Houston Cougars football quarterback Clayton Tune scans the field against the South Florida Bulls on Oct. 29 inside of TDECU Stadium. (Courtesy Houston Athletics)
College Football – Ranking the Region for Week 13
- 1 No. 4 TCU (11-0) – Despite allowing over 500 yards of total offense to Baylor, TCU’s last-second walk-off field goal kept the Horned Frogs perfect on the season. TCU is now a 10.5-point favorite at home against Iowa State in their final regular season game. The Horned Frogs are two wins away from crashing the party and making a College Football Playoff appearance, which would be the first for the Big 12 since Oklahoma in 2019.
- 2. No. 5 LSU (9-2) – LSU handled UAB as expected with a 41-10 win over the Blazers. The Tigers’ final game of the regular season is against the worst team in the SEC, Texas A&M. The focus now is on whether the fifth-ranked Tigers can make history as the first two-loss team to make an appearance in the College Football Playoff. Losses by TCU and USC, and an LSU win in the SEC Championship Game, would likely result in the Tigers as the No. 4 seed in the final four.
- 3. No. 23 Texas (7-4) – After accumulating just three points against TCU two weeks ago, there was legitimate concern that Texas may be due for back-to-back losses to Kansas. Instead, the Longhorns jumped out to a 31-0 first half in route to a blowout win over the Jayhawks. If Texas can beat Baylor, and Kansas can somehow upset Kansas State, the Longhorns would still (somehow) get a rematch against TCU in the Big 12 title game.
- 4. No. 19 Tulane (9-2)– Despite being outgained in total yards and losing time of possession by close to 8 minutes, Tulane dominated SMU 59-24. Tulane’s defense has led the way all season, and the five turnovers it created allowed for short fields, which the Green Wave offense took advantage of. Next up is a Friday showdown against Cincinnati and a chance to host the AAC Championship Game for the winner.
- 5. Baylor (6-5) – Baylor knew how difficult the month of November would be, and this stretch is living up to the hype. After losing 31-3 at home to Kansas State, the Bears squandered a lead against TCU, ultimately losing on a last-second field goal. Baylor now has a road test against Texas for a chance to secure a winning regular season and ensure the Longhorns don’t reach the Big 12 Championship.
- 6. Texas Tech (6-5) – After a midseason stretch that saw the Red Raiders lose four out of five games, Texas Tech has rallied with back-to-back wins to secure a bowl game in head coach Joey McGuire’s first season in Lubbock. The win against Iowa State was far from pretty, but in subfreezing temperatures getting the win was all that mattered. The regular season finale for Tech is a showdown with Oklahoma in Lubbock for a chance to secure a winning season.
- 7. UTSA (9-2) – The CUSA domination continued Saturday for UTSA as they embarrassed Rice in their home finale 41-7. The Roadrunners held Rice to just five yards on the ground and created three turnovers. UTSA closes out the season against UTEP before hosting the CUSA Championship for the second consecutive year.
- 8. SMU (6-4) – Coming off a short week of prep, SMU ran into a buzz saw against an angry Tulane team that dismantled them in a 59-24 route. The Mustangs’ five turnovers put the game out of reach in the first half, and at one point, the score reached 49-7. SMU closes out the season against Memphis before heading to bowl season.
- 9. Houston (7-4) – If it weren’t for Navy beating UCF, Houston’s 42-3 throttling of East Carolina on its senior day would have been the most shocking result in the AAC last weekend. Houston played its most complete game on both sides of the ball, and Clayton Tune shined yet again for the Cougars. It will take quite a bit of help, but there is still a small window for Houston to make an appearance in the AAC Championship with a win over Memphis and losses by Cincinnati and Central Florida.
- 10. Texas A&M (4-7) – The Aggies beat UMass 20-3. The Aggies mercifully close out the year with a trip to Baton Rouge to take on the fifth-ranked LSU Tigers.
- 11. North Texas (6-5) – UNT had a late-season bye last week. The Mean Green take on Rice to close out the season, and with a win, would reach the CUSA Championship against UTSA.
- 12. Rice (5-6) – The country’s leader in throwing interceptions had another three turnovers on their way to a 41-7 loss against UTSA. Rice needs a win over North Texas, who is playing for a birth in the CUSA Championship Game, to secure their sixth win and a bowl appearance.
- 13. UTEP (5-6) – UTEP jumped all over Florida International on their way to a 40-6 win over the Panthers. The good news for UTEP is they need only one more win to get to a bowl in back-to-back years for the first time in school history. The bad news is they have to play UTSA on the road. The Miners are 17.5 dogs, but crazier things have happened!
- 14. Texas State (4-7) – In a year that will be defined by heartbreaking close losses, the Bobcats got on the right side of another tight game with a 16-13 win over Arkansas State. Texas State closes out the year at home against Louisiana with an opportunity to play spoiler and keep the Ragin Cajuns out of a bowl game.
