The Aggies are surging, the Longhorns are sinking and UTSA is still unbeaten.
Week 10 was a wild one across the state, and things are going to get only more interesting in the season’s final weeks. Let’s take a look at the latest Lone Star 12, The Athletic’s weekly ranking of FBS teams in Texas:
1. Texas A&M (7-2)
Last week’s ranking: 1
Last week’s result: Won vs. Auburn, 20-3
This week’s opponent: at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. CT Saturday
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The Aggies aren’t the prettiest team to watch, but they get the job done. On Saturday, they beat a ranked team without scoring an offensive touchdown, taking down Auburn by 17 points.
There’s a lot to like about these Aggies: a championship-level defense, a tough quarterback, a dynamic running game and the mettle to fight from start to finish. But there are things to clean up as well, like offensive execution (the receivers may need extra time with the JUGS machine).
After a disastrous start to SEC play, the Aggies have won four straight and are still in the SEC West race. Two conference games remain, starting with a huge road game at Ole Miss this weekend.
2. Baylor (7-2)
Last week’s ranking: 2
Last week’s result: Lost at TCU, 30-28
This week’s opponent: vs. Oklahoma, 11 a.m. CT Saturday
The Bears encountered a Gary Patterson-inspired buzz saw in Fort Worth, Texas, and it nicked their Big 12 title game hopes along the way.
Baylor stumbled to its worst defensive effort all season, surrendering 562 yards in a road loss to the Horned Frogs, who played their first game this century without Patterson on the sideline. A few lingering issues came to a head on Saturday, and Baylor couldn’t overcome them.
“Whether it’s the pass rush — which really stands out as an area that’s got to improve — and our ability to negate big plays in the passing game, these are things that have plagued us from Week 1 throughout,” coach Dave Aranda said. “In a way, looking back, this has been coming.”
TCU finished with 10 plays of 15 yards or more, all of them through the air. Baylor’s running game was inconsistent, and for the second consecutive week, quarterback Gerry Bohanon threw two interceptions. He threw only one in Baylor’s first seven games.
The Bears now sit a game in the loss column behind Oklahoma State and two behind Oklahoma in the Big 12 standings. The Sooners visit McLane Stadium this weekend, so the chance to bounce back into the conference race exists. But winning out is a must if Baylor is to find its way to AT&T Stadium next month.
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3. Houston (8-1)
Last week’s ranking: 3
Last week’s result: Won at South Florida, 54-42
This week’s opponent: at Temple, 11 a.m. CT Saturday
“Nuts” is how coach Dana Holgorsen described the Cougars’ latest win, which included a combined 96 points and 1,045 offensive yards. Houston recorded its best offensive output of the year (646 yards), powered by two 100-plus-yard rushers (Alton McCaskill and Ta’Zhawn Henry) and a second consecutive stellar performance from quarterback Clayton Tune (385 passing yards, three touchdowns, no turnovers).
“The difference was Clayton Tune,” Holgorsen said. “He played his absolute tail off.”
It wasn’t all dandy. The defense failed to sack the quarterback for the first time all year, and Holgorsen was displeased with his team’s seven penalties. But the Cougars are still unbeaten in American Athletic Conference play and just need to win their next two to secure a berth in the league championship game.
4. UTSA (9-0)
Last week’s ranking: 4
Last week’s result: Won at UTEP, 44-23
This week’s opponent: vs. Southern Miss, 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday
The Roadrunners’ week began with the welcomed news that coach Jeff Traylor signed a 10-year contract extension, but they were quickly reminded how oblivious some folks, namely College Football Playoff selection committee chair Gary Barta, are to their success. Barta called the Roadrunners, “USTA” (the acronym for the United States Tennis Association) on a conference call Tuesday night after the team was omitted from the committee’s initial Top 25. That prompted Traylor to revive an old joke, posting tennis photos with his players’ faces superimposed on them.
Should our top singles player be @christian_c33? Need your help @UTSAWT pic.twitter.com/OYPCtBKyks
— Jeff Traylor (@CoachTraylor) November 3, 2021
Then UTSA squashed UTEP by three scores on the road, moving one step closer toward a berth in the Conference USA title game. The Roadrunners scored on every possession except their last, in which they ran out the clock. Defensively, they held UTEP to just nine points in the first 40-plus minutes, allowing them to establish a 28-point third-quarter lead. From talent to execution, UTSA proved head and shoulders above the Miners.
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If the Roadrunners win their next two games over Southern Miss and UAB, they’ll clinch their first conference title game berth. And maybe they’ll finally get a little respect from Barta and the committee.
5. SMU (7-2)
Last week’s ranking: 5
Last week’s result: Lost at Memphis, 28-25
This week’s opponent: vs. UCF, 11 a.m. CT Saturday
The Ponies’ annual late-season swoon is officially underway. After a 7-0 start, SMU dropped its second straight game, this time on the road at Memphis.
SMU’s high-powered offense scored only 10 points in the first three quarters and fell into an 18-point hole in the fourth. The Mustangs then woke up, scored two touchdowns and had the ball with less than three minutes remaining and a chance to tie or take the lead before an interception by Tanner Mordecai with 1:36 left killed SMU’s comeback hopes.
After combined 20-0 starts to the last three seasons, SMU is now a combined 4-8 after them.
“We just made so many mistakes,” coach Sonny Dykes said. “You can’t win a football game — it doesn’t matter who you play — when you make that many mistakes.”
6. TCU (4-5)
Last week’s ranking: 8
Last week’s result: Won vs. Baylor, 30-28
This week’s opponent: at Oklahoma State, 7 p.m. CT Saturday
The Horned Frogs, in their first game since 2000 without Patterson as head coach and missing their starting quarterback and running back, pulled off an inspired upset.
Oklahoma transfer Chandler Morris, son of former SMU and Arkansas coach Chad Morris, made his first start in place of the injured Max Duggan and dazzled. The redshirt freshman threw for 461 yards, ran for 70 and accounted for three touchdowns. Running back Zach Evans missed a second straight game and No. 2 running back Kendre Miller left the game with an injury, so Morris relied on TCU’s deep receiving corps to great success. Quentin Johnston, Taye Barber and Derius Davis all shined.
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Interim coach Jerry Kill received the game ball while Patterson, who spent time in the TCU offices to assist with the game plan following his Halloween night dismissal, tweeted throughout the game. Fans rushed the field after the win, and Amon G. Carter Stadium was filled with emotion and appreciation for Patterson, who went 181-79 in 21-plus seasons.
A pair of tough games remain for TCU, but going bowling isn’t out of the question. Assuming the Horned Frogs beat Kansas on Nov. 20, they’ll need to beat either Oklahoma State this weekend or at Iowa State on Nov. 26 to get there.
7. UTEP (6-3)
Last week’s ranking: 7
Last week’s result: Lost vs. UTSA, 44-23
This week’s opponent: at North Texas, 3 p.m. CT Saturday
Following a 6-1 start, the Miners have dropped two straight, the latest a blowout home loss to UTSA. It’s easy to nitpick, but UTEP was simply outmatched by the Roadrunners’ talent and depth. Sincere McCormick’s 75-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage set the tone for the night and shocked the Miners, whose stout defense rarely allows such a thing.
“That hasn’t happened very much,” coach Dana Dimel said. “It stung us a little bit.”
The loss snapped UTEP’s six-game home winning streak, but the Miners have some opportunities to bounce back. They travel to North Texas this weekend and host Rice on Nov. 20 before a season finale at UAB. A seven- or eight-win season is still achievable and is still a big deal. UTEP has won seven or more games just four times since 1989.
8. Texas (4-5)
Last week’s ranking: 6
Last week’s result: Lost at Iowa State, 30-7
This week’s opponent: vs. Kansas, 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday
The wheels are coming off in Austin. Texas has lost four in a row for the first time since 2010. This is the first time since 2017 — Year 1 of the Tom Herman era — that Texas is under .500 in November.
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Once again, the Longhorns led at halftime, but this time it was even more tenuous. They never built a double-digit lead like they did the previous three games and by the midpoint, Steve Sarkisian made a quarterback change, benching Casey Thompson for Hudson Card. Neither were highly effective and, honestly, Texas’ problems go much deeper than who’s taking the snaps. The offense sputtered, the defense wore down again and the Cyclones ran away with the game in the second half.
“We didn’t coach well enough, clearly, and didn’t play well enough to win,” Sarkisian said. “They were the better team, they won the game, they controlled the game. We’ve got to find a way to get our players in position to perform when the ballgame gets kicked off. (Saturday) our inability to do that showed itself and we got beat.”
9. Texas Tech (5-4)
Last week’s ranking: 9
Last week’s result: Idle
This week’s opponent: vs. Iowa State, 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday
After an off week, the Red Raiders return to action against surging Iowa State. The Cyclones won four of their last five and want to remain in the Big 12 title game race, while Texas Tech seeks bowl eligibility against a tough finishing slate.
Keep an eye on quarterback this week. After Donovan Smith finished the game in relief of Henry Colombi in the Oct. 30 loss to Oklahoma, interim coach Sonny Cumbie said the coaching staff would evaluate those two and make a decision in time for game-planning against the Cyclones. Starter Tyler Shough, who continues to recover from a September collarbone injury, recently returned to practice also but isn’t yet fully cleared for game action.
10. North Texas (3-6)
Last week’s ranking: 10
Last week’s result: Won at Southern Miss, 38-14
This week’s opponent: vs. UTEP, 3 p.m. CT Saturday
Things are looking up in Denton, Texas. The Mean Green earned their second straight win, scoring 38 unanswered points in a comeback win at Southern Miss.
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North Texas posted a season-high 537 yards, which included 100-yard rushing performances from Isaiah Johnson and Ikaika Ragsdale. After falling behind 14-0 in the first eight minutes, the North Texas defense shut out the Golden Eagles in the final three-and-a-half quarters.
After a debilitating six-game losing streak, the Mean Green still have an outside chance of making a bowl, but it won’t be easy. They host UTEP this weekend, travel to Florida International on Nov. 20 and finish the year against UTSA on Nov. 27.
11. Texas State (3-6)
Last week’s ranking: 12
Last week’s result: Won vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 27-19
This week’s opponent: vs. Georgia Southern, 2 p.m. CT Saturday
The Bobcats notched a sorely-needed win. Quarterback Tyler Vitt improved tremendously after a rough performance a week prior, throwing for 262 yards and a touchdown against Louisiana-Monroe. Running back Jahmyl Jeter (92 rushing yards) and receiver Marcell Barbee (102 receiving yards) were also effective.
Defensively, Texas State recorded five sacks after compiling just seven in the first eight games of the year.
A winnable game against Georgia Southern — the last place team in the Sun Belt East Division — awaits, followed by road games at Coastal Carolina and Arkansas State to close out the year.
12. Rice (3-6)
Last week’s ranking: 11
Last week’s result: Lost at Charlotte, 31-24 (overtime)
This week’s opponent: vs. Western Kentucky, 1 p.m. CT Saturday
The Owls were in position for another quality road win two weeks after their upset of UAB but couldn’t hold on. Rice possessed a 24-14 lead with 6:35 left before a late rally by the 49ers to force overtime, where they completed the comeback victory.
The loss came despite Rice outgaining Charlotte 468-349 and a career-best rushing performance from Ari Broussard (186 yards). The 49ers scored on the first play of overtime and picked off Rice quarterback Jake Constantine on the Owls’ second play of the extra period.
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After an encouraging stretch when they won three of four games, the Owls suffered back-to-back overtime losses that were winnable. Three weeks ago, a bowl game seemed well within reach, now the Owls must win their last three to achieve that.
(Photo of TCU quarterback Chandler Morris: Kevin Jairaj / USA Today)
