College Football Watching Guide: Houston and SMU both kick things off on Friday

By Jim Klenke

Share or Save for Later

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Save to Favorites

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football is taking you through all the matchups you need to watch in Week 7 of the college football season. 

Friday Window

Marquee Game: Houston vs. BYU, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN

The Cougars play their second game of the year on Friday night and it will be an interesting test. BYU has ascended to No. 15 in the AP Top 25, but have yet to play a team even close to Houston’s quality. Houston got off to a slow start against Tulane, but still managed to win by three scores. 

Once Houston got things going, the Cougars looked like a legitimate conference championship contender. If UH can beat BYU in a fight of Cougars, Houston will likely enter the AP Top 25 next week. It should be a good opportunity to quickly build some national credibility. 

Second Screen: SMU at Tulane, 5 p.m. on ESPN

Anytime you can watch SMU’s offense, you should do it. Luckily, the Houston game happens right after this matchup, so you can watch both. It will be interesting to see how SMU adjusts to losing starters TJ McDaniel and Reggie Roberson, so keep an eye on who quickly steps up. 

Early Window

Marquee Game: UTSA vs. Army, 12:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network

If there’s one thing we have learned about UTSA at this point, it’s that the Roadrunners will never back down. BYU beat its first three opponents by 41 points per game, but the Roadrunners kept it to a tight seven points. 

Now, the Roadrunners are heading into a game against Army, a team that beat them handily last season after the offense struggled. It’s been very impressive to watch UTSA compete in all these games against seemingly better opponents – now let’s see them win one. 

Other Game:

  • Texas State at South Alabama, 11 a.m. on ESPNU: The Bobcats lost control of a game for the first time last week against Troy and are running out of time to get things on track. If Texas State loses to South Alabama, suddenly the Bobcats are in disaster mode. 

Afternoon Window

Marquee Game: Texas A&M at Mississippi State, 3 p.m. on ESPN

Texas A&M picked up its biggest win in two seasons after beating No. 4 Florida and we will be watching closely to see whether the Aggies are ready to push that production forward. The Bulldogs have a strong defensive front, but Texas A&M is playing with incredible confidence. 

Of course, this game also has some fun off-field draws. Mike Leach is set to face off against the Aggies for the first time since leaving Texas Tech in the Big 12. The Bulldogs went from 600 passing yards against LSU to zero offensive points against Kentucky. Anything can happen. 

Other Game: 

  • North Texas at Middle Tennessee, 4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network: The Mean Green have been dismal in the first several weeks of the season and now play one of the worst teams in America. Can they finally pick up an FBS win? 

Evening Window

Marquee Game: UTEP vs. Southern Miss, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2

Heading into the season, it would have been hard to believe that UTEP would have three wins and would have been competitive against La. Tech on the road. Now, the Miners have a game against a similar-level conference opponent to prove themselves. 

Southern Miss has a dynamic offense with quarterback Jack Abraham and dynamic young coach Scotty Walden. However, UTEP has proven recently that it has an explosive offense of its own with Jacob Cowing and Deion Hankins. This should be an exceptionally fun watch.

This article is available to our Digital Subscribers.
Click "Subscribe Now" to see a list of subscription offers.
Already a Subscriber? Sign In to access this content.

Sign In
Don't Miss Any Exclusive Coverage!

We've been the Bible of Texas football fans for 64 years. By joining the DCTF family you'll gain access to all of our exclusive content and have our magazines mailed to you!