TEXAS COLLEGE FBS RANKINGS
Find out which teams could be making a second half push for the No. 1 spot in Texas
Oct 24, 2018, 7:00 am
Texas is still No. 1 in the state. Tim Warner/Getty Images
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 8 and looking forward to Week 9.
No. 12: UTEP
UTEP’s Week 9 matchup will be one of opposites. While the 0-7 Miners continue to suffer through a winless season they will line up against a 6-1 UAB team that is having one of the most surprising seasons in college football. With that said, one glimpse of hope for UTEP is the fact that they have stayed within 10 points of their opponents in each of their last four games.
No. 11: Rice
The Rice Owls losing woes continue as they have now endured a seven-game losing streak. Chances are that this streak will continue for at least one more week when the Owls face off against the No. 5 team on this list, 6-2 North Texas.
No. 10: Texas State
Texas State rounds the bottom teams in Texas, all of which who have just one or no wins this season. The Bobcats have now lost five straight but should remain optimistic with a Week 9 matchup vs. New Mexico State. The Aggies lost to Georgia Southern by 17 points in week 8, a team that was only able to defeat Texas State by three points in week 7.
No. 9: UTSA
The Road Runners sit in the No 9. spot for yet another week as they continue to try to keep their season from slipping away. UTSA has lost their last two games but will get a chance to regroup during their bye week before heading into a tough matchup vs. the UAB Blazers in week 10.
No. 8: SMU
The Mustangs look to be turning things around for the better now that they have won three of their last four games since their disappointing 0-3 start. While SMU has enjoyed their recent success, they may be heading into a quick reality check in week 9 when they will be challenged with the task of taking on the 6-1 Cincinnati Bearcats. Though the Bearcats carry an impressive record, they have not been truly challenged yet this season as only one of the six teams they have defeated have a winning record. This may be a good confidence building game for the Mustangs if they can secure a victory.
No. 7: TCU
Things are not looking good for the Horned Frogs as their record has now fallen below .500 after they suffered their fourth loss of the season to Oklahoma in Week 8. What is even more troubling than TCU’s poor play is the loss of star quarterback Shawn Robinson who will undergo season ending shoulder surgery. While the Horned Frogs have what seems like a favorable matchup vs. Kansas in Week 9, it is hard to tell just how much Robinson's absence will impact this already struggling team.
No. 6: Baylor
After enjoying a welcomed chance to rest in Week 8 because of their bye week, the Bears will be thrust back into action vs. the 13th ranked West Virginia Mountaineers. So far this season the Bears have proven themselves to be a very talented team with playmakers capable of competing with the best in the country. Keep an eye on this dangerous team that is flirting with a chance to land a spot as one of the top 5 teams in Texas.
No. 5: UNT
Despite an impressive 300-yard passing performance with three touchdowns by quarterback Mason Fine, the Mean Green suffered their second loss of the season in week 8. UNT was unable to top a talented UAB team that is on a five-game winning streak and has only lost once this season. North Texas will have an easy matchup in Week 9 vs. the 1-7 Rice Owls and will look to end the season strong to keep their bowl game hopes alive.
No. 4: Texas Tech
Texas Tech holds on to the No. 4 spot in this week’s rankings after handling the Kansas Jayhawks with ease this past weekend. Quarterback Alan Bowman returned in big fashion from his two-game absence after suffering a partially collapsed lung. Bowman picked up exactly where he left off with 408 yards passing and three touchdowns. The Red Raiders have an interesting showdown with an Iowa State team that is still riding the high of their upset victory over West Virginia. Coach Kingsbury will look to get his team and young quarterback playing at their highest level before having to face No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 6 Texas in back to back weeks.
No. 3: Houston
After their fourth victory in a row in which the Cougars scored 40-plus points, Houston stays put in the No. 3 position of this week’s rankings. The Cougars defeated Navy on the back of quarterback D’Eriq King who not only throw for over 400 yards passing and 3 touchdowns but also leading his team in rushing. Houston will arguably face their most difficult opponent of the season this coming weekend in undefeated South Florida. Ranked No. 21, the Bulls have had an impressive season thus far, but have yet to face a quarterback as talented as King. If King is able to perform up to his season standards, this matchup should be a lot more even than it seems on paper.
No. 2: Texas A&M
The Aggies once again find themselves in the No. 2 position, fighting to stay in arm’s length of the Longhorns. After three consecutive, hard fought victories, A&M enjoyed their bye week and a chance to prepare for the final stretch of their season. Now ranked 16th in the nation, the Aggies are quietly climbing back into relevance and despite having two losses, could possibly even reach the top 10 based on the sheer strength of their schedule. Texas A&M will try to pick up where they left off in Week 9 vs. the 4-3 Mississippi State Bulldogs. While the Bulldogs are a middle of the pack SEC team, they are very capable of handing the Aggies their third loss of the season. Texas A&M will rely heavily on their defense to give them a leg up in this matchup after Mississippi State was held to just three points by LSU in week 8.
No. 1: Texas
After sitting out in week 8 the Longhorns will return in full strength with star quarterback Sam Ehlingher back at the helm. Texas will have to avoid any sort of bye week lull with a dangerous Oklahoma State team waiting to ruin the Longhorns season. Even though he Cowboys have lost two games in a row, UT has had a bad history of playing down to their opponent in games they are expected to win easily. This coming weekend will be a good chance for the Longhorns to smooth out any rough spots and prove to the nation that they have overcome their usual ailments.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
After a two-game sweep of the Rockies in Mexico City, a heart-thumping, extra-inning win Tuesday night over the Guardians in Minute Maid Park, the surprising demotion of first baseman Jose Abreu to the bottom rung of the minor leagues and the call-up of fan favorite rookie slugger Joey Loperfido … suddenly the Astros season seems turned around.
Even if their record still is 10-19 and they remain dead last in the American League West.
Ah, but only six games behind the first-place Seattle Mariners. That’s just a hot streak away.
The Astros are in it … and right now aren’t you thinking to win it?
One thing is for sure. There is no doubt who is running the Astros ship and is the voice in owner Jim Crane’s ear. It’s Dana Brown, the general manager.
Since the last pitch of the Astros disappointing 2023 season when they “only” made it to Game 7 of the ALCS, Brown has made the 2024 Astros team in his mind’s image.
Gone is last year’s manager Dusty Baker with whom Brown fussed and fought with over Baker’s insistence on playing weak-hitting Martin Maldonado over rookie Yanier Diaz.
Baker resigned (thank you for saving us the trouble) and was out the door shortly after the season ended.
Gone, too, is Maldonado. The Astros never made a serious attempt to keep him in Houston.
Now Abreu is dispatched, too. After an April of historic batting futility, Abreu, a 37-year-old veteran, consented to go back to the minors to find his batting stroke. He leaves the Astros, for public consumption temporarily, hitting .099 with no home runs and 3 RBI in 71 at bats.
The Astros signed Abreu to a $58.5 million, three-year contract before last season – before Brown arrived in Houston. Crane offered the megabuck contract at the urging of then-de facto general manager Jeff Bagwell. At this time last year, it was an open question, who is the real Crane-whisperer, newly hired Brown or Astros legend Bagwell?
Next question?
If Baker had been retained and Brown held sidelined in key decisions, it’s likely that Maldonado would be in the Astros lineup and Diaz again the catcher-in-waiting. With fans still frustrated up to here.
Maldonado eventually signed with the Chicago White Sox where he is batting an even .100 and has Southside fans wringing their hands over his offensive impotence. Defensively, he has thrown out only two of 20 base stealers for a 10-percent success rate.
Meanwhile, Diaz is batting a solid .287 with three homers and 13 RBI. He is one of MLB’s elite hitting catchers. He’s also thrown out six of 23 base stealers for a 26-percent success rate.
Maldonado did have value when he played for the Astros, though. He was a leader in the clubhouse. He led team meetings when times were tough. Pitchers had confidence in him. Fans liked him, at least on a personal level.
Abreu never made that connection during his time in Houston. Despite Brown’s repeated urging to read the back of Abreu’s baseball card, and his kind and confident words announcing Abreu’s departure for West Palm Beach, do you expect to ever see him in an Astros uniform again? Abreu still will be owed $19.5 million next season, so there is that.
When Astros fans woke up Wednesday morning, they had visions of Alex Bregman and Jon Singleton smacking three-run homers, of Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena’s continued hot hitting, of rookie Loperfido driving in two go-ahead runs and reserve catcher Victor Caratini sending a big crowd home happy with a dramatic two-out, walk-off blast over the right field fence.
Hope is a good thing, and it’s back.