Believe it or not, each of the 13 FBS programs in the state of Texas have played 33 percent of their regular season schedules. The bad news is that college football is racing by for those teams not destined for the College Football Playoff. The good news is that Week 4 provided us with truth serum for a lot of the programs within our borders.

For example, the No. 1 ranked Longhorns are flawed but resilient, which they proved again with a road win over Tennessee. Texas A&M doesn’t have a CFP ceiling with Marcel Reed at quarterback and a secondary that can’t cover, or tackle. Speaking of ceiling, Texas Tech continued to look unimpressive in wins over overmatched opponents.

We also learned some hard truths about TCU and UTEP after losses. The Horned Frogs planned to be in Big 12 contention come November. Instead, they look out of the race by the start of October. And while expectations were already relatively low in El Paso, the performance against Oregon State at home felt like rock bottom.

Here are my 10 thoughts from Week 4 as we ponder the happenings across the state.

Steve Sarkisian should’ve fired more coordinators

Texas’ head coach made a difficult, and surprising, decision to fire defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski in the offseason. He didn’t feel like the bend-but-don’t-break style was the right fit for the talented players on the Forty Acres. That decision has proven to be the correct one.  

New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has the Horns defense looking dominant through four games. The Longhorns registered 10 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in the win over Tennessee. The Vols marched 60 yards on nine plays and hit a field goal on their first drive. They punted on seven of the next nine drives. The other two possessions ended in turnover on downs.

But as dominant as the defense was, the Texas offense was equally pedestrian. The Horns went 3-and-out on six of their 12 offensive drives. Another ended in an interception. Arch Manning was inconsistent and told Holly Rowe after the game that he didn’t play well. The run game was non-existent, averaging 1.7 yards a carry. And Manning was sacked six times.

Sarkisian was right to replace Kwiatkowski with Muschamp. That was an upgrade. But he shouldn’t have stopped there. The offensive staff needs a shakeup, whether that’s a new play caller and/or a new offensive line coach. When is the last time Texas ran the ball consistently in a big game? When is the last time Manning played well for more than half a game?

Jeff Banks’ special team units didn’t cover itself in glory, either. Tennessee tied it at 10 early in the third quarter with a 57-yard punt return. It was the Vols’ only touchdown until 1:22 left in the game.

The Longhorns played like a team without a head coach, and that could be because he’s the offensive coordinator. Ryan Day gave up play calling the year Ohio State won a national championship. Kirby Smart doesn’t call his defense. Even Lane Kiffin has a real offensive coordinator. A play calling head coach hasn’t won a national title since Jimbo Fisher in 2014.

Texas is insanely talented. Pro scouts swear that Manning is a first-round talent. Ryan Wingo looks like a 5-star. The Horns splashed big in the portal on Cam Coleman, Raleek Brown, and Hollywood Smothers. The offensive line was also replenished. But watching the Texas offense leaves you wanting.

Texas won on the road against a Top 15 team and shouldn’t apologize for it. But there is something off offensively. It was obvious for three quarters against Ohio State. And it was clear after the first drive against Tennessee. Sarkisian, and Sarkisian alone, needs to find the solution. But maybe that is the problem.  

Mike Elko faces a QB decision

The downside of the 12-team playoff for programs at Texas A&M’s level is that every season is playoff or bust. With the Aggies 0-2 to start SEC play after a blowout loss at LSU in Week 4, the 2026 season has gone bust. They’re now 1-4 in its the five games against P4 competition.

This isn’t a good football team. And there isn’t much reason to believe that it can become one. That’s because quarterback Marcel Reed is not good enough. Sometimes it is that easy. That’s not to say the only issues with the Aggies are at quarterback. The defense isn’t up to Elko’s standards, either, but even if the Wrecking Crew improves, the quarterback play won’t allow it to matter.  

Texas A&M is back home against Arkansas next week and Elko should give serious thought to starting backup quarterback Brady Hart. Not just to help the 2026 Aggies, but to see if Hart can be the man for 2027.

Texas A&M has too many resources and is too talented across the board to allow the quarterback position to hold them back to this extent. Find out if Hart is the future, and if he’s not ready yet, start researching portal quarterbacks.

Just look at Oklahoma. The Sooners boast a championship level defense but they bet on John Mateer’s evolution and its cost them dearly. Both Texas A&M and Oklahoma made the CFP last year, so it is hard to blame either for rocking the boat at quarterback, but the Aggies won’t be playing meaningful football after Thanksgiving this year.

If they want to avoid that fate again in 2027, it is time to move on at QB. Arkansas provides a perfect soft launch for a redshirt freshman quarterback. Elko said after the game that he isn’t considering a quarterback change, however.

TCU doesn’t look like a bowl team  

A recent report by The Athletic suggested that TCU has the second or third most expensive roster in the Big 12. If true, the Horned Frogs are not getting their money’s worth.

They dropped to 2-2 on the season with BYU in town next week. Lose that one and Sonny Dykes’ squad is 2-3 heading into their open week with a trip to Baylor looming. The schedule still includes an improved West Virginia team, a trip to Arizona, and Big 12 favorites Texas Tech and Utah.

The idea that the offense would be improved with a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback were dashed in the Week 0 loss to North Carolina. The belief that this team could get off the mat and compete for a spot in the Big 12 Championship game ended with the road loss to UCF in Week 4.

Hiring Gordon Sammis was a smart move on paper. TCU struggled to run the ball and committed too many turnovers when OC Kendal Briles and QB Josh Hoover were in Fort Worth. Sammis was the antitheses of that, leading UConn offenses that ran the ball consistently and rarely turned the ball over.

But so far, his offense looks a lot like the previous TCU offenses. The Frogs can’t run the ball and they give it to the other team too often. They averaged 1.2 yards a rush against UCF. It was 2.4 when sack adjusted. They turned the ball over four times, including a fumble on the opening possession and an interception on the last one.

The problem is personnel. The offensive line isn’t built to run the wide zone. UCF defenders were knifing into the TCU backfield at will, recording eight tackles for loss. Craig, a Harvard transfer, looks like an Ivy League quarterback cosplaying as a P4 player. He was 25 of 40 and threw for zero touchdowns to two interceptions.

Dykes said before the year that his team should be playing in meaningful games during December and that the issue over the past couple of seasons was losing to teams they shouldn’t lose to. Four games into the season, his Frogs have lost two games as favorites.

Not good. These losses fall on the shoulders of the head coach because they’ve become a trend. TCU has now lost as a favorite nine times since the start of 2023. Turnovers, penalties, and poor situational play reflect on the head man when the players and coordinators change but the issues don’t.

The Red Raiders aren’t what they were

Texas Tech in 2025 was a wagon. The 2026 version is an enigma. That was amplified in the up-and-down performance against Sam Houston.

The Red Raiders only led 21-14 at the break despite two pick-sixes by linebacker Austin Romaine. Take those away, and Sam Houston outscored them in the first half. Will Hammond threw three picks. The offensive line couldn’t get a push. Sam Houston outgained Tech, 112-11, in the second quarter while holding the ball for 9:15 of the full 15.

Then the second half happened. The Red Raiders snapped out of it and outscored the overmatched Bearkats, 28-0, over the final 30 minutes. It was as dominant as they’ve looked for any stretch all years. Tech outgained Sam Houston, 269-83, and registered 15 first downs while only allowing five.

We saw vulnerabilities in Tech during wins over Oregon State and Houston. We saw more in the win over Sam Houston. By Week 4 of last season, the Red Raiders were clearly the class of the Big 12 and a Top 10 team. This year’s squad doesn’t give off the same vibes.

Tech entered the season as THE Big 12 favorite. But they’re simply not as talented and the quarterback play is too inconsistent to consider them as any more than A favorite.

SMU plays with its food...again

For the second time in four weeks, SMU let an inferior opponent hang around far longer than they deserved. It was Florida State on the road in Week 1. It was Missouri State, and former offensive coordinator Casey Woods, in Week 4.

The Mustangs turned the ball over twice and committed 12 penalties. They trailed 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. Missouri State had the ball and a chance to take the lead well into the fourth quarter. Which is crazy because SMU outgained the Bears by 353 yards and recorded more than double the amount of first downs.

The inefficiency of the SMU offense is visible on the drive chart. Rhett Lashlee’s offense didn’t punt until 10:40 left in the game, but they only had 21 points at the time. That’s because of a turnover on downs, two turnovers, and a couple of missed field goals. They scored touchdowns on the last two possessions to push the margin of victory to a respectable 10 points.

Luckily for the Mustangs, AP voters don’t watch games like SMU vs. Missouri State in primetime. People will look at the score, shrug their shoulders, and put SMU in the Top 25 heading into Week 5. And while we agree that the Mustangs at their best are a Top 25 team, they haven’t played like one deserving of that type of recognition in the two wins over FBS programs this season.

Baylor wins with…defense?

Baylor hired Dave Aranda with the idea that his teams would always play great defense. That was true in 2021. It hasn’t been for most of the other years. Aranda has cycle through defensive coordinators, including himself. Joe Klanderman became the fourth defensive play caller at Baylor since Aranda arrived in 2020. And he looks like the best one yet.   

The defense kept the Bears in it during the Week 1 loss to Auburn. That unit did the bulk of the work in the Week 4 win over Colorado to push Baylor to 3-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play. Klanderman’s group only allowed three points on Colorado’s first 10 drives, forcing seven punts and a turnover on downs during that stretch.

Baylor was 15th out of 16 in the Big 12 in scoring defense last year while allowing 32.6 points a game. The defense was 11th in scoring in 2024 and dead last in the conference in 2023. The Bears were fifth in scoring defense at 13 points per game entering Week 4. They allowed their average in the win over Colorado.

It’s too early to call Baylor a Big 12 contender. After all, that Colorado team stinks. But it is interesting that the defense looks like the strength of the team so far. Baylor spent more money on defense in the portal and those investments are paying off, as is the hire of Klanderman. QB D.J. Lagway’s addition brought in the headlines in the offseason, but it was Klanderman’s arrival that has made the bigger impact thus far.

UTSA’s offense is electric

The Roadrunners trailed 14-0 before Colorado State had run two offensive plays. That’s because the Rams returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and then hit a 74-yard touchdown pass on their first official play from scrimmage. UTSA is usually excellent at defending the Alamodome. But on Saturday, Colorado State ambushed them.

The saving grace for Jeff Traylor’s team is that 14 points is not a big deficit for this offense. Will Henderson and Brandon High Jr. have formed one of the best running back duos in the entire G6 and the Roadrunners are an American Conference favorite because of what they bring to the offense.  The duo combined for 165 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries.

The running game makes life easier for Owen McCown and the passing attack. He completed 20 of 30 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns. The offense didn’t turn the ball over and scored a touchdown on five of its first six possessions. The other ended in a missed field goal. UTSA had four different drives last at least 10 plays and averaged 40 yards a drive.

Rick Bowie was in his bag.

Sam Houston is most improved team in Texas

Bearkat fans shouldn’t let a disappointing second half dampen the excitement heading into Conference USA play. It feels weird to type about a team that ended the non-conference section of the schedule at 1-3, but few teams in the state have impressed me more than Sam Houston.

Phil Longo’s crew is clearly the most improved team in Texas. They were horrid last year. They’re more than competent in Year 2.

Sam Houston’s defense only allowed seven points in the first half. QB Landyn Locke outplayed Texas Tech’s Will Hammond. The Bearkats went into halftime with a legit chance to win the game. Those are all bright spots for a program that couldn’t find any last year.

Sam Houston is a dark horse candidate in a wide-open CUSA. The Bearkats are idle next weekend but start conference play with Liberty and Western Kentucky, so we’ll know how far they’ve climbed up the CUSA ladder by mid-October.

Blue Blaze snuffed

The UTEP offense was unwatchable for most of the 33-7 loss at home to Oregon State. And not just because the game was streaming on the Mountain West Conference streaming channel. The Miners were shutout in the first half for the second time in four games, gaining just 36 yards of total offense in the first half. They committed 54 yards worth of penalties by the break.

The offensive line continues to be the problem. UTEP averaged 3.6 yards a rush when adjusted for sack yardage. Poor EJ Colson was running for his life when he tried to pass. He was sacked seven times and Oregon State recorded nine tackles for loss.

Scotty Walden was hired because he scored points and won games while in charge of Austin Peay. And while his energy was needed in El Paso, fans would rather have points and wins. UTEP went 3-and-out in four of its first five drives. The other one lasted six plays and went 13 yards.

Owls clipped on road

Rice was outscored 24-7 in the second half on the road against Fresno State. QB Jacurri Brown continues to be a bright spot, rushing for 141 yards, passing for 119 more, and scoring two of the Owls’ three touchdowns. But the defense allowed 459 yards and 22 first downs.

Scott Abell’s team looks more talented than it did last year, though the record doesn’t indicate any progression. Rice faced a tough non-conference schedule that included Notre Dame and Western Michigan ahead of the trip to California to face a Fresno State team that could contend in the Pac-12.

Unfortunately, the conference draw is also unfavorable. The Owls start American play next week at home against UTSA and then head to East Carolina. Rice will be an underdog in each of its last eight games of the season. A 1-11 record is on the table.

FBS Scores

Texas 20, Tennessee 17
Texas Tech 49, Sam Houston 14
Baylor 23, Colorado 13
UTSA 59, Colorado State 45
Houston 42, Georgia Southern 28
UCF 21, TCU 13
Texas State 63, Incarnate Word 10
North Texas 63, Houston Christian 14
LSU 35, Texas A&M 6
Oregon State 33, UTEP 7
SMU 34, Missouri State 24
Fresno State 38, Rice 24