Welcome to the Week 12 recap of FBS programs in the state of Texas. The 10 teams in action were a combined 6-4 on the week to bring the record for the 13 FBS teams in the Lone Star State to 80-51 on the year. Four of our teams – Texas A&M, Texas Tech, SMU, and North Texas – remain in the College Football Playoff picture following Week 12. The Texas Longhorns dropped out of that race in the blowout loss to Georgia. 

Texas A&M’s historic comeback was the headliner from Week 12 in the state of Texas. The Aggies overcame a 30-3 halftime deficit to knock off South Carolina and remain undefeated. Texas Tech cruised to a win over UCF and have made a case to be a Top 5 team in the country. North Texas took control of the American Conference thanks to an easy win over UAB and a loss by USF, the only team to beat the Mean Green this year. 

Before we look ahead to a full slate in Week 13, here are 10 thoughts from the weekend. 

Aggies storm back, clinch CFP spot 

Texas A&M spent the first nine games of the season shedding its skin. The Aggies won a road game against a Top 10-ranked non-conference opponent for the first time since 1979. They won at LSU for the first time since 1994 and were 9-0 for the first time since 1992. The 6-0 start in SEC play was their first since joining the conference in 2012. 

Those accomplishments haven’t stopped the looming “Aggie Battered Syndrome” questions at press conferences and jokes on social media. The bad start against the Gamecocks triggered old feelings and it looked like Lucy would once again pull the ball away from the maroon-clad Charlie Browns of college football once again. 

But if there was anyone left who needed more convincing, the second half comeback against South Carolina should be the last therapy session required. The Aggies erased a 27-point halftime lead by the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter behind three Marcel Reed touchdown passes and a 99-yard drive that ended in an EJ Smith touchdown run. SEC teams were a combined 0-286 when trailing by 27+ points since 2004. They’re now 1-286. 

Texas A&M improved to 10-0 on the season and moved one step closer to its first SEC Championship game appearance. The Aggies outscored the Gamecocks, 28-0, in the second half and outgained them, 371-76. Reed threw for 298 yards in the second half alone. The offense didn’t punt and the defense didn’t allow a single point. Whatever Mike Elko said, or screamed, at halftime, clearly worked.

Texas’ playoff dreams end in Athens 

There was an outside chance that the Longhorns could reach the 12-team CFP with three losses, but those notions were dashed with how Texas lost to Georgia. A close loss and then a win over Texas A&M in Week 14 might’ve swayed the committee, especially with Oklahoma seemingly pushing for a playoff spot after beating Alabama. A Texas team with three road losses and victories over Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M would’ve had a strong case against a two-loss Big 12 runner-up. But not when one of those losses was that lopsided this late in the season. 

The Horns don’t deserve to reach the playoffs in 2025. The offense simply isn’t good enough and that eventually broke the defense. Steve Sarkisian and the Texas offensive staff have some soul searching to do by the opening kickoff in 2026. Sark has already indicated that he’ll keep calling plays. That means the changes must come on the personnel side. The Longhorns must hit the portal for help at nearly every position on the offensive side of the ball, something they didn’t do heading into 2025. They also need Arch Manning to evolve into the quarterback Texas expected when it signed him. 

Get Jacob Rodriguez to New York 

The Heisman Trophy isn’t reserved for the best quarterback on the team. Not even for the best offensive weapon. The trophy is supposed to reward the most outstanding player in college football and it is hard to argue that Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez isn’t one of those. He proved it again in the 48-9 win over UCF when the senior led the Red Raiders in tackles with nine, recorded an INT, and ran for a touchdown. 

Rodriguez has forced 11 takeaways this season, and as Rob Breaux from the Gamblin’ Gauchos pointed out on Twitter, that’s the same number as Ohio State has as an entire team. He’s the face of the best defense in FBS and one of the best stories in the game as a former walk-on who started his college career as a quarterback before transferring back home to West Texas. 

He won’t win the award. But he should get an invite to the final in New York. The story of the 2025 season can’t be told without the Texas Tech defense and Rodriguez is the heartbeat of that unit. There are higher draft picks on the Red Raiders’ defense, but no one is more important than Rodriguez.

Path opens for Mean Green 

North Texas’ blowout win over UAB combined with South Florida’s loss to Navy opens the door for the Mean Green to reach the American Conference Championship game with two more wins. That’s because the tiebreaker in the AC are the rankings if there are three or more teams vying for the two spots. There are Four teams with one loss in conference play – North Texas, Tulane, East Carolina, and Navy. 

The Mean Green hold a win over Navy but do not play Tulane. Navy and Tulane don’t play each other, however, and East Carolina doesn’t play any of the other three teams. There is a real opportunity for a four-way tie atop the conference if each of those teams win out. If that happens, North Texas would be one of the two-highest ranked teams and would likely play Tulane. 

But would winning out, including in the AC Championship game, clinch a spot in the CFP? It has long been assumed that the winner of the AC would get the G5 bid this year because it is clearly the best and deepest G5 conference in 2025. It is James Madison from the Sun Belt that is the betting favorite, however. While the USF loss was good for North Texas’ conference championship hopes, it was bad for its CFP case. The surest road was to beat USF in a rematch in the championship game. 

James Madison’s loss is to Louisville, and while the Cardinals are on a two-game losing streak, the CFP committee won’t ding JMU as much for losing to a P4 program than it will North Texas for losing to USF at home by four scores. The Mean Green can’t worry about all that, though. They just need to beat Rice and Temple and then win the conference championship. The rest will take care of itself. 

Reset time in Waco 

Baylor is in danger of finishing below .500 for the third time in the last four seasons and for the fourth time in six years under Dave Aranda following the blowout loss at home to Utah. The Bears entered the season with Big 12 championship aspirations. They left Week 12 with a 5-5 record and the realization that a bowl game isn’t a guarantee. Baylor finishes with Arizona and Houston, two teams that are a combined 15-5. 

Utah scored 50 points on Aranda’s defense, a unit that entered the game ranked 13th out of 16 in the Big 12 in scoring defense. While it was the first time they gave up more than 50 this season, it was the fourth time to allow more than 40, including three of the last four. The decision on whether to keep Aranda around as the head coach might not be decided, but there is no way he can return as the defensive play caller. 

It felt like Aranda’s only hope to return in 2026 was to win out, but that line of thinking was thrown a curveball when athletic director Mach Rhoades stepped down from the CFP committee and took a four-week leave of absence. Any decision on Aranda would need to be made by the time he returns, so what does that mean for Aranda’s future? Baylor would be best served to fire them both and start over, but would a new AD be in the position to hire a new head coach within weeks of taking the job? 

TCU’s fall 

The Horned Frogs were embarrassed on the road against nationally ranked BYU, 44-13, to drop their second straight and third in the last five. They’re now under .500 in Big 12 play with two tough games remaining against Houston and Cincinnati, teams that are a combined 15-5 on the season. TCU ranked ninth in scoring in 2023 on the magical run to the national championship, averaging 38.8 points per game with Garrett Riley calling plays. 

Since hiring Kendal Briles as his replacement ahead of the 2023 season, the Frogs have ranked 41st in 2023, 23rd in 2024, and are currently 48th this season in scoring offense. In wins, the offense is averaging 37.5 points per game, but that falls to 20.5 in losses. What’s most concerning for the offense is that they’re averaging 26 points per game in conference play and only 22.3 points per game against FBS teams with a winning record. 

Head coach Sonny Dykes started his TCU tenure 12-0 before losing two of the last three in 2022, including a blowout loss to Georgia in the title game. Since 2022, his program is 20-15 overall and 12-13 in Big 12 play. The close to 2024 was promising, but 2025 has revealed that the issues are not fixed. TCU is no longer in Tier 1 of the Big 12 and that should concern everyone in Fort Worth. 

Bobcats save season 

Texas State needed to win out to guarantee a third straight bowl invite and save any remaining momentum heading to the Pac-12 in 2026. With their backs against the wall, the Bobcats answered the bell and snapped a five-game losing streak with an emphatic 41-14 win over a Southern Miss squad that sits in first in the West Division of the Sun Belt. Texas State is now 4-6 on the season with home games against Louisiana-Monroe and South Alabama remaining. Both of those teams are also sub .500 on the season. 

The much-maligned Texas State defense and defensive coordinator Dexter McCoil deserves credit for the last six quarters of play. The Bobcats held Louisiana to seven second-half points in the comeback attempt last week. The unit pitched a shutout in the first half against Southern Miss and forced three turnovers on the day. The group had only forced five all season entering the game.

UTSA keeps bowl hopes alive 

The Roadrunners won a conference road game for the first time since beating North Texas in November of 2023 when it knocked off Charlotte, 28-7, in Week 12. It was only the second road win for the program since the start of 2024. Jeff Traylor’s bunch will take the win, but even in victory, the group showed why it struggles away from the Alamodome. The first half was an illustration of self-inflicted wounds. Owen McCown threw an interception in the red zone and later missed a field goal after reaching goal-to-go on the drive. 

UTSA doesn’t need style points, however. Wins are all that matter for a program hoping to keep its bowl streak alive. The win over Charlotte puts the Roadrunners at 5-5 on the season and one victory away from their sixth straight trip to the postseason under Traylor, who has never suffered a losing season as a head coach in college or high school. The good news for UTSA is the next two are at home with East Carolina and Army heading to San Antonio over the last two weeks of the season. Win one and they’ll avoid a disastrous season. 

Bearkats Loading 

Sam Houston looked like a defeated team through the first two months of the season. The Bearkats faced a tough road schedule that included trips to Hawaii and Oregon State and didn’t have a home stadium thanks to construction at Bowers on campus. First-year head coach Phil Longo and his Bearkats limped to an 0-8 start and finding any silver linings during those eight losses was nearly impossible, unlike the 0-8 start in 2023 that made fans feel like Sam Houston was close to contention. 

A winless season felt inevitable and the Bearkats were in the argument for worst team in the FBS alongside UMass. Then they traveled to Oregon State last week and stole one from the Beavers with two special teams touchdowns in the second half. While most chalked the win up as a fluke and gave more blame to Oregon State than credit to Sam Houston, the Bearkats used it as a spark. A spark that grew into a two-game winning streak after knocking off Delaware and former offensive coordinator Ryan Carty. 

Two wins doesn’t erase the eight losses, but it is the carrot that this coaching staff needed to dangle in the offseason. Sam Houston has won a pair of games and could easily make it three straight against Middle Tennessee next weekend. Longo & Co. needed some good vibes in November and they’ve got them.  

UTEP can’t catch a break 

Trailing 31-24 with 11:09 left in the fourth quarter, the Miners defense forced a Missouri State punt to give their offense a chance to tie the game. But on the punt, UTEP was called for a holding foul that happened before the kick, resulting in Missouri State first down. The Bears scored a touchdown on the drive to push their lead to 14. The penalty spoiled any opportunity for a comeback victory. The Miners trailed 24-7 at one time before storming back to tie it late in the third quarter after returning a blocked punt for a touchdown.  

The loss drops UTEP to 2-8 on the season and to 5-16 overall in two seasons under Scotty Walden. The Miners would need to win their final two to improve on the three wins from 2024 and match their 3-5 record in Conference USA. As it stands, they’re 1-5 in conference play. The 2025 season was supposed to represent a step forward ahead of UTEP’s move to the Mountain West. Instead, it’s another disappointing football season for the fans of El Paso.