Midseason Superlatives: The Best, Worst, and Most Surprising Teams in Texas College Football

Six of the 13 FBS teams in Texas are already at the midpoint of their seasons while the other seven join them following Week 7. The state is home to four teams ranked in the AP Top 25 – Texas (7), Texas Tech (10), Houston (20), and SMU (24). We’re also home to three of the worst teams in the country as Rice, Sam Houston, and UTEP are a combined 0-14 against the FBS this season.

This felt like a good time to pass out some awards – good and bad – across the FBS teams in Texas. From the most surprising team to the hardest one to watch, here are some superlatives for the Lone Star State heading into Week 7.

Most Surprising Team: North Texas

The Mean Green were exhibit No. 1 for what happens to a G6 team after a historic season. They won 12 games, reached the American Conference championship, and then promptly lost the entire coaching staff and most of the roster to Oklahoma State. North Texas hired Neal Brown, who added 72 players to his roster between getting hired after the season and the start of the 2026 campaign.

A bowl game felt like an appropriate goal. Through six weeks of the season, that was clearly too low of an expectation. The Mean Green trounced UNLV at home in Week 2 and are currently on a three-game winning streak that included an overtime victory over the Tulsa team that knocked off Oklahoma State – and all the former Mean Green coaches/players – back in Week 1.

Six wins is no longer the ceiling, it’s the floor. North Texas should be considered one of the favorites to play for the American championship alongside Memphis, FAU, and UTSA. That’s an incredible achievement for the Year 1 coaching staff.

Honorable mention: Baylor

Biggest Underachiever: Texas A&M

Texas A&M entered the season as the No. 8 ranked team in the Preseason AP Poll. The Aggies were coming off a trip to the CFP and returned a third-year starter at quarterback. Confidence in head coach Mike Elko and his staff played a large role in the preseason hype. But through six games, that hype wasn’t justified and the trust was misguided. The Aggies are 1-3 in the SEC and in real danger of not reaching six wins.

We should’ve seen the regression coming. Texas A&M lost 10 players to the NFL Draft, including four offensive linemen, a first-round wide receiver, and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Offensive coordinator Colin Klein took the head coaching job at Kansas State, his alma mater. And Reed, the experienced quarterback fans hoped would take the next step, simply isn’t good enough to lead an SEC team to wins without a stellar supporting cast.

Honorable mention: TCU

Most Likely to Reach CFP: Texas Tech

The Red Raiders entered the season as the betting favorite to win the Big 12 and with a team total of 11.5 wins. They haven’t been as dominant through the first half of the season as they were a year ago, but Texas Tech is the only undefeated team left in Texas and the schedule gives them time to round into form before the Big 12 title game. I’m not sure they’re the best team in the state – though Tech is No. 1 in the latest Power Poll – but I do still believe they have the easiest path to the postseason.

Honorable mention: Texas

Hardest Team to Watch: UTEP

Scotty Walden’s program is 1-5 this year and the lone win came over a SWAC team. They’re not only winless against the FBS this season, but they’re also miles away from competing. UTEP has lost its five games by an average of 36.6 points. Take away the losses to Oklahoma and Michigan and the Miners are losing to G6 teams this year by an average of 32.3 points per game. The closest loss of the season was at home by 17 points to a Nevada team that was blown out by Montana State.

Losing is one thing. Losing this badly is another, especially when the offense isn’t entertaining. UTEP’s highest point total against the FBS this year is 17. The offense is averaging 8.8 points per game against the FBS. Walden was hired because of his offensive acumen and exciting style. But the fans in El Paso haven’t seen any evidence of that. The Miners are 1-15 since 2025 against the FBS.

Honorable mention: TCU

Best Offense: Houston

The Cougars are averaging 40 points per game this season, the most of any Power Four team in Texas. The 32 touchdowns are tied with North Texas at the top of the state’s rankings. But it isn’t just the raw numbers. It’s the style. Watching Houston play offense is fun because of the balance. The Cougars average 230 yards rushing (fourth in the Big 12) and 251.8 yards passing (ninth in the Big 12). They have scored 17 passing touchdowns to 15 rushing touchdowns.

QB Conner Weigman has produced 21 total touchdowns to just one interception through six games. The RB combo of Re’Shaun Sanford II and Makhi Hughes averages 131.83 rushing yards per game. TE Patrick Overmyer, a UTSA transfer, has six touchdowns, including four in the recent win over Kansas State.

What makes it more remarkable is that Houston ranked 133^rd in scoring offense in 2024 with 14 points per game. The Coogs only scored 20 touchdowns – tied for lowest in the FBS – over 12 games. This year, Houston ranks 15^th nationally in scoring offense and is on pace to score 64 touchdowns.

Honorable mention: North Texas

Best Defense: Texas

Hiring Will Muschamp as the defensive coordinator in the offseason was arguably the best move Steve Sarkisian has made as the head coach at Texas. The Longhorns are one of the more dominant defenses in the country and they’d rank in the Top 10 in scoring defense if the offense and the special teams would stop allowing points.

The Horns have only given up 12 plays of 20 or more yards, which leads the SEC. Opponents are only scoring touchdowns on 33.33 percent of red zone trips, which is tied for first in the SEC with Oklahoma. Colin Simmons has 9.5 sacks, which is 1.5 more than anyone else in America. The unit is elite. If Texas reaches its goals of playing for the SEC championship and making a deep run in the CFP, it’ll be because of Muschamp’s defense.

Honorable mention: Baylor

Best QB So Far: Kevin Jennings, SMU

Each year around midseason a feeling of dread sets in as I realize that I need to pick quarterbacks for the All-Texas midseason team. This year, that is a three-horse race between SMU’s Jennings, Houston’s Weigman, and North Texas’ Jackson. All three have solid cases for the First Team. All three definitely have a case to make the Second Team. And whomever is left off will have a legitimate gripe.

I’m going with Jennings because he’s second in the nation in passing yards per game at 317.6. He also has 14 touchdown passes, which is only one behind Jackson. Jennings’ rating of 185.85 is also the best in the Lone Star State. Jackson and Weigman have more support in the run game than Jennings, so he’s more responsible for their success right now and that gives him another slight edge, but that is splitting hairs because all three have led their respective teams to much success through six weeks.

Honorable mention: Conner Weigman, Tayven Jackson

Best Coaching Job: Jeff Traylor  

UTSA looks like the program that won back-to-back conference championships in 2021 and 2022 and was the winningest program in the state from 2020-2023 and not like the team that went 12-12 in the regular season over the 2024 and 2025 campaigns.

That’s because Traylor’s squad is back to winning close games. They were 17-7 over his first four seasons in one-possession games. They were 2-6 in those games over the last couple of seasons. UTSA is 3-0 in such games already this season, including the Thursday night win over South Florida.

UTSA is 5-1 and one of the betting favorites to win the American Conference. The only loss was on the road to No. 1-ranked Texas. Winning in the margins is a sign of good coaching and leading a G6 program is harder than ever.  

Honorable mention: Neal Brown

Team I Can't Figure Out: Sam Houston

On one hand, the Bearkats are clearly more talented in 2026 than they were in 2025. Phil Longo & Co. did a solid job adding talent on both sides of the ball in the portal, quarterback Landyn Locke looks like a legit FBS starter, and Bowers Stadium is once again in operation. Sam Houston did start the season 1-3, but it was a start that caused optimism heading into CUSA play because of close losses to Troy and Tulsa combined with a spirited effort against Texas Tech.

But then Sam Houston started CUSA action against Liberty on Thursday and left Virginia with a humbling 35-3 loss to Liberty. The Flames are the clear conference favorites so maybe that result is more about them than the Bearkats, but it was still a disheartening performance for a team that was trending in the right direction.

Honorable mention: Texas Tech

Team I'm Buying Stock In: Baylor  

The opportunity for a hot start that could cool off Dave Aranda’s seat was always possible. After all, I predicted the Bears to start the season with a 6-3 record before facing a rough three-game stretch of BYU, Texas Tech, and Houston. But even Baylor believers would’ve had a hard time believing how well they’d play through the first five games. Baylor entered its open date with a 4-1 record and the one loss coming by one point against Auburn in Atlanta.

I entered the year believing Baylor was a bowl team. I’m starting to believe that a run at the Big 12 title game isn’t out of the question. The next four are against TCU, Kansas, UCF, and Iowa State. The Bears are probably favored in three of those four games. And the end of the schedule doesn’t look as daunting. BYU and Texas Tech haven’t looked as dominant as many believed they’d be and Houston almost lost to Oregon State and UCF.

Don’t be surprised if Baylor is 7-2 or 8-1 heading into that three-game stretch that will determine who plays for the Big 12 crown.

Honorable mention: UTSA

Team I'm Most Concerned About: TCU

The team total of 6.5 looked insultingly low for the Horned Frogs heading into the season. They won at least eight games in the regular season in three of the four years under Sonny Dykes. They brought in a new offensive coordinator with a track record of building efficient rushing attacks and limiting turnovers – two things TCU desperately needed. And while the loss of Josh Hoover wasn’t ideal, Harvard transfer Jaden Craig was a scheme fit with tons of experience.

But the results haven’t matched the plan. The offense still can’t run the football and they’re turning it over too much. The defense has played well but it hasn’t mattered. The Frogs have lost all three games to Power Four opponents by one possession and haven’t scored more than 13 points in any of those games. They entered the season with Big 12 aspirations. They entered October with Dykes now firmly on the hot seat.

TCU enters Week 7 on a two-game losing streak and on the road against a surging Baylor team. It isn’t shocking that one of the coaches in this game could get fired before the end of the season. But most would’ve thought the coach in danger was on the other sideline.

Honorable mention: Rice

Best Win: Texas over Ohio State, Week 2

Beating the No. 1 team in the country with an epic comeback in front of 100,000 home fans is hard to top. That’s exactly what the Horns did against Ohio State in Week 2 when they entered the fourth quarter trailing 23-3. Texas scored 21 straight in the final 15 minutes, all on drives that were at least 12 plays and 72 yards long.

Honorable mention: Baylor over Arizona State, Week 5

Worst Loss: Texas State against San Diego State, Week 5

The Bobcats had a chance to debut as a Pac-12 program with a road win over one of the preseason favorites. San Diego State was struggling entering the game and had more than 10 starters out with the mumps. Yes, the mumps. The Bobcats led 17-3 to start the second half and looked like they’d coast to a win and into Pac-12 contention.

Instead, the Aztecs outscored them 21-0 in the third quarter and held on for a two-point win that sent the Texas State fan base into a spiral. Texas State outgained SDSU by 326 yards and recorded 21 more first downs in the game and still lost. Turnovers and poor special teams play doomed the Bobcats.

Honorable mention: Texas falls to Oklahoma, Week 6