Texas FBS Rankings week 10
The red-hot Houston Cougars continue to climb up the rankings and could soon challenge for No. 1
Oct 31, 2018, 7:06 am
UH continues its ascent in the rankings. Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images
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.
How latest reports abruptly shift Houston Astros rotation x-factors
Mar 18, 2024, 7:23 pm
Bruce Bochy doesn’t ever want the Texas Rangers to let go of those memories of their first World Series title.
“We just don’t want to lean on them,” said Bochy, whose first season with the Rangers ended with the first World Series championship for the 63-year-old franchise, and his fourth as a big league manager.
While Texas has the opportunity to be the first team in a quarter-century to win back-to-back world championships — the New York Yankees were the last, with three in a row from 1998-2000 — the Rangers aren’t even defending champs in their own division.
And they aren’t favored to win the AL West this season.
Houston is again the odds-on favorite in the division it has won each of the last six full MLB seasons since the Rangers finished on top in 2016. The Astros won their regular season finale last Oct. 1, matched Texas at 90-72 and won the AL West since they were 9-4 head-to-head.
The Astros have made the AL Championship Series the past seven seasons, even when not division champs in the 2020 season shortened to 60 games because of the pandemic. They made four trips to the Fall Classic and won two titles in that span.
Dusty Baker retired days after Houston lost ALCS Game 7 at home to the Rangers last fall, finishing with 2,183 wins over 26 seasons as a big league manager with five teams.
New Astros manager Joe Espada, their bench coach for six seasons, is certainly familiar with a lineup that has big hitters Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, and a loaded starting rotation.
Espada isn't the division's only new manager. Ron Washington, who took the Rangers to their previous World Series in 2010 and 2011, was hired by the Angels, who still have Mike Trout but not two-way star Shohei Ohtani, now with the other team in Los Angeles.
Seattle again revamped its roster without big spending in free agency and hopes for a quicker return to the playoffs. The Mariners missed by one game last season, a year after its first postseason appearance since 2001.
And just like last year, the Athletics go into another season not knowing if it will be their last in Oakland.
HOW THEY PROJECT1. Houston Astros. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, reacquired in a deadline trade last July, will start this season on the injured list. But the 41-year-old’s IL stint is expected to be a short one. The Astros still have lefty Framber Valdez (12-11, 2.45 ERA, 200 strikeouts and a no-hitter) and right-hander Cristian Javier. Eight-time All-Star second baseman Altuve signed a new $125 million, five-year contract that goes through 2029. But two-time All-Star third baseman Bregman, the only other position player to make all seven ALCS trips, is at the end of a $100 million deal.
2. Texas Rangers. After going from six losing seasons in a row to a World Series title, the Rangers should be playoff contenders again. They return ALCS MVP Adolis García and most of the lineup that hit 233 homers and scored an AL-high 5.4 runs per game. But World Series MVP and AL MVP runner-up shortstop Corey Seager (sports hernia), Gold Glove first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (oblique strain) and All-Star third baseman Josh Jung (calf) missed significant time in the spring. All-Star right-hander Nathan Eovaldi tops a rotation still missing injured multiple Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom.
3. Seattle Mariners. The front office put together a roster that might be better than last year, but everybody has to stay healthy. Seattle should be better offensively with the additions of Mitch Garver, Mitch Haniger, Jorge Polanco and Luke Raley to go with young superstar Julio Rodriguez. If J.P. Crawford can replicate last season at the plate and Ty France returns to his 2021-22 form, the lineup will be deeper. Couple a better offense with one of the best rotations in baseball led by Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert, the Mariners should once again contend in the division.
4. Los Angeles Angels. They feel like they’re starting over yet again and still haven't been to the playoffs since 2014. Ohtani left after six seasons for a record $700 million with the perennially contending Dodgers. The Halos added almost nothing in free agency, only revamping their bullpen again and taking low-cost flyers on Aaron Hicks and Miguel Sano. Trout and Anthony Rendon are back, and an open DH spot will allow them to rest their injury-prone bodies more regularly. Their rotation is last year’s group minus Ohtani. The 71-year-old Washington brings a unique blend of expertise and enthusiasm, which should benefit an exciting crop of young talent ready to break through in the majors.
5. Oakland Athletics. This could be the final season playing at the Coliseum with a lease set to expire. So the A's are still trying to figure out where they will play beyond this year with a new ballpark and move to Las Vegas scheduled for 2028. Manager Mark Kotsay has been committed to keeping his team focused on what it can do to be better on the field after two years with a combined 214 losses (112 last season). The A’s acquired Ross Stripling from the San Francisco Giants and added Alex Wood to the rotation.
OLD SKIPPERSWhen the 74-year-old Baker retired, Bochy became the oldest manager in the majors. That lasted only a few weeks until the Angels hired Washington. Bochy will turn 69 on April 16, just 13 days before Washington turns 72. Bochy, with 2,093 wins going into his 27th season, is one of six managers with four World Series titles, his first three coming in San Francisco (2010, 2012 and 2014). Washington won a franchise-record 664 games in eight seasons with Texas from 2007-14. He was on Atlanta's staff the past seven years, and part of the Braves' 2021 World Series title.
RELIEF HELPSeveral new relievers are in the AL West, including hard-throwing lefty Josh Hader with the Astros, veteran right-hander David Robertson and former All-Star closer Kirby Yates in Texas, Gregory Santos and Ryne Stanek in Seattle and Robert Stephenson with the Angels.
Hader's $95 million, five-year deal was the biggest after becoming a first-time free agent. The 29-year-old, once in the Astros' minor league system, turned down a $20,325,000 qualifying offer from San Diego.