1. Houston – Last Week: 2 (8-2)
No Texas team has any relevance in the CFP; the most any Lone Star program can hope for is a prestigious Bowl invite. As they were at the beginning of the season, the Cougars appear poised to finish the year with the highest Texas FBS seeding pending a strong showing against Louisville this weekend. Rumor is, coach Tom Herman is pegged as next year’s UT Longhorns head coach – a position that was apparently the kissing HC’s dream job. Some could argue that the rumors are why the Cougars morale has plummeted since losing two of the last four.
Fact: dolphin life expectancy reduced in captivity. They die from stress and sadness in aquaprisons. #dolphinangels pic.twitter.com/qbZSmkTS5R
— winnie (@Bassrock19) November 14, 2016
Beating Tulane wasn’t anything astounding, but unlike most schools on this list, the roster is relatively healthy; the Cardinals CFP chances are entirely dependent on overcoming the Coogs Saturday. This could be coach Herman’s impressive last stand.
Watching the Rams offense… @AndyRuther #LAvsNYJ #Rams #CaseKeenum pic.twitter.com/gqsqYzxlXm
— Shane Marshall (@ShaneMarshall20) November 13, 2016
2. Texas A&M – Last Week: 1 (7-3)
Just when we thought Kevin Sumlin has overcome his second-half season woes, the Aggies dropped two straight and nosedived down the AP Poll rankings. Losing surprisingly efficient quarterback Trevor Knight to injury didn’t help A&M’s plight. The absence has exposed a lack of recruiting for their flimsy offensive line, and Jake Hubenak isn’t as athletic on the ground. The positive is an impressive recruiting class of 23 hard commits next season, and four the year after that, highlighted by the recent pick up of 4-star Cypress OT Colten Blanton.
How Kevin Sumlin fans see his tenure at A&M. #firesumlin pic.twitter.com/TqNiqlcJtl
— Dunc (@homedefender) November 13, 2016
3. TCU – Last Week: 4 (5-4)
Horned Frogs’ opponent Baylor was selling shirts supporting Art Briles before their matchup Saturday, emblazoned with the hashtag #CAB. The idiocy of it all was exposed when TCU bashed the Bears helmets into the artificial turf 62-22.
#CAB t-shirts selling at tailgate outside McLane Stadium ahead of Baylor-TCU $20 short $25 long sleeve pic.twitter.com/fleGKpykqM
— Tony Adame (@t_adame) November 5, 2016
Now that TCU’s offense is firing on all cylinders, they look like the team everyone assumed they were in preseason polls. The only opponent standing in their way is a tough test against an OSU team better than expected; the Cowboys are currently averaging over 41 points per game.
Kenny Hill with a 🎯 to Desmon White for 38 yards! TCU’s inside the 5-yard line! #BeatBU pic.twitter.com/zidc7QjUrx
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) November 5, 2016
4. UT – Last Week: 3 (5-5)
Apparently Strong’s house has been listed in Austin. Despite impressive showings against quality opponents, the Longhorns are still lackluster at best, and have lost two of their last four – putting Strong at 16-19 career with UT. The bright spot continues to be D’Onta Foreman, who equaled Earl Campbell’s mark of 11 straight games with over 100 yards.
@D33_Foreman #Foreman4Heisman #TexasFast #33 #DontaForeman #RBU #LetsRide #Believe #HookEm #HornsUp pic.twitter.com/m1QCDeUKs5
— Jawaun Lee (@Audi23Jl) November 8, 2016
It’s not that UT is terrible: they’re just at the middle of the Big-12 pack- an accomplishment for some, but a failure for a program ranked number one in revenue with $121.4 million.
Chappelle as Lil Jon repping the #Longhorns again last night on #SNL #HookEm #YEAH #WHAT pic.twitter.com/3Ya21siyAk
— Matt Collins 🤘🐂 (@mattnthehatt) November 14, 2016
Would we even pay attention to the burnt orange this season if their stock wasn’t so high? Or if their merchandise wasn’t brainwashing us from college student clothing or decals placed inconspicuously on the back of cars? Probably not.
However, the Longhorns do have a ton of heart, and credit to Strong’s defensive calls since demoting former coordinator Vance Bedford earlier this season. If anything, he could make his case for dc next year.
.@CoachSumlin did you win we did
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Last week— Chuck F’n Strong (@ChuckFnStrong) November 13, 2016
5. Texas Tech – Last Week: 6 (4-6)
I pity TexasHSFootball.com editor and Red Raiders superfan Hunter Cooke. Each week, he’s subjected to the torture of the Tech program- fantastic offense that teases a small taste of victory, followed abruptly by defense carelessly throwing the game away – keys fumbled through the fingers of a apparently responsible designated driver after sneaking one too many shots while his friends were congregated in the restroom.
my football teams are actively trying to kill me
— Hunter Cooke (@HunterCooke45) November 14, 2016
Our faithful Tech lover even wrote a sad article about how his college will likely miss a bowl game because of their disjointed levels of talent on opposite sides of the field – a ying yang where only one half appears to be winning.
Texas Tech lost again pic.twitter.com/woGY8bZJoa
— Brady Woke (@skippable) November 13, 2016
You can read the depression here. Try not to feel his pain through words typed with slick fingers from wiping away the tears of loss.
Defensive coordinator David Gibbs (no relation to Barry) seems pretty lost too, sacrificing too many total points in his two seasons with Tech to publish on this page.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes continues to impress with 4230 total yards this season – a few hundred shy of his 4653 total yards best last year.
There’s so much today that makes me hopeful BUT STILL pic.twitter.com/D41wJXwIP5
— Hunter Cooke (@HunterCooke45) November 13, 2016
6. Baylor – Last Week: 5 (6-3)
7. SMU – Last Week: 8 (5-5)
8. UTSA – Last Week: 7 (5-5)
9. UNT – Last Week: 9 (4-6)
10. UTEP – Last Week: 10 (3-7)
11. Texas State – Last Week: 11 (2-7)
12. Rice – Last Week: 12 (2-8)