Who runs this state? The Dave Campbell's Texas Football staff gives their power rankings of the 12 FBS college football teams in Texas. In this subscriber-only piece, we'll give you detailed insight into our rankings. 

In Week 8, the top team fell off its pedestal for the first time and a new 12th team entered the College Power Poll. 

Note: Teams are measured against the overall strength of their conference. Only teams that have played are ranked.

1. Texas A&M Aggies (+1)

Record: 3-1
Previous: Bye
Next: vs. Arkansas

The Aggies had a bye week, but have the best win in the state of Texas and move up after SMU’s loss. 

2. SMU Mustangs (-1)

Record: 5-1
Previous: 42-13 loss to Cincinnati
Next: vs. Navy

For as good as SMU looked against Memphis, it looked equally bad against Cincinnati. Quarterback Shane Buechele struggled to find his touch downfield, the defense had some unforgivable lapses and the receivers dropped countless balls. Granted, the Bearcats are a top 10 team with a roster filled with NFL players on defense. Still, the no-show was far less than we expected. 

3. Houston Cougars (-)

Record: 2-1
Previous: 37-21 win over Navy
Next: vs. UCF

Houston made some mistakes in a big win over Navy, but beating a difficult service academy with an option attack on the road is always a quality win. Clayton Tune still looks the part, completing 66.3 percent of passes for 945 yards and seven touchdowns in just three games. 

4. UTSA Roadrunners (-)

Record: 4-3
Previous: 27-26 win over Louisiana Tech
Next: at FAU

The Roadrunners used some huge plays by Sincere McCormick in the fourth quarter to pull together yet another win. If one thing is certain, no team fights harder or gets the most of its talent more than UTSA. Suddenly, Conference USA looks appetizing. 

5. TCU Horned Frogs (-)

Record: 1-3
Previous: 33-14 loss to Oklahoma
Next: at Baylor

TCU is a disaster offensively and the defense even looked far less special once Noah Daniels went out, potentially for the season. How much is it really fair to expect from Max Duggan if he can’t get any help from the line and playcalling? 

6. UTEP Miners (-)

Record: 3-3
Previous: 38-28 loss to Charlotte
Next: vs. North Texas

The Miners easily played well enough to beat Charlotte on the road, but two horrible interceptions and a fumble gave the 49ers enough space to win. UTEP is winless in the Eastern Time Zone all-time. Still, competing hard on the road against solid C-USA teams is positive confirmation.

7. Texas Longhorns (+1)

Record: 3-2
Previous: 27-16 win over Baylor
Next: at Oklahoma State

Texas’ prolific offense was largely contained, but three big pass plays were enough to beat Baylor. It was big for this team to lean on the run game for most of the afternoon, but the defense needs to maintain this level heading forward for the Longhorns to move up in the rankings. 

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (+2)

Record: 2-3
Previous: 34-27 win over West Virginia
Next: vs. Oklahoma

Henry Colombi was a revelation against the nation’s No. 1 defense, West Virginia. He made just enough plays to keep the ball moving down the field and to keep the defense on the sideline. Could this be a new leaf for Matt Wells’ Texas Tech team? We’ll find out next Saturday against Oklahoma. 

9. Baylor Bears (-2)

Record: 1-2
Previous: 27-16 loss to Texas
Next: vs. TCU

It’s not a surprise that Baylor was a mess after missing a full week of practice, but getting a feel for this team is difficult. The defense looks like it has the chance to be special, but the offense simply can’t create opportunities down the field. Can the offense get better? That question will determine Baylor’s ceiling. 

10. Rice Owls (NEW)

Record: 0-1
Previous: 40-34 loss to Middle Tennessee
Next: at Southern Miss

Doink. Doink. Doink. Doink. We’ve never seen anything like the field goal that cost Rice the game, but it doesn’t bother us all that much with Rice coming back into its first game. 

11. North Texas Mean Green (-2)

Record: 2-3
Previous: Bye
Next: at UTEP

The Mean Green had an off week and is set to enter the home stretch of the 2020 regular season. Wins over UTEP and Louisiana Tech over the next two weeks could change everything. 

12. Texas State Bobcats (-1)

Record: 1-6
Previous: 52-14 loss to BYU
Next: vs. Louisiana

The Bobcats were completely and totally outclassed against the Cougars. Brady McBride had some nice moments, but there’s nothing to be optimistic about after the game.