It was a historic 2022 football season for Texas Wesleyan, who shared the Sooner Athletic Conference title with Ottawa (Ariz.) and Arizona Christian. It was the Rams’ first conference title since resurrecting the football program in 2017. However, TxWes was not invited to the playoffs, and that slight has motivated the Rams offseason program.

The slight also led to the establishment of a premier matchup between NAIA teams left out of the playoffs. St. Thomas finished the season at No. 15 in the NAIA poll, with TxWes slotting at No. 22 to end the season. The Rams will host the Bobcats in Week 4, marking the end of a four-game homestand to begin the season. Texas Wesleyan opens the season on Sept. 2 against fellow SAC title favorite OUAZ.