 107-105 lead with 4 1/2 minutes remaining. Green and VanVleet had 3-pointers during that stretch and Thompson added six points to help Houston erase the deficit.
Morant had 29 points for the Grizzlies, and Desmond Bane scored 25.
Grizzlies: They need to do a better job of finishing after leading by 12 in the fourth quarter.
Rockets: Green delivered the kind of dominant performance the Rockets need from him on occasion as they look to remain among the top teams in the Western Conference.
Houston’s 16-2 run that erased the double-digit deficit.
Houston had 15 offensive rebounds to just eight by Memphis.
Houston visits Denver on Wednesday night, and the Grizzlies play the first of consecutive games at San Antonio that night.