Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio and Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
12. UTEP
This wasn't their year and it ends even worse for these guys, losing to Rice. The Miners won one game over three months ago against Divison II Houston Baptist, and it's been a long season since then, but blissfully it's over.
11. RICE
Unbelievably we're here at the end of the season and Rice is sitting better here than they were at the end of the year last year. Improvement and growth is always the name of the game when you're bringing a program back from the dead and they did it here. Congrats Rice.
10. NORTH TEXAS
Another week, another disappointing loss. While the odds were tilted slightly in favor of UNT, I didn't believe for a second this team would finish strong after losing to Rice last week. Honestly this is a program trending badly and trending in a bad direction, it would surprise me if there aren't talks of maybe changing play calling duties or coordinator responsibilities because what was working in the beginning is no longer working at all for these guys.
9. TEXAS STATE
This was a tough loss for a program that was trying to get right. Coming off the Appalachian State game where they weren't supposed to win at all, it's hard to believe this is a program that only a few weeks ago had managed to win big, but they had. Since then they've struggled to get leads and pull away from teams and this week was no different. A bad season is just good enough for fourth place in the Sun Belt West.
8. UTSA
That was a meaty loss to a better program. It's tough to be too critical of a program or say too many mean things when ultimately they weren't supposed to win this game or too many of the other ones they've been playing lately and perhaps it's time to re-evaluate where we consider The Roadrunners? Maybe next year, we'll start them much lower and just see how high they can rise.
7. TEXAS TECH
Well they certainly didn't come close to "getting" the Longhorns. A season that will be remembered for its close calls and almost wins ended on a heck of a thud with an old fashioned beating at the hands of Texas. Mercifully the season is over and The Red Raiders can stop looking back and thinking about what almost was.
6. HOUSTON
To score 41 in a loss has to be heartbreaking but to lose by 15 has to hurt a little more. Houston is now mercifully done, we'll see what happens with the redshirted quarterback now, we'll see what happens with this program coming into the off season. Will things start to trend a little better or is this rough season a sign of things to come under the new regime?
5. TCU
This is a confusing season for these guys, there's no way going 5-7 is a good feeling but considering how angry the back half of their schedule looked at one point, I think it's a good year. The loss to West Virginia isn't great but honestly there are some other games they should be more disappointed about. I think the Oklahoma game is a big one where there is some obvious disappointment. Yes they finished below .500 but they played good football at times and just managed to play bad football at the worst possible times.
4. TEXAS
Well, well, well. Look who is feeling themselves again. The Longhorns haven't looked that good since they played Rice early on in the season. The desperately needed the win to clinch a winning season and now there are some people clamoring for a Academy Sports and Outdoors Texas Bowl between Texas and A&M which would be exciting but it's tough to gauge how Texas fans would handle losing this game considering how heartbreaking this season has been so far.
3. TEXAS A&M
Man that was a bad game against LSU. The Aggies have been defended all season long for the fact that their schedule is so tough, but in a lot of these games they've come up short. It's one thing to schedule the game but another to just go out there and play bad football. I still think their season is one worth celebrating but this kind of poor performance is not the thing to go out on.
2. SMU
This is the way you finish a season. The SMU Mustangs deserve all the accolades and kind words that can be said about them. They deserve all the great things and praise that are hopefully coming their way this off season. It's been a long road from the Death Penalty to here and it's worth celebrating. Congrats guys!
1. BAYLOR
Currently ranked ninth in the country and looking up at a top four that will likely only feature one SEC program this was the best chance for a program like Baylor to get into the dance. That one loss to Oklahoma isn't going to go away, record setting comeback in a situation where the win was needed. Now because of that one loss, the committees and voters don't have to put Baylor anywhere near the top 4.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
Yordan shines, Astros' comeback falls short in loss to Blue Jays
Jul 2, 2024, 9:17 pm
The Houston Astros are officially back on track, climbing two games over .500 after beating the Blue Jays in the series opener on Monday. It's been impressive to see the team go on a run with several key players out of the mix due to injury.
And by the looks of how things currently stand, it doesn't appear any reinforcements will be arriving before the All-Star break. Astros manager Joe Espada told the flagship station on Tuesday that the club is going to be cautious with Kyle Tucker and Justin Verlander.
Tucker is expected to start running soon, and Verlander is already soft tossing from sixty feet. But based on Espada's comments, we shouldn't expect Tucker and JV back before the break. They're hoping that when they do return, they'll be fully ready to play the rest of the season without any “hiccups.”
With Tucker out for likely another two weeks, we should get to see more from Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick, Trey Cabbage, and Joey Loperfido. All of which have had some big moments in recent days.
Espada also said Luis Garcia is scheduled to make a two inning start on Thursday with the Double A club. Lance McCullers could also be ready to return in early August (fingers crossed).
Fortunately for the Astros, Shawn Dubin pitched well in his spot start in New York. Espada told the flagship that Dubin has a good shot at making another start, depending on the state of the bullpen heading into the Twins game on Friday.
It was once believed Houston would have to look outside the organization for pitching help, and they still might. But don't expect a move to happen anytime soon. The Astros depth is holding up, so other teams don't hold all the leverage on GM Dana Brown if he's interested in making a deal.
Speaking of which, the Astros have been rumored to have interest in Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
And while we know Jim Crane loves to make a splash, it's hard to believe he would agree to exceeding the second tax threshold to secure the Blue Jays slugger.
Between Mauricio Dubon, Jon Singleton, and Joey Loperfido, first base doesn't feel like a priority. In the end, the Astros may view a trade as unnecessary with the returns of Verlander, Tucker, Garcia, Jake Bloss, and McCullers. Which could mean a very quiet trade deadline for Houston.
Considering the lack of depth in the farm system, this could be very beneficial in the big picture.
Finally, when looking at the schedule leading up to the All Star break, there are some great opportunities for the 'Stros. They can gain ground on the Twins in the Wild Card race, and push the Rangers further down the standings in the final series before the break.
And let's not forget the series with the division-leading Mariners coming out of the break.
Don't miss the video above as we break it all down!
*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And be on the lookout for bonus episodes on Thursdays!