TEXAS FBS FOOTBALL RANKINGS
TCU holds down the top spot in the state's rankings of college football teams
Sep 12, 2018, 6:41 am
TCU holds the top spot. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
A lot is shifting in the landscape of Texas FBS football. Find out which direction your team is trending.
Texas has 12 FBS teams. Each week we will rank them based on season-long performance, the prior game, and success relative to their competition. These are the updated rankings heading into Week 3 of the college football season.
No. 12: UTEP
The winless streak for UTEP continues as they lost big time to UNLV, and are faced with the almost hopeless task of keeping up with the University of Tennessee in Week 3. They may be able to break their cringe worthy streak at some point this season, but I would assume they hold onto that hope for another week.
No. 11: UTSA
UTSA will be heading into week 3 with an 0-2 record and I do not expect them to get their first win vs. Big 12 opponent Kansas State next weekend.
No. 10: Texas State
Texas State won their first game of the season against Texas Southern in a 36-20 victory, but are looking at a tough Week 3 opponent in Louisiana Lafayette who defeated the Bobcats 24-7 last season. More wins may be in store for this hopeful program, but a lot of things would have to go their way for that to come in Week 3.
No. 9: SMU
SMU dropped big time in the rankings after another poor outing for the second week in a row. After losing 46-23 in Week 1 to North Texas, not much changed in Week 2 for the Mustangs as they lost 42-12 to TCU. We can expect things to get worse before they get better for SMU, as they head into a Week 3 matchup vs. 19th ranked Michigan.
No. 8: Rice
Despite winning their first game of the season, the Owls have now lost two in a row. Rice fell 43-29 to Hawaii, but have a potentially favorable matchup vs. Southern Miss this coming weekend.
No. 7: Texas Tech
Despite being without starting quarterback McLance Carter after an early Week 1 injury, the Red Raiders were able to pick up their first win of the season in blowout fashion. FCS opponent Lamar University was no match for Tech as they went on to give up 77 points. Texas Tech will have their work cut out for them in Week 3 vs. a so far impressive looking Houston team, and head coach Kliff Kingsbury can expect his seat to get fairly hot if he is not able to lock down an early season win for the home crowd.
No. 6: Baylor
After an abysmal season in 2017, Baylor has already surpassed their win totals with a 2-0 record to start off 2018. On their way to securing the No. 6 spot in this week’s rankings, the Bears defeated UTSA 37-20 in week 2 and look to take down Duke University in Week 3. Duke is also off to a 2-0 start this season with victories of Army and Northwestern, so this will be Baylor’s toughest test yet. A win vs. Duke would provide the Bears with significant momentum heading into Big 12 play.
No. 5: Texas
UT and head coach Tom Herman got the monkey off their backs after winning their first game of 2018 against the University of Tulsa. The Longhorns had their exciting moments throughout the game but scared fans when they allowed Tulsa within 7 points in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns' excitement was probably short lived as they turn their attention to the difficult matchup vs. USC in Week 3. Texas will welcome the 22nd-ranked Trojans to Austin this coming weekend, and hope to bring a little excitement back to their home crowd with a big upset victory.
No. 4 Texas A&M
Though the Aggies lost a heartbreaker to No. 2 ranked Clemson this past weekend, there is still a lot of optimism and excitement surrounding the team. Texas A&M fought down to the wire against Clemson and fell just short after they were not able to complete a two-point conversion that would have tied the game in the final seconds. The Aggies will have a much less strenuous weekend in Week 3 as they face off against the University of Louisiana Monroe, and will get a chance to regroup before taking on No. 1 overall Alabama in Week 4.
No. 3: Houston
Taking over the No. 3 ranking on this week’s list is the University of Houston. The Cougars made a statement in Week 2 after defeating the University of Arizona with new head coach Kevin Sumlin 45-18. Junior quarterback D’Eriq King lit up the stat sheet with a six touchdown performance, four of which came through the air and two on the ground. Coach Major Applewhite and the Cougars have another chance to collect a statement win in Week 3, as they will be facing Big 12 opponents Texas Tech. With a win against the Red Raiders, Houston would hold claim to two victories over teams from power five conferences.
No. 2 UNT
With another impressive performance on both sides of the ball for UNT, they are able to secure the No. 2 position on this list. While only allowing 16 points, North Texas scored 58 points in Week 2 to add to their 46 point performance in week 1. Though the Mean Green have carried the momentum over from their successful 2017 campaign, they will be facing their first real test of 2018 when they travel to Fayetteville to face their SEC opponent, the Arkansas Razorbacks. We will soon see what coach Littrell and his team are truly made of.
No. 1: TCU
For a third week in a row, TCU claims the No. 1 spot in the Texas FBS rankings. The Horned Frogs dominated SMU this past weekend on their way to a 42-12 win and continued their impressive start to the 2018 season. With that said, TCU will face arguably their most difficult opponents of the season this coming weekend, the No. 4-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. This game has the potential to go either very well or very poorly for TCU, and I believe the outcome will be significantly based on their ability to limit their mistakes vs. one of the most talented and explosive teams in the nation.
It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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