Week 10 proved fruitful for the conference contenders within the Texas borders. TCU stayed perfect in an ugly win over Texas Tech. Baylor and Texas remained in the Big 12 hunt with important victories. North Texas and UTSA won to stay atop the Conference USA standings. Here are 10 thoughts from the Lone Star State following Week 10. 

1. Survive and advance for TCU: The math is simple for TCU. Win out, including a victory in the Big 12 championship game, and the Horned Frogs will reach the College Football Playoff. Lose once along the way, and all hopes are gone for Sonny Dykes’ crew. That’s life in a four-team playoff as a member of the Big 12. The Big 10 gets one spot, as does the SEC. Another is reserved for Clemson if the Tigers go undefeated. That only leaves one spot, and the only way TCU gets it over the second place SEC team, or a one-loss USC, is to remain perfect. 

The offense struggled for most of 34-24 win over Texas Tech. Garrett Riley’s offense didn’t score an offensive touchdown until the fourth quarter. Kendre Miller, who ended up topping the 100-yard mark for the sixth time in seven games, was forced to fight for every single yard. The unit only managed 132 passing yards and 3.7 yards per rush in the first half. The group settled for two short field goals during that span. 

The passing attack suffered without Quentin Johnston in the game, who was sidelined with injury after the first drive. Max Duggan was 12 of 23 for 195 yards and two touchdowns to zero interceptions. Only two players – Taye Barber and Derius Davis – caught more than one pass. Barber was the only receiver with over 40 yards receiving. Miller led the way with 158 yards on the ground thanks to a 50-yard run in the second half. He scored a touchdown in his 10th consecutive contest, which is second in school history behind LaDainian Tomlinson. 

TCU would’ve lost this game in 2021 because its defense wouldn’t have played well for long enough for the offense to find its footing. The offensive improvements under Dykes’ staff get a ton of credit, but the improvements on the other side of the football shouldn’t go unnoticed. The run defense was especially atrocious last year with the unit allowing 220 yards per game and 5.8 yards per rush. Joe Gillespie was hired to install an odd-man front that put more big bodies in the trenches. 

The change is working. TCU allowed 35 points per game in 2021. That number is below 27 points per game in 2022 following the win over Texas Tech. The Red Raiders scored a late touchdown with the game out of reach, but before that, TCU only allowed 17 points despite its offense failing to control the ball and stay on the field. Texas Tech quarterbacks combined to go 16 of 32 for 163 yards through the air, including one interception. The rushing attack averaged fewer than five yards per carry and the defensive unit registered four sacks. 

2. Longhorns pass another test: The 2022 season was about growing up for Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns. They proved capable of playing a dominant four quarters in a blowout win over Oklahoma. They won a dogfight at home the following week against an Iowa State program that tends to land the last punch against the Longhorns. And in Week 10, Texas won a road game against a quality opponent for the first time under Sarkisian. 

Texas was 1-6 in true road games entering the Kansas State game. The lone win was over TCU in 2021. A Horned Frogs team that fired their coach before the end of the season.  The win over Kansas State wasn’t exactly convincing because Texas showed the second-half cracks that doomed them five previous times with double-digit second half leads in the first 20 games under Sark. But the defense made one big play late in the game to seal the victory and slay another dragon in the process. 

3. Baylor remains in the hunt: The Bears were left for dead following a road loss to West Virginia back on Oct. 13. They gave up over 30 points for the second straight week after not doing so for the previous 18 games. The loss to the Mountaineers was the second in a row and the third of the season. Dave Aranda likes taking the hard path. It is part of his life philosophy. His Bears also embraced the difficult path, and now they are on a three-game winning streak following a three-point victory on the road against Oklahoma. The offensive line looks like the dominant unit we expected before the season. The Bears close with the Big 12 elite, which allows them to somewhat control their own destiny. Next up is a home game against Kansas State, followed by a trip to TCU for the 118th meeting with the Horned Frogs. Baylor closes at home against Texas. 

4. Sick in College Station: The 30-plus football players out with Flu symptoms weren’t the only Aggies feeling ill after a home loss to Florida. The offense – without quarterback Conner Weigman – raced out to a season high 24 first half points before getting blanked in the final two quarters. The defense allowed over 40 points for the second time in conference play and more than 30 for the third game in a row. Texas A&M is 3-6 and head to Auburn in Week 11 on a five-game losing streak. One more loss and the Aggies miss a bowl game for the first time under Jimbo Fisher. 

5. Back to the drawing board for Texas Tech: The home win over Texas probably provided Texas Tech and its fan base false hopes for the 2022 campaign. This was a rebuilding project for Joey McGuire and his staff, especially along the offensive line. The lack of consistency up front limits the Zach Kittley offense. They can’t keep a quarterback healthy, and there isn’t enough protection to call drop-back passes in obvious passing situations. The Red Raiders ran the ball on third-and-long multiple times to avoid putting Behren Morton or Tyler Shough in harm’s way. Morton was 7 of 10 before exiting with a lower leg injury late in the first half. Shough was 9 of 22 for 84 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in relief. 

The game plan kept Texas Tech in the game early, as the offense relied on the two-headed running back monster of Sarodorick Thompson and Tahj Brooks. Tech ran 33 plays in the first half – 22 were on the ground. Only 17 of the team’s 38 second-half plays were runs. And that was trending true before TCU built a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. 

Kittley went away from the running game early in the second half, including running three straight pass plays to begin the first possession of the third quarter. That resulted in a three-and-out and a punt. Texas Tech had the ball up four with a chance to put real pressure on a struggling TCU offense but failed to capitalize each time due to an inconsistent passing attack.  

6. Houston, SMU should ‘fight forever’:  When two exciting, perfectly matched opponents match moves in professional wrestling the crowd chants “fight forever” in the closing moments. That’s how I felt watching SMU and Houston exchange haymakers for four quarters on the Hilltop. The Mustangs scored 56 points in the first half. Houston accounted for 35. The two hit the over (76.5) by over two touchdowns by the start of the third quarter. Tanner Mordecai threw nine touchdowns for SMU. Clayton Tune threw seven scores, but his three interceptions were the difference in the game. He accounted for 638 yards of total offense. 

The Houston vs. Dallas battle is always fun for the players and fan bases. It is a sham that the two high-powered offenses won’t face each other anymore with the Cougars off to the Big 12 after the season. Both teams are 5-4 entering Week 11. But not all 5-4 records are created equal. The Mustangs feel good about themselves in year one under Rhett Lashlee. Bowl eligibility is a passing grade, and it should happen with South Florida up next. Houston, however, entered the year with AAC title and New Year Six hopes. The idea of a 7-5 or 6-6 season tastes like bitter disappointment for the Cougars. 

7. One win away for Rice: Three of the 12 FBS coaches entered the 2022 season with perceived concerns about their future footing without bowl bids. One of those was Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren. The job is unique at Rice with the academic standards and small alumni base. Success historically comes in spurts for the Owls with the last run of glory occurring from 2012 to 2014 when the David Bailiff led program won seven, 10, and eight games in consecutive seasons, reaching bowl bids every year. 

The 2014 season was the last time the Owls went bowling. The 37-30 victory over UTEP on Thursday night was the fifth of the 2022 campaign, which is the most wins by the program since 2015. Bloomgren’s won nine games over the past 21 games after combining for seven in the first 20. A bowl bid practically seals Bloomgren’s return for the inaugural American Athletic Conference season in 2023. The Owls will be underdogs in each contest with Western Kentucky, UTSA, and North Texas on tap. 

8. UTSA, North Texas on collision course: Rivalries must be built organically, and the Mean Green and Roadrunners have become instant rivals over the past decade. The two programs are 5-5 against each other, and the biggest meeting of all might be on the horizon with both teams winning in Week 10. UTSA is now 7-2 on the season and 5-0 in conference play. The Roadrunners moved to 17-6 in one-possession games under Jeff Traylor after an overtime win against UAB. North Texas is 4-1 in Conference USA with its only blemish coming in the final seconds against the Roadrunners a few weeks ago. The Mean Green qualified for their sixth bowl game in seven years with Seth Littrell in charge. 

9. Tough decisions ahead for Texas State: The Bobcats earned a signature victory under Jake Spavital for maybe the first time in his tenure back on Oct. 8 when they beat App State in San Marcos by 12 points. The win put the team at 3-3 and headed towards a bowl bid for the first time in program history. Three one-possession losses followed, including the 31-30 defeat on Saturday against Lousiana-Monroe. Texas State was up 21-0 after the first quarter. At 3-6 on the season, the group must win out to reach six wins. Up next is 7-2 South Alabama. 

Spavital is now 12-33 overall and 8-21 in Sun Belt play. He was hired on a five-year deal after the 2018 season. Most programs avoid entering the final year of Spavital’s contract, which suggests Texas State would extend him or terminate him after 2022. With new leadership in place at Texas State in the administration building, everyone is under evaluation. 

10. Missed chances for UTEP: Dana Dimel’s Miners were hoping to become the third team in program history to reach consecutive bowl games since the 1950’s. The last time was 2004 and 2005. Before that it was 1955 and 1954. But the Week 10 loss at Rice dropped the Miners to 4-6 on the season. UTEP receives a second open date on the year in Week 11 thanks to playing in Week 0. A winnable game awaits after against FIU at home, but Dimel’s guys close on the road against UTSA. 

A look in the mirror reveals the culprit for the UTEP squad. A season of missed chances might unfortunately plague the record books. A sold-out Sun Bowl left disappointed thanks to a Week 0 loss to North Texas. The Miners were in the game until the second half. A 17-point road loss to New Mexico eliminated any room for error. A loss at La Tech against a Bulldogs team in year one under a new coach was another costly defeat. Then, Middle Tennessee outscored them 14-3 in the second half to take an 11-point victory in El Paso. UTEP’s lost two conference games at home and is 1-4 on the road.