The Texas 47 places each of the college football programs from the Lone Star State into one of six tiers. From the 12 FBS programs to the 35 sub-FBS schools, Cory Hogue and Mike Craven take a weekly snapshot of where each team stands in the landscape of college football. Three sub-FBS teams remain in national title contention, as does TCU at the FBS level. UTSA and North Texas play for the C-USA title on Friday night in San Antonio. 

National contenders

TCU (12-0) - A win over Kansas State on Saturday clinches a Big 12 title and a berth into the College Football Playoff in year one under Sonny Dykes. 

UIW (10-1) - UIW faces a challenge against Furman in the second round of the FCS Playoffs on Saturday. The Paladins are 4-1 against ranked FCS opposition this year.

Angelo State (12-0) - The Rams answered prognosticators concerned about the bye week to set up a rematch against Colorado School of Mines for a trip to the NCAA Division II semifinals.

Mary Hardin-Baylor (11-1) - UMHB dominated for the better part of three quarters but still had to fight off a furious comeback from Trinity. The Cru received better news with Bethel’s upset of Linfield, which gives UMHB home field next week against the Royals.

Conference contenders

UTSA (10-2) - Jeff Traylor's squad is hosting the C-USA championship game for the second year in a row after consecutive double-digit win regular seasons. 

North Texas (7-5) - A win over Rice in Week 13 put the Mean Green into the C-USA title game against rival UTSA. 

Kilgore (8-3) - The Rangers will play Butler in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Commerce.

Stock rising

Texas (8-4) - The Longhorns closed out Baylor with a strong fourth quarter to buck a second-half trend that plagued Texas through most of Steve Sarkisian's first two seasons on the 40 Acres. 

Texas Tech (7-5) - Joey McGuire's club beat Oklahoma and Texas at home in the same year for the first time in school history. The 5-4 Big 12 record is the Red Raiders' first time to finish .500 or above in conference play since 2009. 

SMU (7-5) - A seven-win season is a solid showing for the Mustangs in year one under Rhett Lashlee, especially considering the quarterback injuries. 

Texas A&M-Kingsville (7-4) - The Javelinas earned valuable postseason practice time with a trip to Corsicana for the Fun Town RV Heritage Bowl against East Central on Saturday.

Steady

Rice (5-7) - A strong APR coupled with a lack of bowl eligible six-win teams means the Owls are likely going bowling and Mike Bloomgren and his staff are safe. 

Trinity Valley (8-2) - TVCC can end the season on a high note with a win over Iowa Central in the Game One Bowl next Saturday.

Stock falling

Houston (7-5) - A disappointing regular season concluded with a loss to a Tulsa program that is looking for a new head coach. 

Baylor (6-6) - A .500 record was a tough way to follow up a Big 12 championship season. Dave Aranda must prove he can win at that level with his own players moving forward. 

UTEP (5-7) - The Miners built a 24-0 lead against UTSA but couldn't hold the Roadrunners off to become bowl eligible. 

Trinity (11-1) - The Tigers showed the heart of a champion with a furious rally against the Cru. Talent remains for next year, but Trinity is losing many key pieces to graduation.

Basement 

Texas A&M (5-7) - Even a regular season finale win over LSU doesn't erase the disappointment for the Aggies in a season they entered ranked sixth in the country for the second consecutive season. 

Texas State (4-8) - A four-win season was the final straw at Texas State, which fired head coach Jake Spavital on Sunday.