Texas continues to rule the state. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
No. 12: Rice
The Owls took yet another beating on Saturday when they were defeated 42-10 by LSU. Rice will have one more chance to break their 11-game losing streak when they face-off against an Old Dominion team who has won three of their last four games.
No. 11: UTEP
Despite a big performance by quarterback Brandon Jones, in which he threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, the Miners could not keep up with Western Kentucky in Week 12. UTEP will look to end the season on a positive note by claiming their second win of the season vs. an average Southern Mississippi team.
No. 10: UTSA
UTSA has struggled mightily to score points during their five-game losing streak. Through those five losses the Roadrunners have scored just 30 points compared to their opponents 178. Things are not looking good heading into their final game of the season where they will go against a North Texas team who has averaged 37 points per-game this season.
No. 9: Texas State
The Bobcats fell just five points short of securing their fourth win of the season against the 9-2 Troy Trojans. Texas State will have their hands full in week 13 against the Arkansas State Red Wolves who have scored an average of 41 points in their last five games.
No. 8: TCU
The Horned Frogs secured a win over Baylor in Week 12 to give themselves some momentum heading into their end of the season matchup with Oklahoma State. While winning two of their last three games is an encouraging sign, TCU has failed to score more than 17 points in any of those last three games. This means the Horned Frogs could have a hard time keeping up with the explosive and offensive dominant Oklahoma State Cowboys.
No. 7: Baylor
Despite going up against a wounded TCU team, Baylor was unable to get their sixth win of the season. While their defense held the Horned Frogs to just 16 points, the Bears offense could not find their groove. Baylor will have a tough matchup against the talented Red Raiders to wrap up the season. The Bears should not be counted out of this matchup considering the inconsistency shown by Texas Tech all season.
No. 6: Texas Tech
The Red Raiders drop out of the top five after suffering their fourth straight defeat. Texas Tech looked lost last weekend against a Kansas State team who most people expected them to handle with ease. With head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s job is possibly on the line Tech will have a lot to play for when they take on a dangerous Baylor team to finish the season.
No. 5: SMU
SMU climbs up three spots in this week’s rankings to land a spot in the top five for the first time this season. After starting the year with three losses, the Mustangs have been fighting to regain respect and relevance. SMU will be optimistic heading into their final game against a Tulsa team who has only won two games all season.
No. 4: UNT
After a surprise loss in Week 11 the Mean Green bounced back with a strong win over Florida Atlantic this past weekend. Running back DeAndre Torrey set the tone for the North Texas offense as he gashed the Owls defense for 184 yards rushing and completed his third game in a row of at least 130 yards rushing and 1 touchdown. UNT should be able to pat their stats to finish the season when they go up against the 3-8 UTSA Roadrunners.
No. 3: Houston
Coming off an upset loss to Temple where the Cougars defense was non-present, Houston torched Tulane and only allowed 17 points. With an 8-3 record the Cougars are leading their half of the conference and will play for the West title against Memphis. If Houston can take care of their business for one more week, the season should be deemed a success.
No. 2: Texas A&M
While UAB put up a good fight, the Blazers ended up being no match for Texas A&M. The Aggies led the entire game on their way to a 41-20 victory which gave them their seventh win of the season. A&M will finish their season with a big matchup vs. No. 7 LSU. The Tigers have had a dominant season and have an exceptional 4-1 record in their last five games with their only loss coming to No. 1 Alabama. With this said, LSU has been proven to be inconsistent offensively at times this season, so if the Aggies can jump out to an early lead, they might just have enough firepower to knock off their top 10 opponent.
No. 1: Texas
With their 8-3 record the Longhorns hold onto their No. 1 spot for the eighth week in a row. After a close call vs. the Red Raiders, the Longhorns left no doubt in their final home game of the season when they defeated Iowa State 24-10. It was an emotional senior night in Austin as players saw their dreams of a shot at the Big 12 championship come to life. Texas is in line to face off against either Oklahoma or West Virginia in the Big 12 title game if they can close out their season with a win over Kansas in week 13. There is no doubt that Texas is the more talented team, but the Jayhawks put up an impressive fight against Oklahoma in week 12 and will be looking for a chance to knock off the Longhorns.
Fred VanVleet scored 26 points, Amen Thompson added 25 and the Houston Rockets avoided elimination with a 131-116 rout of the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series Wednesday night.
he's COOKIN' 🔥 pic.twitter.com/e5dUnmrRxE
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) May 1, 2025
Game 6 is Friday in San Francisco.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr threw in the towel early in this one with the game out of hand. A layup by VanVleet midway through the third quarter made it 93-64, and Kerr called timeout and cleared his bench.
Houston coach Ime Udoka followed suit with about a minute to go in the third and his team up 105-76. He put all his starters back in with about eight minutes left after Golden State cut the lead to 109-92.
Dillon Brooks added 24 points on a night when all five Houston scored in double figures.
DB finishing strong 💪 pic.twitter.com/vTNqLAFGZd
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) May 1, 2025
A 9-5 run by the Warriors got them within 114-101 before a fracas broke out with about four minutes to go. Pat Spencer pushed Brooks and then was ejected after headbutting Alperen Sengun in the ensuing scuffle.
Houston went on a 7-2 run after that to put the game away.
The Rockets put together their best game this postseason to extend the series after losing both games in California, including Game 3, which Jimmy Butler sat out with an injury,
They raced to a 14-point lead after one quarter and by the time Stephen Curry made his first basket on a 3-pointer midway through the second, they led 55-32.
They had a 27-point lead at halftime behind 19 points from VanVleet.
Butler managed just eight points in 25 minutes on 2-of-10 shooting after combining for 52 points in the two full games he’d played in this series.
Curry was 4 of 12 for 13 points after scoring more than 30 points in two of the first four games to move the Warriors within a game of clinching the series.
The Warriors made 15 of 44 3-pointers and shot 41.7% overall. The Rockets made 13 of 30 3s and shot 55.1%.
By extending the series, the Rockets have a chance to become the 14th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven series. Houston has done it twice, most recently in the 2015 Western Conference semifinals against the Clippers.
The Warriors were on the wrong end of such a comeback, losing the 2016 NBA Finals to LeBron James and Cleveland after having a 3-1 advantage.
Golden State has dominated the Rockets in the playoffs, eliminating them four times between 2015 and 2019.
VanVleet caught up with Vanessa Richardson after the win.
“The playoffs are about constantly improving.. getting better game to game.”
Let’s build on this & handle business back in The Bay 👏 pic.twitter.com/M8pOOUqPxv
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) May 1, 2025