HYPE INDEX: Your guide (and predictions) for Week 5 in Texas college football

This is the Texas College Football Hype Index, where Dave Campbell’s Texas Football managing editor Greg Tepper ranks the FBS college football games in Texas from least-watchable to most-watchable.9: UTEP at Army, 2:30 p.m. Saturday in West Point, NY If you’re an old-school football fan who enjoys watching the triple-option run to near-perfection, you’ll love this game. In the end, though, this is a matchup of two bad teams — the only difference is that Army’s at home, and they actually have an offense. Watchability Rating: 1 out of 10 Tepper’s Prediction: Army 38, UTEP 138: Rice at Pitt, 11 a.m. Saturday in Pittsburgh, PA Both Houston-based FBS teams are in Pennsylvania on Saturday morning, and there may only be one good team participating in these two games, and it’s not in this matchup. Pitt’s terrible — their offense is awful, their defense is a sieve and they really struggle along both lines. If Rice can find any sort of offensive consistency, they’ve got a shot in this one, but it feels like we’ve been saying that all year. Watchability Rating: 2 out of 10 Tepper’s Prediction: Pitt 35, Rice 147: Texas State at Wyoming, 3 p.m. Saturday in Laramie, WY There may not have been a more hyped team entering 2017 than Wyoming, thanks in large part to NFL blue-chip QB Josh Allen, but the Cowboys have been a big disappointment, especially offensively. But the one thing they do well is make plays in pass defense — sacks and interceptions — which makes Texas State quarterback Damian Williams and the offensive line imperative to the Bobcats’ gameplan. Watchability Rating: 2 out of 10 Tepper’s Prediction: Wyoming 37, Texas State 176: Connecticut at SMU, 3 p.m. Saturday in Dallas In many respects, this is a compelling game — Connecticut’s defense has the kind of dink-and-dunk efficiency that could give the Ponies’ defense fits if they’re not ready. But in one big respect, this is a mismatch: the Huskies’ pass defense is miserable (like, third-worst in the country miserable), which should led Ben Hicks, Courtland Sutton and the SMU attack bomb away. Watchability Rating: 4 out of 10 Tepper’s Prediction: SMU 48, Connecticut 285: Houston at Temple, 11 a.m. Saturday in Philadelphia, PA Who, exactly, is Houston? The defense has a clear identity, and Ed Oliver and company should feast against a woeful Temple attack that’s missing Matt Rhule more every day. But what of the offense? Can the offensive line get in gear against a bad rushing defense, and take the pressure off of whoever takes the snaps for the Coogs? Houston should win this game, but how they win will be very telling. Watchability Rating: 5 out of 10 Tepper’s Prediction: Houston 30, Temple 104: Baylor at Kansas State, 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Manhattan, KS The Bears are staring their first 0-5 start in nearly 40 years in the face unless they can pull a rabbit out of their hat in Manhattan. Kansas State is a typical Bill Snyder-coached squad — ruthlessly efficient and defensively stout. The key for Baylor here is to win defensively on first and second down, get the Wildcats chasing the chains, as that’s when they tend to struggle. Still, while the arrow is pointing up for Baylor, it’s hard to see the Bears winning this game. Watchability Rating: 5 out of 10 Tepper’s Prediction: Kansas State 38, Baylor 243: North Texas at Southern Miss, 6 p.m. Saturday in Hattiesburg, MS After nearly spitting the bit against UAB, the Mean Green have to go on the road against a quality Southern Miss squad that leans on its defense. UNT will have to find a way to get past the Golden Eagles’ D — maybe RB Jeffery Wilson has another big game in him? — and take advantage of a USM offense that tends to come and go. North Texas is an underdog here, but with a couple of breaks, they could pull out the big conference road win. Watchablity Rating: 6 out of 10 Tepper’s Prediction: Southern Miss 31, North Texas 212: South Carolina at Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m. Saturday in College Station This game was a lot scarier for the Aggies before star South Carolina receiver Deebo Samuel went down for the year. Now, A&M welcomes in a team searching for a new identity. Maybe it’s on the defensive side, where coach Will Muschamp has always hung his hat. USC’s pass defense is nothing special, and that’s where Kellen Mond must continue to improve if the Aggies are to hold serve at home in this critical conference game. Watchablity Rating: 7 out of 10 Tepper’s Prediction: Texas A&M 39, South Carolina 281: No. 15 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 7 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock A night game in Lubbock is a bad dream waiting to happen for most conference opponents, but while the tortillas will be flying, so will the points. Oklahoma State’s defense proved beatable last week against TCU, and Tech’s offense should have at least as much success against the Cowboys on the fast track in Lubbock. The question, as it always does, comes down to Tech’s defense, which will face its stiffest test yet. We’re bullish on the Red Raiders’ defense, and now it’s time to pay off that faith. Watchability Rating: 8 out of 10 Tepper’s Prediction: Oklahoma State 55, Texas Tech 45