SAN ANTONIO — We're 11 weeks into the college football season and it seems like things are just getting started.
November is when things really start to get fun. The College Football Playoff is taking shape and bowl committees are having vital conversations as you read this. It all has my full attention!
But enough about all that, let’s roll around the Great State of Texas and check out the college football happenings from last weekend...
UTSA
The Roadrunners were on their bye week, and just after they found some momentum with the Week 9 win over Memphis. How unfair is that?
North Texas comes in Friday night and the Mean Green arrive wounded, having lost at home to Army last week 14-3. But then, the Black Knights are the best team in the conference and they’ve ruined plenty of opponents' days so far this season. Eric Morris’s team can score at times and we don’t love their defense, so I’m leaning towards a Roadrunner win this week.
That would mark – wait for it – their first two-game win streak of the season. Wouldn’t that be nice? UTSA can still get to six or seven regular-season wins, and I expect that to happen over their final matchups. I’d lean towards six wins before seven, but hey, anything goes in sports.
And don’t ask Head coach Jeff Traylor this week about playing on Friday night. He’s made his feelings about that more than clear: Friday nights should be reserved for the high school kids, with college ball for the weekend. He might be even more annoyed than usual, this being the opening weekend of the Texas high school football playoff season.
You can only play the schedule you’re given, but he doesn’t like it. #BirdsUp
Texas
The Florida Gators can always make things great in your world. QB Quinn Ewers was nothing short of great Saturday, connecting on 19 of 27 passes for 333 yards and five touchdown passes. Is he back in the Heisman race yet?
Texas improved to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play with an 11 a.m. kickoff at at Arkansas on Saturday. The ‘Hogs (5-4) aren’t great, but they’re not terrible either. You’ve heard my SEC thoughts on just how good even those middle-of-the-road SEC teams are. Texas cannot turn in any middle-of-the-road efforts this week. The A-game will be required to get out of Fayetteville, Arkansas, on the winning side.
The Longhorns are still booked for the CFP, pending the results of their regular-season stretch run. They are home with Kentucky after the road trip to Arkansas as the clock continues ticking down to their much-anticipated showdown with the Aggies the week after than. Can’t wait. #HookEm
Texas A&M
The Aggies have had some time to think about losing 44-20 at South Carolina almost two weeks ago.
That was ugly. That was A&M (7-2) buying stock in the oversold-and-underdeliver world in which they’ve lived better than most. I hope for their sake that was a one-week "bye."
Now, suddenly, the get-right game the Aggies need is right in front of them with New Mexico State (2-7) visiting College Station this weekend, in an Aggies vs. Aggies showdown. The Texas A&M Aggies are nearly 40-point favorites and should take out some frustration on the visiting Aggies. Everybody will need to be better across the board, and I’m looking to see some highlight plays from QB Marcel Reed.
After that, they finish with Auburn – another game they should win – before turning the 12th Man world's focus turns to the date everybody has circled on the calendar: that Nov. 30 showdown with Texas. #GigEm
Texas Tech
They played a great first half. They played a not-so-great second half.
And Colorado has been a second-half team this season. That narrative played out Saturday afternoon in Lubbock as they Buffs outscored the Red Raiders 31-14 in the third and fourth quarters.
The game was a huge opportunity for TTU to build on its momentum, having stunned Iowa State in Ames in the week prior. But it was another shortfall that fans in West Texas have become all too familiar with over the years. And Coach Prime wasn’t amused afterwards, even with the win, sending his bunch to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in Big 12 play. Colorado's head coach was cool, apparently, with tortillas being tossed at the CU sideline (a rich Texas Tech tradition), but took some exception with water bottles and "other objects" (his words) being tossed onto the field over the course of the game.
The Red Raiders are 6-4 and well on the outside looking in for any slice of the BIG 12 Championship at this point. They’ll need to win out over Oklahoma State and West Virginia and get all kinds of help in the process. Long odds, to say the least. #WreckEm
Incarnate Word
The Cardinals are celebrating after back-to-back dominant performances over Houston Christian and Lamar as they improved to 8-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in Southland Conference play.
They play at Stephen F. Austin (6-4) this weekend, which is never an easy assignment. Then it's East Texas A&M (which I’m fairly certain I’d never heard of before, in my entire my human existence, until writing this very line) the week after that.
They certainly have strong prospects of finishing the regular season with 10 wins and no losses in league play. The word on campus is that they’d likely host an opening-round FCS playoff game, and maybe even two. The UIW athletic department has put in host bids for that prospect, I’m told. We’ll see what happens with all that. They’re in a good place, regardless. #TheWord
Other observations...
Texas State can become bowl-eligible this weekend with a home win over Southern Miss, and I expect that will happen. Baylor had the week off last week and can become bowl-eligible themselves with a road win at West Virginia.
TCU, meanwhile, is already bowl-eligible, having locked down six wins to this point. They get this week off before hosting Arizona in Week 13. And if you didn’t see it coming, you can watch it unfold before your very eyes: The Houston Cougars are gunning for a third straight win Friday night at Arizona.
