TEXAS, USA — Week three of college football was rather predictable in terms of favorites beating underdogs, but there were some surprises that we didn't necessarily expect like a total beatdown from Texas Tech and a bit of a fall from grace from Texas State.
So, after watching yet another week of college football, three members of WFAA's digital team: Ryan Osborne, Paul Livengood and Zachary Yanes, put their heads together to rank each of the FBS programs in Texas..
And remember: if you don't agree, that's totally fine -- we didn't either.
WFAA's Texas Football Rankings for Week 4:
No. 1 Texas Longhorns (3-0)
Paul Livengood: Next man up. Quinn Ewers went out with an oblique injury and backup Arch Manning stepped in valiantly. He threw a touchdown on his very first pass in relief of Ewers, en route to a massive five-touchdown performance, which also included a 67-yard sprint on a read option keeper. The dominant 56-7 win over UTSA helped propel UT to the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2008. Texas is the best team not only in the state but in the country.
- Paul Livengood - 1
- Ryan Osborne - 1
- Zach Yanes - 1
No. 2 Texas A&M Aggies (2-1)
Zachary Yanes: The Aggies continue to impress on the defensive side of the ball, while still leaving much to be desired on the offensive end. Starting quarterback Conor Weigman was out this past weekend against Florida, but freshman Marcel Reed was able to step in and handle business as he threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Texas A&M was able to secure its first SEC win of the year on Saturday and while I don't think the Aggies are a top team in the country, they are still better than most in Texas, so they'll stay high up in our rankings.
- Paul Livengood - 2
- Ryan Osborne - 2
- Zach Yanes - 2
No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs (2-1)
Ryan Osborne: There's really no way to quantify just how bad of a loss TCU had against UCF. Whether the Knights are good or not (they're OK, I think), the Frogs blew a 21-point lead in the second half, thanks to a defense that couldn't stop a nosebleed. Consider this: TCU had a 400-yard passer, a 200-yard receiver and blocked three field goals – and lost. I still believe TCU's talent keeps them in the upper tier among Texas teams, and sophomore quarterback Josh Hoover is in line for a major NIL payday. Now, coach Sonny Dykes needs to convert all that into some wins.
- Paul Livengood - 3
- Ryan Osborne - 3
- Zach Yanes - 3
No. 4 Texas State Bobcats (2-1)
Paul Livengood: As a Bobcat alumnus, this one pained me to watch (in-person, too, I might add). It was a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and ultimately Texas State outplayed Arizona State despite not holding onto their lead. The Bobcats shot out to a 21-7 lead in the first half, but Sun Devils QB Sam Leavitt just would not go away. He quickly turned that 21-7 deficit to a 21-21 tie at halftime. The second half was tightly contested, but the Bobcats controlled the majority of the game and it never felt like they were in danger of losing ... Until the crucial fourth quarter lost fumble in our own territory which led to a go-ahead field goal. I'm still bullish on Texas State to make a run at the Sun Belt Conference title.
- Paul Livengood - 4
- Ryan Osborne - 4
- Zach Yanes - 4
No. 5 Baylor Bears (2-1)
Zachary Yanes: I truly think Baylor is one of the more interesting teams in the country, even though no one is really paying much attention to them. An awful 3-9 record last season led to a sour offseason and there are a lot of questions about whether or not Head Coach Dave Aranda is going to be around the program much longer due to this lack of recent success. But, the Bears have been handling business against the opponents they should be. I know the Utah game wasn't great for them, but that's a brutal environment to play in. This weekend, the Bears will have the eyes of a national audience upon them as they take on Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. I won't lie, I'd be happy to see them go into Boulder and come away with a win, which would surely catapult them up in our rankings.
- Paul Livengood - 5
- Ryan Osborne - 5
- Zach Yanes - 6
No. 6 SMU Mustangs (2-1)
Ryan Osborne: The Mustangs were off this past week, and maybe that was the rest they needed. SMU needs to figure out its quarterback situation, but also, they're facing a bad TCU defense this week... so a "get right" game for the offense might be on deck. As far as these rankings go, SMU can jump into the top 5 or better with a win over TCU (and knock the Frogs out in the process).
- Paul Livengood - 6
- Ryan Osborne - 6
- Zach Yanes - 7
No. 7 Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-1)
Paul Livengood: The Red Raiders proved me wrong in my thought that the Mean Green would take a Stone Cold Stunner to Lubbock and leave with a W and a WHAAAAAT? This one got ugly, and got ugly fast, in the second quarter. Already up 17-7, Texas Tech ballooned its lead to 38-7 in a matter of one minute of game time. Before you could blink, it was 52-7 at halftime. This team is 2-1, but the eye test hasn't been passed. That one-point overtime win against Abilene Christian is still an eyesore.
- Paul Livengood - 8
- Ryan Osborne - 8
- Zach Yanes - 5
No. 8 Houston Cougars (1-2)
Ryan Osborne: I thought Houston was the worst Power 4 team in the country after their season-opening loss to UNLV. Turns out, this Willie Fritz guy can coach. Fritz, who made Tulane a Top 25 program, is dealing with virtually an entire new roster, and while the Cougars are 1-2, they nearly beat Oklahoma (on the road) and handled Rice with ease, 33-7. Houston probably isn't a bowl team, but they're building something down there.
- Paul Livengood - 7
- Ryan Osborne - 7
- Zach Yanes - 10
No. 9 UTSA Roadrunners (1-2)
Zachary Yanes: Going into this game, everyone knew what was going to happen -- even if Roadrunner fans (me) may have been holding out some slight hope of a miracle. There was no miracle, it was not competitive -- this was a beatdown. And no, I didn't let it affect me at all -- mainly because I stopped watching in the third quarter. But there weren't a lot of takeaways from this game other than some questions about play calling and gratitude over scoring one touchdown. It's been a rough start to the season for these guys, so hopefully they can get it on track before conference play begins. If not, this could be the end of the exciting Roadrunners that burst onto the college football scene a few years ago.
- Paul Livengood - 9
- Ryan Osborne - 10
- Zach Yanes - 8
No. 10 North Texas Mean Green (2-1)
Paul Livengood: Boy, was I wrong about UNT. After solid offensive performances through two weeks, I figured the Mean Green would take it to Texas Tech. That first half was not pretty – gashed on defense and turned over the ball on offense. Take care of your conference and maybe make a decent bowl game.
- Paul Livengood - 10
- Ryan Osborne - 11
- Zach Yanes - 9
No. 11 Sam Houston Bearkats (2-1)
Zachary Yanes: Good quality win over Hawaii for the Bearkats this weekend. Now, Sam Houston opens conference play up against New Mexico State on Saturday, so they really have a chance to get things rolling here.
- Paul Livengood - 11
- Ryan Osborne - 9
- Zach Yanes - 11
No. 12 Rice Owls (1-2)
Ryan Osborne: The Owls beat FCS squad Texas Southern but haven't been competitive in either of their two games.
- Paul Livengood - 12
- Ryan Osborne - 12
- Zach Yanes - 12
No. 13 UTEP Miners (0-3)
Zachary Yanes: This is not good -- not good at all. Looking ahead at the Miners' schedule, I'm not too sure they can even get one win.
- Paul Livengood - 13
- Ryan Osborne - 13
- Zach Yanes - 13
