We’re football dorks who love big, crazy ideas here at Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. The Texas 47 – a seven-tier ranking of each of the 47 college football programs in the Lone Star State – was born from that vein. From the Texas Longhorns to the Mary-Hardin Baylor Crusaders and all the way down to the JUCO level, we place each program in Texas into a tier from national contender to conference basement. Where is your favorite team?  

Let the discussions (arguments?) begin. This list is the brainchild of Cory Hogue and Mike Craven.  

National contenders

Texas – The Longhorns passed the first test of the season in a win over Rice but we’ll find out how close Texas is to being “back” in a road game against Alabama in Week 2. 

UIW (0-1) - Some have dropped the Cardinals in the national polls after their loss to UTEP. It’s too quick to give up on UIW yet.

Angelo State (1-0) - There were moments of anxiety with the Rams trailing 14-10 at the half. A 24-0 second half eliminated any concern.

Mary Hardin-Baylor (0-1) - The Cru isn’t dropping from the national contenders list yet. However, being outscored by 58 points in their last two football games against top competition is a concern.

Trinity (0-1) - Many national pundits were easier on the Tigers after a narrow overtime loss on the road. The Tigers need Tucker Horn healthy this week.

Kilgore (1-0) - It’s time to begin the gauntlet known as the SWJCFC, with the Rangers hosting Northeastern Oklahoma A&M following a bye.

Trinity Valley (1-0) - The Cardinals had a bye week to prepare for Air Force Prep on Saturday.

Playoff contenders

Stephen F. Austin (0-1) - SFA played even with Troy after the Trojans jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the first quarter.

Texas A&M-Kingsville (1-0) - The Javelinas special teams outscored Colorado Mesa 17-10, while the TAMUK offense produced 10 points.

Hardin-Simmons (1-0) - It was the type of dominant start expected from the Cowboys. The competition steps up with a trip to Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Texas Wesleyan - (1-0) TxWes accomplished a program first by defeating rival Ottawa (Ariz.), but the effort wasn’t without enough mistakes to help the coaching staff keep the players focused.

Conference contenders

Texas A&M – The Bobby Petrino offense was explosive and the run defense looked improved. A loss by LSU also boosts the Aggies confidence in the SEC West. A trip to Miami in Week 2 should reveal more than a win over New Mexico in Week 1. 

Prairie View A&M (1-0) - One common refrain from the press box was that PVAMU shouldn’t have beat TSU. However, shouldn’t didn’t equal points, and the Panthers found a way to get the victory.

Abilene Christian (1-0) - ACU was very impressive along the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Tarleton (1-0) - First-half turnovers kept the Texans from blowing it open early. Scoring touchdowns on four of their final drives showed the potential this offense possesses.

UTPB (1-0) - The 96-0 final score was eye-opening, but the starters didn’t play after the first half. Every healthy Falcon played during the game.

Howard Payne (1-0) - HPU’s win over George Fox was impressive, especially for the defense, who held GFU to 17 rushing yards on 29 attempts.

SAGU - The Lions open their season at HPU this week.

Blinn (1-0) - The Bucanneers were happy to finally play a game after their opponent canceled on them the morning of their Week 1 contest.

Stock rising

Texas State – No team in Texas pulled a bigger upset in Week 1 than the Bobcats and first-year head coach G.J. Kinne. Can that magic carry over into a rivalry game against UTSA in Week 2? 

Houston – Dana Holgorsen moved to 2-0 against Jeff Traylor with a win over UTSA at home. Maybe those “Luv Ya Blue” retro jerseys the Cougars wore to honor the Oilers should become permanent. 

SMU – We knew the Mustangs would score points even while replacing its starting quarterback and leading receiver from 2022, but the most promising thing from the win over La Tech was the SMU defense.  

Sul Ross State (0-1) - Mistakes cost the Lobos a chance to win over soon-to-be conference foe Western New Mexico. SRSU has another chance with Eastern New Mexico visiting Alpine.

McMurry (0-1) - The War Hawks lost last week, but the fight they displayed to pull within one point late in the contest shows this isn’t a basement team right now.

Wayland Baptist (1-0) - Bryan Ponder threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns for the Pioneers, who can take another step forward with a win against Oklahoma Panhandle State.

Steady

UTSA – A three-point loss on the road to a Big 12 squad isn’t the end of the world. Now, a loss at home to Texas State in Week 2 would be a different story. 

Rice – The Owls acquitted themselves fine in a Week 1 road loss to Texas, especially in the first half. 

Sam Houston – A 14-point loss to BYU in the Bearkats’ first voyage into FBS football was impressive, but the offense leaves a lot to be desired.  

Texas Southern (0-1) - TSU will lament another late-game rally by PVAMU but the Tigers can still claim what is expected to be a competitive SWAC West Division.

Houston Christian (1-0) - The competition level rises significantly for the Huskies at Western Kentucky this week.

Cisco (1-0) - The Wranglers had a bye week to prepare for their SWJCFC opener against a solid Blinn squad.

Navarro (0-1) - The Bulldogs made a giant leap after a Week 1 loss to Hutchinson last year. They hope for similar results this week.

Tyler (0-1) - The good news for the Apaches is the offense gained 426 total yards against a stout Kilgore defense. The bad news is the defense allowed 544 total yards.

Stock falling

Texas Tech – Joey McGuire fell to 1-5 on the road as a college head coach when his Red Raiders squandered a 17-0 first quarter lead in an eventual overtime loss at Wyoming. An 0-2 start is possible with a home game against nationally ranked Oregon looming. 

TCU – Colorado shocked the nation, and most of Fort Worth, in Week 1 with a thrilling 45-42 victory in Deion Sanders’ first game as an FBS head coach. Was that more about the Buffs or the Horned Frogs? TCU has lost three of its last four contests dating back to the 2022 Big 12 title game. 

Baylor – The Bears joined Texas Tech and TCU by losing to a double-digit underdog in Week 1. The Baylor defense looked helpless against Texas State. The loss of quarterback Blake Shapen hurts even more. 

North Texas – The Mean Green were outscored 44-7 over the last two-and-a-half quarters at home against Cal in Eric Morris’ debut as head coach.  

Texas A&M-Commerce (0-1) - UC Davis was dominant along the line of scrimmage against the Lions offense, which needs a lot of improvement.

Lamar (0-1) - It was a tough first game for the Cardinals against a solid Idaho team. The Cardinals need to believe in themselves, and the results will follow.

Midwestern State (0-1) - The Mustangs had six possessions end on a turnover and two more end on downs in a loss to CSU-Pueblo.

West Texas A&M (0-1) - It’s likely the Buffs have a quarterback competition after a rough showing by Kyle Brown last week.

Southwestern (0-1) - A move to the SAA provides the Pirates with an opportunity against schools on similar academic footing.

Texas Lutheran (0-1) - TLU can’t lament its loss to Wisconsin-Oshkosh for long, with Southwestern looming this week.

East Texas Baptist (0-1) - A return to Division III competition will be welcomed by the Tigers this week.

Basement

Austin College (0-1) - The ‘Roos played tough against Nebraska-Wesleyan but remained in the basement after converting only one of 13 attempts on third down.

Texas College (0-1) - Texas College wasn’t likely to win against UTPB, but the Steers were quite generous in gifting the Falcons points last week.