Texas FBS teams embarrassed in the polls, so let's all focus on H.S. and the Cowboys in this week's 411

[caption id="attachment_27811" align="alignright" width="350"](Photo by Mary Scott McNabb) (Photo by Mary Scott McNabb)[/caption] It is time to focus on solely focus on high school football as the college football season mercifully ended for half of the FBS programs in the state. Four ObservationsShut out of the polls The turmoil in Texas was illustrated in the final college football polls. Not a single team from the state of Texas finished inside the College Football Playoff's final top 25 poll of the season. Texas, Texas Tech, SMU, Rice, UTEP, SMU and Texas Tech won’t be playing football in December, which makes up half of the state’s FBS teams. North Texas made a bowl with five wins thanks to APR. So, seven out of the 12 FBS teams in Texas finished the year with a losing record and three more teams – UTSA, Baylor and TCU – could end up 6-7 with bowl losses. The only teams in the state guaranteed to own a winning record at the end of bowl season are Houston and Texas A&M. Six teams go bowling Texas A&M is headed towards the Texas Bowl. TCU and Baylor were the only two Big 12 programs in Texas to reach six wins. The Horned Frogs take on Georgia in the Liberty Bowl, while Baylor takes on Boise State in the Cactus Bowl. Houston accepted a bid for the Las Vegas Bowl against San Diego State, but that story is on the backburner with a head coach search ongoing. UTSA made history with its first ever bowl appearance. The Roadrunners take on New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl. North Texas qualified through APR and will face Army in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. TXHSFB remains the best The focus now shifts nearly entirely towards high school football. Regional champions were crowned last week and numerous upsets took place around the state. No. 1 ranked teams like Manvel, Newton and Brock all fell. Atascocita knocked off defending Class 6A Division I champion Galena Park North Shore. There is rarely a dull moment in the high school playoffs and with the semifinals approaching, another strong weekend waits. How 'bout them Cowboys? The Cowboys are the best football team in the world. That feels weird to type, but it is true. The NFL lacks great teams. The league is set up that way. In baseball, the salary cap can be bent in favor of the rich teams. In basketball, two or three players in the entire league determine championship outcomes. The NFL is different. It is set up for each team to go 8-8. Average is king. The draft and the structure of the cap room are built to keep every fan base engaged. The end result is usually two great teams, 26 average teams and two teams flirting with 0-16. This year the two great teams are Dallas and New England. The two awful teams are, no surprise, the Browns and the Jaguars. The other teams are different grades of mediocre. New England is without Gronk and that makes Dallas the clear favorites to win a Super Bowl with a rookie quarterback and a rookie running back. One Question Which region sends the most teams to a UIL state championship games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington from Dec. 15-17? My vote is for Region I and that’ll make for a crowded weekend in North Texas. One Prediction Austin and San Antonio sweep Class 6A when Lake Travis (Division I) and Cibolo Steele (Division II) claim state titles in Arlington.

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