The 13-stop tour around Texas to build the FBS sections in the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football summer magazine is an illuminating and tiring voyage across the state. Most stops include a visit with a program’s head coach, coordinators, and a star player or two on both sides of the ball. It answers questions and brings up new ones, but it also provides a window into the vibes and expectations for the 13 FBS teams in the Great State. 

After talking with every program in our borders, here is how I rank the FBS teams entering the summer. 

1. Texas Longhorns 

The hype is justified heading into 2026. The Horns have arguably the top player in Texas at quarterback (Arch Manning), running back (Raleek Brown), wide receiver (Cam Coleman), offensive lineman (Trevor Goosby), defensive lineman (Colin Simmons), linebacker (Rasheem Biles), and defensive back (Jelani McDonald). They’re stacked. And with Will Muschamp back on the Forty Acres as defensive coordinator, head coach Steve Sarkisian believes the coaching staff matches the talent on the roster and that his Longhorns are SEC and national title contenders. 

The only thing standing in the way is a tough schedule. Texas hosts Ohio State in Week 2 and faces an SEC gauntlet that includes home games against Ole Miss and Florida and road trips to Tennessee, LSU, and Texas A&M. Not to mention the yearly neutral-site clash with Oklahoma. A 10-2 record guarantees a spot in the CFP for the third time in four years, but the committee has shown that it doesn’t favor three-loss teams. 

2. Texas A&M Aggies 

Mike Elko’s goal is to reload, not rebuild. His Aggies had 10 players selected in the NFL Draft – tied for most in the nation – and must replace Le’Veon Moss at running back, K.C. Concepcion at wide receiver, four starters along the offensive line, Cashius Howell at defensive end, Taurean York at linebacker, and Will Lee III at cornerback. Texas A&M also lost its offensive and defensive coordinators in the offseason.

But Elko isn’t fazed. He signed another top-tier portal class and the returning roster is filled with young players that the Aggies recruited from the prep ranks that are ready to step into larger roles. Expect Texas A&M to be a Top 10 or Top 15 team entering the season with hopes to reach another CFP. Fading down the stretch was a concern over the past two seasons and the Aggies face a gauntlet to close out the regular season, including road trips to Alabama and Oklahoma and home games against Tennessee and rival Texas. 

3. Texas Tech Red Raiders 

The looming loss of quarterback Brendan Sorsby to an NCAA investigation over sports wagering shook up the Power Poll and lowered the Red Raiders’ ceiling in 2026. They’re still a favorite to win the Big 12 and reach the CFP in consecutive years but hopes of pushing for a national title might’ve been lost if Sorsby is deemed ineligible, which is the assumption we’re working with until proven otherwise. Tech is still loaded and should dominate the Big 12 in the trenches and in the run game, but the health of QB Will Hammond looms large. A schedule that doesn’t include Kansas State, Utah, or BYU helps. 

4. Houston Cougars 

Houston is the only Power Four team in Texas to return its head coach, all three coordinators, and the starting quarterback. The Cougars won 10 games last year and will be a dark horse pick to play in and win the Big 12 Championship game. Head coach Willie Fritz is as good as it gets and his program typically takes steps forward every season. The offense should be more dynamic with transfer running back Mekhi Hughes and tight end Patrick Overmyer in the fold. The defense returns seven starters and added multiple transfer pieces with CFP experience. The Big 12 slate does include road trips to Texas Tech, Kansas State, and Utah. 

5. SMU Mustangs 

Miami is the clear favorite to win the ACC but SMU is in that next group with Louisville as the Mustangs are now perennial contenders for a CFP spot. They’re 14-2 against ACC opponents in the regular season since joining the league in 2024 and that includes wins over Miami, Clemson, Florida State, and Louisville. The Ponies return a three-year starter at quarterback in Kevin Jennings – arguably the most underrated signal-caller in college football over the past couple of seasons - and he's surrounded by a talented, even if unproven, set of skill players. The RB combination of Kendrick Raphael and Dramekco Green is legit. The questions are on defense with a new coordinator and a bunch of new starters. 

6. TCU Horned Frogs 

The Frogs are switching things up on offense under new coordinator Gordon Sammis. They’ll be under center more and are emphasizing the run game and mitigating turnovers. His UConn squad only turned the ball over two times last season and had seven different players top the 100-yard mark in a game over the past two seasons. Andy Avalos is in Year 3 as the defensive coordinator and he’s excited about the talent in his two-deep, but TCU must replace the leadership and production lost from LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, LB Namdi Obiazor, and DB Bud Clark. Safety Jamel Johnson is a star. 

7. Baylor Bears 

Dave Aranda is betting on an improved defense and the upside of QB transfer DJ Lagway to push his Bears back into Big 12 contention. Hiring Joe Klanderman from Kansas State to run the defense was the biggest move of the offseason in Waco. He’ll transition the Bears into more of a traditional four-man front that focuses on creating havoc up front, and the depth of the defensive line might be the strength of the team. Weapons around Lagway are a legitimate question mark after losing TE Michael Trigg and most of the team’s top receivers. 

8. Texas State Bobcats 

One thing is for sure: The Bobcats will score points. QB Brad Jackson returns alongside a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Chris Dawn Jr. and Beau Sparks. The loss of running back Greg Burrell to off-field legal issues is a concern, but Texas State likes the depth in the running back room and with so much focus on Jackson and the passing attack, we’re assuming the run game will be productive enough to put the Bobcats in the top of the Pac-12 in scoring. The defense is a question mark, though, with new DC Will Windham using the spring to figure out what his roster can and can’t do. 

9. UTSA Roadrunners 

A rocket scientist isn’t required to understand the issue at UTSA the last two seasons. The Roadrunners are 10-2 at home and 2-10 on the road in the regular season since the start of 2024. They’ve still managed to knock off the upper echelon of the American Conference at times – think Memphis in 2024 and Tulane in 2025 – but they’ve also managed to stub their toes on the road against the likes of Rice, Tulsa, and Temple over the same time. Rick Bowie was brought in as the new OC and the defensive personnel was overhauled for the second straight season. 

10. North Texas Mean Green 

Predicting the 2026 North Texas season is fool’s gold. A new head coach and a completely new roster make it nearly impossible to figure out if the Mean Green take a small step backwards or a massive step backwards. Neal Brown’s initial transfer portal class was a positive sign, as was the roster he assembled, but it's hard to put them back at the top of the G6 ranks in the Lone Star State until we see the product on the field. A non-conference schedule that starts with a trip to Indiana and continues with games against UNLV and Texas State will reveal North Texas’ floor and ceiling by the end of September.  

11. Rice Owls

Rice backdoored its way into a bowl game with a five-win regular season for the second time since 2022. That was an acceptable result in Year 1 of the Scott Abell, but he wants more from his Owls in 2026. The goal on South Main is to compete in the top half of the American and the addition of QB Jacurri Brown provides hope that it's possible. The offense should be improved because of Brown and a second year in the system for the returning contributors. The upside is up to Jon Kay’s defense creating more turnovers and finding better depth. 

12. UTEP Miners 

UTEP took its lumps over the first two years under Scotty Walden and a move to the Mountain West only makes the road tougher. Cutting down on turnovers was a key for the Miners and they believe UIW transfer QB EJ Colson will help that cause. UTEP has quietly recruited well over the past few cycles and Walden believes that 2026 is the year that those puppies grow into dogs and turn close losses into close wins. The Miners are 2-6 in one-possession games since the start of 2024. 

13. Sam Houston Bearkats  

The good news is that Bowers Stadium will be ready to host games this fall and that the roster is unquestionably improved thanks to a strong portal class. Head coach Phil Longo is optimistic that a full offseason, an increased revenue share budget, and six home games are enough to push Sam Houston from the Conference USA basement in 2025 to contention in 2026. We saw that transformation take place from 2023 to 2024, so it is possible. We’ll take a wait-and-see approach.