TEXAS, USA — It's Week 6 of the college football season and our Texas teams are getting into midseason form.
The top-dogs in the state are looking moving along, looking dominant as they enter a tough stretch of games in the upcoming weeks. Others are looking to recoup and make something of a season that hasn't started out great.
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 ahead of Week 6.
WFAA's Texas Football Rankings for Week 6:
No. 1 Texas Longhorns (5-0)
Paul Livengood: The Longhorns are arguably the top team in the country with Quinn Ewers at the helm. Even backup Arch Manning has held his own. Texas is the only undefeated team remaining on the list, and they're head and shoulders above the rest. Their next two games – Red River Rivalry and a top-5 matchup at home against Georgia – will be must-see TV.
- Paul Livengood - 1
- Ryan Osborne - 1
- Zach Yanes - 1
No. 2 Texas A&M Aggies (4-1)
Ryan Osborne: Maybe I'm unfairly hard on the Aggies, but they're still in "show me something" territory as a program, and inching past a team like Arkansas just doesn't blow me away. That being said, it's clear that A&M's defense is legit, as should be expected under Mike Elko. Whether they have the offense to compete with the better teams in the SEC ... we'll see. But a win is a win, and they have a massive home game against Missouri on deck.
- Paul Livengood - 2
- Ryan Osborne - 3
- Zach Yanes - 2
No. 3 SMU Mustangs (4-1)
Zachary Yanes: The Mustangs needed no introduction when they stepped on the scene of their inaugural ACC game against Florida State. SMU cruised to a 42-16 win over the Seminoles behind the arm of quarterback Kevin Jennings. While this FSU squad is certainly not what everyone expected it to be, it was still a challenge for the Mustangs and one that they took head-on and dominated.
- Paul Livengood - 3
- Ryan Osborne - 2
- Zach Yanes - 4
No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-1)
Paul Livengood: Will you score enough points to outlast the Red Raiders? That is the question with this team. Nearly every game is a shootout. However, Tech is 4-1 and many others on this list aren't.
- Paul Livengood - 4
- Ryan Osborne - 4
- Zach Yanes - 3
No. 5 TCU Horned Frogs (3-2)
Ryan Osborne: I had to punish TCU for that miserable SMU loss last week, but the Horned Frogs bounced back with a nice road win at Kansas (technically, the game was at the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium). Listen, the TCU defense is kind of a mess, and I'm not sure it gets much better this year. But quarterback Josh Hoover is elite, and he's currently third in the nation in passing yards, at 1,774. He was incredible down the stretch against the Jayhawks, including on a 59-yard touchdown pass to Eric McAlister. Hoover dodged a blitz and managed an opposite-field throw to McAlister, who broke the long catch and run for a score.
- Paul Livengood - 5
- Ryan Osborne - 5
- Zach Yanes - 5
No. 6 Sam Houston Bearkats (4-1)
Ryan Osborne: So I'm just throwing this out there: What happens when Sam Houston finishes 11-1 and wins Conference USA? Is playoff mania coming to Huntsville? In all seriousness, the Bearkats could run the table (or lose 4 games, who knows), and they've been among the most consistent teams in this ranking, now adding a nice comeback win over Texas State to their resume.
- Paul Livengood - 7
- Ryan Osborne - 6
- Zach Yanes - 7
T-No. 7 Baylor Bears (2-3)
Zachary Yanes: I said it last week and I'll say it again: This team plays hard. I know they've come up short the last two weeks, but Baylor really shouldn't even be in these games to begin with. While effort might not result in wins or the ability to keep your head coach employed, it's something to hang your hat on. Expect another battle this weekend when the Bears take on Iowa State in Ames.
- Paul Livengood - 9
- Ryan Osborne - 7
- Zach Yanes - 6
T-No. 7 North Texas Mean Green (4-1)
Ryan Osborne: The Mean Green is turning it loose with Chandler Morris at quarterback – he's fifth in the nation in passing yards (1,643). And no, they weren't competitive against Texas Tech a few weeks ago. But they look like a contender in the American Athletic Conference. We'll learn more after their trips to Florida Atlantic and Memphis.
- Paul Livengood - 6
- Ryan Osborne - 8
- Zach Yanes - 8
No. 9 Texas State Bobcats (2-2)
Paul Livengood: Saturday made me sick to my stomach. Race out to a 22-point lead and give the game away. After losing by 1 to Sam Houston, that makes two games in a row Texas State should have won but didn't. Self-imposed mistakes and a lack of discipline is keeping this team from being legitimately a top-four team in the state and a potential title contender. Sun Belt play starts next, so hopefully for this alumnus' sake, they do better moving forward.
- Paul Livengood - 8
- Ryan Osborne - 9
- Zach Yanes - 9
No. 10 UTSA Roadrunners (2-3)
Zachary Yanes: Look, I know it's college football season and everyone should be happy, but watching my Roadrunners this year has felt like a chore. The only two wins UTSA has this season came against FCS schools and it's starting to feel like we are returning to the dark ages of the program. Many people will say just appreciate the good seasons that you had, but I disagree – fans are entitled to feel upset, that's the whole point of the game. With growth comes criticism and UTSA is getting a lot of it. What was this supposed to be about again?
- Paul Livengood - 10
- Ryan Osborne - 10
- Zach Yanes - 10
No. 11 Houston Cougars (1-4)
Ryan Osborne: The Cougars have been outscored 54-0 in Big 12 play, so far, coming off shutout losses to Cincinnati and Iowa State. They might find some success against a bad TCU defense, but not enough to keep pace.
- Paul Livengood - 11
- Ryan Osborne - 11
- Zach Yanes - 11
No. 12 Rice Owls (1-4)
Paul Livengood: Rice's only win is against an FCS squad. Moving on.
- Paul Livengood - 12
- Ryan Osborne - 12
- Zach Yanes - 12
No. 13 UTEP Miners (0-4)
Zachary Yanes: I believe in you, UTEP. We are going to get one win out of you – definitely not this week, or the next – but maybe sometime after that?
- Paul Livengood - 13
- Ryan Osborne - 13
- Zach Yanes - 13
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