Not since conjuring the solemn duty of quantifying the Best in Texas more than a decade ago has yours truly witnessed a season quite like this one, when four Lone Star teams could earn conference title game berths in the same week. How about that? Maybe we really could secede.<\/p>\n
Texas A&M, Texas Tech, SMU and North Texas could each clinch in the final game of the regular season, and, frankly, I like their chances.<\/p>\n
The Aggies face the stiffest test Friday in Austin, where the Longhorns seem to have recovered from their trip to Georgia. In a dominant win over Arkansas, Arch Manning became the first player in Texas\u2019 long history to catch, throw and run for a touchdown in the same game, accounting for a half-dozen in all. And even that wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cI left a lot out there,\u201d Manning said.<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll need everything he\u2019s got against the Aggies, who look like a team of destiny for the first time in decades.<\/p>\n
Mike Elko doesn\u2019t like talking about the past, even if he\u2019s the one stirring it up. Of course, what really bothers him is recent history, like last year, when a loss to Texas in College Station officially eliminated the Aggies from the Southeastern Conference title game.<\/p>\n
Texas could make it hard on A&M to get to Atlanta this year, too. A loss would not only spoil the Aggies\u2019 perfect season, they\u2019d need help from Auburn and Mississippi State against Alabama and Ole Miss, respectively. Doesn\u2019t seem likely, but rivalry games often defy science.<\/p>\n
Tech, SMU and UNT have easier paths to their league championship games. SMU needed help and got it Saturday from Pitt\u2019s upset of Georgia Tech. Win, and the Mustangs are in. Same goes for the Red Raiders and Mean Green.<\/p>\n
Related<\/p>\n
Like A&M, Tech is positioning itself for more than just a conference title. The Red Raiders, fifth in the last College Football Playoff rankings, are this close to a first-round bye in the playoffs. Tech is \u201chighly regarded\u201d by the committee, chairman Hunter Yurachek said last week. A win in Morgantown, W.Va., and a loss by the Aggies probably moves them into the top four.<\/p>\n
Aggies one win away from first undefeated regular season since 1994. <\/p>\n
Last: 48-0 win over Samford. <\/p>\n
Next: at Texas on Friday.<\/p>\n
One more win, and Red Raiders clinch first Big 12 title game appearance. <\/p>\n
Last: idle. <\/p>\n
Next: at West Virginia on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Arch Manning throws for four TDs, runs one in, catches another TD. <\/p>\n
Last: 52-37 win over Arkansas. <\/p>\n
Next: Texas A&M on Friday. <\/p>\n
Finish November sweep, and Mustangs make Atlantic Coast Conference title game for second straight year. <\/p>\n
Last: 38-6 win over Louisville. <\/p>\n
Next: at Cal on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Mean Green\u2019s 68 TDs on season break school record of 64, set in 1951. <\/p>\n
Last: 56-24 win over Rice. <\/p>\n
Next: Temple on Friday. <\/p>\n
Horned Frogs get first road win over ranked team since 2022. <\/p>\n
Last: 17-14 win over Houston. <\/p>\n
Next: at Cincinnati on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Coogs miss potential game-tying 38-yard FG in final minute. <\/p>\n
Last: 17-14 loss to TCU. <\/p>\n
Next: at Baylor on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Getting rid of athletic director apparently enough for Bears. <\/p>\n
Last: 41-17 loss to Arizona. <\/p>\n
Next: Houston on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Roadrunners aim for season-first three-game winning streak. <\/p>\n
Last: 58-24 win over East Carolina. <\/p>\n
Next: Army on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Bobcats\u2019 late-season correction gives them shot at bowl eligibility. <\/p>\n
Last: 31-14 win over Louisiana-Monroe. <\/p>\n
Next: South Alabama on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Not looking like Owls will be bowling. <\/p>\n
Last: 56-24 loss to UNT. <\/p>\n
Next: at South Florida on Saturday.<\/p>\n
In Battle of Interstate 10\u2019s 102nd rendition, Miners lose in final minute. <\/p>\n
Last: 34-31 loss to New Mexico State. <\/p>\n
Next: at Delaware on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Bearkats\u2019 winning streak over at two. <\/p>\n
Last: 31-17 loss to Middle Tennessee. <\/p>\n
Next: Florida International on Saturday. <\/p>\n
The Best in Texas is an exciting and competitive conference, with several teams vying for the top spot. Texas A&M, Texas Tech, SMU, and North Texas are all in contention for conference title game berths, and their upcoming games will be crucial in determining the final standings.<\/p>\n
The Red Raiders are positioning themselves for more than just a conference title, with a potential first-round bye in the playoffs on the line. Meanwhile, the Aggies are looking to complete their first undefeated regular season since 1994.<\/p>\n
With so much at stake, the final games of the regular season are sure to be thrilling. Will the Aggies be able to overcome the Longhorns and secure their spot in the conference title game? Can the Red Raiders keep their momentum going and earn a first-round<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to the Best in Texas Not since conjuring the solemn duty of quantifying the Best in Texas more than a decade ago has yours truly witnessed a season quite like this one, when four Lone Star teams could earn conference title game berths in the same week. How about that? Maybe we really could […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":17660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17658","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/5IWPKN5PTVDF5HEJRNDQMNI5JY.jpg?auth=ea96647bc249289be31755191974cf599492f6ef1abc77488527a95a816747df&quality=80&width=1200&height=630&smart=true","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17658"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17658"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17661,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17658\/revisions\/17661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}