The 13 FBS teams in Texas are a combined 16-10 overall after an 8-4 week. Six of those 13 teams remain undefeated, including four of the seven Power Four programs. Week 3 is upon us and while it isn’t the deepest and most impressive slate of games, it should be revealing slate across the Lone Star State. The headliner is Texas A&M’s trip to South Bend to face a Top 10-ranked Notre Dame squad that is hoping to avoid an 0-2 start. 

Other games of importance are Texas State’s trip to Arizona State, a home game for North Texas vs. Washington State, and Houston’s clash in Third Ward with Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes. 

Much is sure to be revealed over the weekend but here are my three biggest questions entering Week 3. 

1. Can Texas A&M beat a good team on the road? 

I wrote a whole column earlier in the week outlining that Texas A&M’s inability to beat quality teams on the road since 2013 is why the Aggies have never made the jump from dark horse preseason contender to perennial powerhouse. Aggieland possesses plenty of talent in the locker room and an abundance of resources to climb into the ranks of national championship programs, but the lack of marquee wins away from Kyle Field keep the program at seven to nine wins a season for 12 of the last 13 years. 

Head coach Mike Elko can help change that narrative and plant a flag in the ground with a win on the road against Notre Dame on Saturday. Texas A&M was 6-0 in true road games in 2012, its first in the SEC. That included a win over No. 1-ranked Alabama. Since 2013, the Aggies are 20-29 in true road games and 16-28 if the 2020 Covid season is removed. Since beating the Crimson Tide in 2012, the Aggies haven’t beaten a team on the road that finished with nine or more wins and have only beaten one P4 team that finished with a winning record in conference play – 2016 Auburn. 

Texas A&M opened as a 6.5-point underdog but our guess is that the line drops to 4.5 or so by kickoff because the Aggies are a live dog. They’re strong along the offensive line and should be able to run the football against the Fighting Irish. Quarterback Marcel Reed and a new-look wide receiver room have been on fire through two games. Notre Dame showed cracks on both sides of the ball in the Week 1 loss to Miami and were idle in Week 2. 

This is the type of win that becomes an origin story. Much like the 2023 victory at Alabama was for the rival Longhorns early in Steve Sarkisian’s tenure. Beating Notre Dame be an early tenure-defining moment for Elko & Co. that would launch his Ags into SEC championship and CFP discussions. A loss, especially a lopsided one, would reinforce the perception that Texas A&M will continue to be Tier 2 on the field. 

2. How good is Texas State? 

The Bobcats went into the Alamodome and proved a new King of the G5 rules Texas. It was the second consecutive win over rival UTSA and the second straight year that Texas State started 2-0. G.J. Kinne was hired to raise Texas State’s floor into yearly bowl contention and to slay the dominant and up-and-coming rival Roadrunners to the south. He’s done both. He’s 2-1 against mentor Jeff Traylor and he’s won two bowl games in two years. 

With the floor restored and refinished, the next task is to work on the ceiling. The Bobcats have faded down the stretch in Kinne’s first two years. In 2023, they started 5-2 before losing three of their last five in the regular season. Last season, Texas State was 5-5 in the regular season following the 2-0 start. Ask a Texas State fan in 2021 what they’d trade for a seven-win season and the answer was probably an organ. Predict that Texas State will win seven games in 2025 and watch your social media accounts get mauled by angry Bobcat fans. Trust me. 

The trip to Arizona State on Saturday night offers an opportunity to learn how good this Texas State team is. Beat the Sun Devils in Tempe and G5 CFP bids start entering discussion. Hang close and that is proof that this Bobcats squad is a legit Sun Belt contender and a future power player in the Pac-12. 

The win over UTSA proved that this Texas State team is good, probably very good. The game against Arizona State will reveal how good they can be. 

3. Will Houston, North Texas seize the opportunity at home?  

Two programs that are hoping to recapture the hearts and minds of their respective fan bases are Houston and North Texas. The Cougars posted 4-8 records over the last two seasons and only have one season with more than eight wins since 2016. In a city like H-Town, that won’t draw the attention of the fan base or surrounding communities. There is simply too much to do. Houston roots for winners. Wille Fritz was hired to deliver one.  

North Texas is in a similar predicament. The Mean Green haven’t finished above .500 since 2018. The Seth Littrell tenure couldn’t punch past average over his last four seasons and Eric Morris is 13-14 through two years and two games. That won’t move the needle in Denton and attendance has suffered since the Mason Fine era. 

But both Houston and North Texas have big opportunities to seize momentum in their respective areas with home wins in Week 3. The Cougars host Deion Sanders and Colorado while the Mean Green play host to Washington State. Both home teams are favored and each could start the season 3-0 with a win. A loss would be devastating for momentum off the field and would likely cause apathy for the rest of 2025. A win galvanizes, however, and proves that the trajectory is pointing up. 

Week 3 Picks Against the Spread

Houston -4.5 over Colorado
Washington State -6.5 over North Texas
Texas A&M +6.5 over Notre Dame
Arizona State -17.5 over Texas State 
2025 record: 7-7