College football in Texas is really starting to get interesting as conference play ramps up. Week 6 brought some clarity—some teams are thriving, others are falling short of what folks expected back in August.
This post takes a closer look at what stood out across the state. There were some standout performances, a few surprises, and, honestly, a bit of drama.
Texas A&M and Texas Tech: The State’s Best
Texas A&M and Texas Tech are the top dogs in Texas college football right now. Both teams are 5-0 overall and 2-0 in conference—impressive stuff.
Texas A&M’s Dominance
Texas A&M, ranked No. 6 nationally, looked the part with a 31-9 win over Mississippi State. Sophomore running back Rueben Owens II ran for 142 yards on 21 carries, which is no small feat.
KC Concepcion, a junior wide receiver, grabbed two touchdown passes from quarterback Marcel Reed. The Aggies’ defense really showed up in the fourth quarter, tacking on 17 points to put things away. More on their performance here.
Texas Tech’s Unstoppable Run
Texas Tech isn’t making things easy for anyone. They just took down an undefeated Houston squad 35-11, and it wasn’t particularly close.
Quarterback Behren Morton threw for 345 yards and a touchdown. J’Koby Williams rushed for over 100 yards and found the end zone twice. That win pushed Tech into the AP top 10 for the first time since 2013. They’ve won every game so far by at least 24 points, which is wild. Dive deeper into their story here.
The Struggles of the Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns started out as the preseason No. 1 in the AP poll, but things haven’t gone as planned. Their 29-21 loss to an unranked Florida team has really put their season on the edge.
Arch Manning’s Underwhelming Performance
Quarterback Arch Manning is still trying to find his footing. Against Florida, he completed 16 of 29 passes for 263 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
He got sacked six times, and the Longhorns just couldn’t climb out of a 19-7 hole at halftime. Dallas Wilson, Florida’s wide receiver, made it tougher by catching two touchdowns from DJ Lagway.
Future Prospects for the Longhorns
Texas is now just one loss away from falling out of both SEC and College Football Playoff contention. Their next matchup with Oklahoma feels huge—maybe even make-or-break.
Honestly, at this point, even getting to the six wins needed for a bowl game isn’t a given.
Middle-of-the-Pack Texas Teams on the Rise
Some of Texas’ power-conference teams in the middle of the pack picked up big wins this week. It’s helping them get back on track, at least for now.
SMU’s Convincing Victory
SMU had dropped two of their four non-conference games, but they bounced back with a 31-18 win over Syracuse. The Mustangs held off a late push from the Orange—gritty stuff.
TCU’s Comeback Win
TCU fought back from a two-touchdown deficit to beat Colorado 35-21. Quarterback Josh Hoover was everywhere, accounting for five total touchdowns.
This was Colorado’s first trip to Fort Worth since Deion Sanders’ debut there two years ago. That added a little extra spice to the win.
Baylor’s Narrow Escape
Baylor just barely avoided a second conference loss. Connor Hawkins drilled a 53-yard field goal with 31 seconds left to win it.
Jacob Redding’s 66-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter was a game-changer, too.
Group of Five Teams Face Challenges
The state’s top Group of Five team had the week off, but the rest didn’t have much luck. Sam Houston, Texas State, UTSA, and Rice all took losses in Week 6. North Texas and UTEP were both on byes.
North Texas’ Promising Season
North Texas is one of just three undefeated teams left in Texas. It’s their best start since 1959, which is kind of amazing.
If they can win the American Conference championship, maybe—just maybe—they could sneak into the College Football Playoff conversation. Their next big test? A matchup with USF.
Top 10 Teams Struggle Nationwide
This season’s been rough for teams in the top 10. Plenty have stumbled against unranked opponents, which, honestly, no one really saw coming.
Texas fell to Florida, but they weren’t the only ones. No. 7 Penn State lost to a winless UCLA team, which is just wild.
After six weeks, eight top 10 teams have lost to squads outside that elite group. Four of those losses? They came from unranked teams.
It all just makes college football a total rollercoaster this year. You think you’ve got it figured out, then—boom—another upset.
For more in-depth coverage and analysis of Texas college football, visit The Dallas Morning News.
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