Texas College Football Rankings for Week 6

TEXAS, USA – It's Week 6 of the college football season and our Texas teams are hitting midseason form.

The state's top seed appears to be continuing to develop and dominate as they head into a difficult stretch of play in the coming weeks. Others want to recover and make something of a season that didn't start well.

Three members of WFAA's digital team: Ryan Osborne, Paul Livengood and Zachary Yanes, put their heads together to evaluate each of Texas' FBS programs ahead of Week 6.

Paul Livengood: The Longhorns are arguably the top team in the country with Quinn Ewers at the helm. Even backup Arch Manning held his own. Texas is the only undefeated team on the list and is miles ahead of the others. Their next two games – Red River Rivalry and a top-five home game against Georgia – will be must-see TV.

• Paul Livengood – 1
• Ryan Osborne – 1
• Zach Yanes – 1

Ryan Osborne: Maybe I'm unfairly harsh on the Aggies, but as a program they're still in “show me something” territory and getting past a team like Arkansas just doesn't blow me away. That being said, it's clear that A&M's defense is legitimate, as expected under Mike Elko. Whether they have the offense to compete with the better teams in the SEC…we'll see. But a win is a win, and they have a huge home game against Missouri.

• Paul Livengood – 2
• Ryan Osborne – 3
• Zach Yanes – 2

Zachary Yanes: The Mustangs needed no introduction as they walked onto the scene of their first ACC game against Florida State. SMU cruised to a 42-16 victory over the Seminoles behind the arm of quarterback Kevin Jennings. While this FSU squad is certainly not what everyone expected, it was still a challenge for the Mustangs who took it head on and dominated.

• Paul Livengood – 3
• Ryan Osborne – 2
• Zach Yanes – 4

Paul Livengood: Will you score enough points to outlast the Red Raiders? That's the question with this team. Almost every game is a shootout. However, Tech is 4-1 and many others on this list are not.

• Paul Livengood – 4
• Ryan Osborne – 4
• Zach Yanes – 3

Ryan Osborne: I had to chastise TCU for the miserable SMU loss last week, but the Horned Frogs bounced back with a nice road win at Kansas (technically the game was at the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium). Listen, the TCU defense is pretty messed up and I'm not sure it's going to be much better this year. But quarterback Josh Hoover is among the elite and currently ranks third in the nation with 1,774 receiving yards. He was incredible down the stretch against the Jayhawks, including a 59-yard touchdown pass to Eric McAlister. Hoover dodged a blitz and managed a throw upfield to McAlister, who broke the long catch and ran for the score.

• Paul Livengood – 5
• Ryan Osborne – 5
• Zach Yanes – 5

Ryan Osborne: So I'll just say this: What happens if Sam Houston goes 11-1 and wins Conference USA? Is playoff madness coming to Huntsville? Seriously, the Bearkats could top the standings (or lose four games, who knows), and they're one of the most consistent teams in these rankings and have now added a nice comeback win over Texas State to their resume.

• Paul Livengood – 7
• Ryan Osborne – 6
• Zach Yanes – 7

Zachary Yanes: I said it last week and I'll say it again: This team plays hard. I know they've come up short the last two weeks, but Baylor really shouldn't be in these games in the first place. While effort may not translate into wins or the ability to employ your head coach, it is still something to hold on to. Expect another battle this weekend when the Bears take on Iowa State in Ames.

• Paul Livengood – 9
• Ryan Osborne – 7
• Zach Yanes – 6

Ryan Osborne: The Mean Green boasts Chandler Morris at quarterback – he's fifth nationally in passing yards (1,643). And no, they weren't competitive against Texas Tech a few weeks ago. But they appear to be a contender in the American Athletic Conference. We'll find out more after their trips to Florida Atlantic and Memphis.

• Paul Livengood – 6
• Ryan Osborne – 8
• Zach Yanes – 8

Paul Livengood: On Saturday I felt sick. Get a 22 point lead and lose the game. After the 1-1 loss to Sam Houston, this makes it two games in a row for Texas State should I won, but didn't make it. Self-inflicted mistakes and a lack of discipline keep this team from being one of the top four teams in the state and a potential title contender. The Sun Belt game begins next, so let's hope they do better in the future for the sake of this alumnus.

• Paul Livengood – 8
• Ryan Osborne – 9
• Zach Yanes – 9

Zachary Yanes: Look, I know it's college football season and everyone should be happy, but watching my Roadrunners this year felt like a chore. The only two wins UTSA has had this season have come against FCS schools, and it seems like we're heading back to the dark days of the program. A lot of people will say I just appreciate the good seasons you've had, but I disagree – the fans have a right to be upset, that's the whole point of the game. With growth comes criticism, and UTSA is getting a lot of it. What was this supposed to be about again?

• Paul Livengood – 10
• Ryan Osborne – 10
• Zach Yanes – 10

Ryan Osborne: The Cougars are 54-0 so far in Big 12 play after suffering shutout losses to Cincinnati and Iowa State. They might have some success against a weak TCU defense, but not enough to compete.

• Paul Livengood – 11
• Ryan Osborne – 11
• Zach Yanes – 11

Paul Livengood: Rice's only win is against an FCS team. Let's move on.

• Paul Livengood – 12
• Ryan Osborne – 12
• Zach Yanes – 12

Zachary Yanes: I believe in you, UTEP. We'll get a win out of you – definitely not this week or next – but maybe sometime after that?

• Paul Livengood – 13
• Ryan Osborne – 13
• Zach Yanes – 13