No. 12: UTEP

The story remains the same for a UTEP team that has held their position as the worst FBS team in Texas all season. The Miners lost to UAB in week 9 to fall to 0-8. UTEP may have a glimpse of hope in Week 10 as they are set to face off against the second worst team in the Texas FBS rankings, the 1-8 Rice Owls.

No. 11: Rice

The Owls once again found themselves extremely outmatched in Week 9 as they lost 41-17 to the University of North Texas. Rice will get its best chance at breaking their eight-game losing streak vs. winless UTEP, but nothing is guaranteed with either of these teams.

No. 10: Texas State

The Bobcats finally got another notch in their win column in week 9 with a 27-20 victory over New Mexico State. Texas State hopes to carry this momentum into week 10 when they face off against a 2-6 Georgia State team that is on a three-game losing skid.

No. 9: UTSA

After falling in Week 9 to an average Southern Miss team 27-17, the Roadrunners may have very well seen their last chance at securing another victory this season pass them by. Not one of UTSA’s final four opponents on their schedule has lost more than two games so far this season and have a combined record of 25-7.

No. 8: TCU

It is official, the Horned Frogs have hit rock bottom by their standards. TCU lost their its game in a row in Week 9 when they were upset by the Kansas Jayhawks 27-26. Without quarterback Shawn Robinson on the field it is hard to imagine things turning around at this point in the season. The big question at hand now is, could this be the end of the Gary Patterson era?

No. 7: SMU

The Mustang’s jump their Fort Worth counterparts TCU in this week’s rankings. SMU took the 7-1 Cincinnati Bearcats to overtime but lost in devastating fashion when the Bearcats returned an interception for a touchdown to escape the upset. The Mustangs have had a slight revival in the second half of their season, but Week 10 will be tough sledding when they face off with No.17 Houston. This move up in the rankings will most likely be short lived.

No. 6: Baylor

It was no surprise, but the Bears were easily handled by No. 12 West Virginia in a 58-14 loss. Baylor has a tough Week 10 matchup with an Oklahoma State team that is coming off a thrilling upset over the Texas Longhorns who were on a six-game winning streak. While the Bears are talented enough to keep up with the Cowboys, they will also have the benefit of home field advantage. Look for this game to be a high scoring affair with plenty of big plays to go around.

No. 5: UNT

With the help of a 21-point fourth quarter, the Mean Green were able to put away the seemingly helpless Rice Owls. UNT has another easy matchup in Week 10 when they face off against the 2-7 Old Dominion Monarchs. Due to the weakness of their opponents for the duration of their schedule, it will be difficult for North Texas to gain much more ground moving forward but winning out the rest of their season will keep them in decent bowl game consideration.

No. 4: Texas Tech

The Red Raiders fell to 5-3 after losing to the red-hot Iowa State Cyclones. Quarterback Alan Bowman had arguably his first let down performance of his freshman campaign, throwing three interceptions and just one touchdown. Texas Tech now has its toughest matchup of their season awaiting them in the form of No. 7 Oklahoma. Tech will have to be firing on all cylinders if they hope to avoid suffering their fourth loss of the season.

No. 3: Texas A&M

The Aggies sputtered in Week 9 and dropped to No.25 in the nation as well as one place in this week’s rankings. For arguably the first time this season A&M’s defense failed to hold its own but did not receive much support from their offensive counterparts either. A&M will need to get back on track quickly if the Aggies hope to bounce back with a win over the dangerous Auburn Tigers in Week 10. Two big focal points for the Aggies will be make a statement on defense and re-establishing their typically reliable rushing attack.

No. 2: Houston

After yet another powerful performance in week 9, the No.17 Cougars jump up to the No.2 spot in these Texas FBS rankings. Houston dominated the undefeated South Florida Bulls 57-36 with the help of a Heisman type performance from quarterback D’Eriq King. King put up over 500 total yards and 7 touchdowns, giving football fans all over the country flashback memories of one of the most thrilling quarterbacks of all time, Michael Vick. The Cougars will look to continue their five-game winning streak against the 3-5 SMU Mustangs in week 10 and continue to climb the national rankings.

No. 1: Texas

Despite suffering their first loss since Week 1 and dropping nine spots in the national rankings, the Longhorns are still able to hold onto their position as the No.1 team in Texas. While Texas struggled the entire game to contain the Cowboy’s offence, they were still able to make a thrilling comeback before falling just three points short when the clock struck zero. UT has no time to linger in the past or worry about what could have been, because No.12 West Virginia is chomping at the bit to knock the Longhorns down another notch. Texas will need its defense to have a bounce back week and find motivation in their ugly Week 9 performance if they have any hope of containing gunslinger Will Grier.