Week 9 ended in a bang when Houston returner Marcus Jones raced 100 yards for a game-winning kickoff return touchdown with 17 seconds left against the previously undefeated SMU Mustangs. Ten of the 12 FBS programs in the state were in action with Texas A&M and UTSA idle. The Cougars improved its win streak to seven games with the thrilling in-conference win over SMU. Baylor held serve at home against Texas as the Longhorns blew its third double-digit lead in their last three games. It was a tough week for the rest of the state with TCU, Texas Tech, and UTEP falling. 

The weekly 411 provides readers with four truths, one question, and one prediction following the weekend of action. 

Four truths

Houston deserves more respect: Houston became an afterthought after the Cougars dropped their Week 1 game against Texas Tech despite building a 14-0 lead in the fourth quarter. Houston was rarely mentioned amongst the best teams in the state even after the six-game winning streak that followed. That should change after the 44-37 victory over the previously unbeaten SMU Mustangs. Houston jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and held off a late barrage by Tanner Mordecai and the Mustangs to improve to 7-1 on the season and extend its winning streak to seven games. SMU is also 7-1 after the loss.

Quarterback Clayton Tune and wide receiver Nathaniel Dell led the way for a Houston offense that played most of the game without star running back Alton McCaskill. The Cougars only averaged two yards a carry on 38 attempts. Tune, on the other hand, completed 27 of 37 attempts for a career high 412 yards and four touchdowns. Dell caught nine of those passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns. 

Houston is the first American Athletic Conference program to reach 5-0 in conference play. The road to the conference title game is smoothly paved for the Cougars because Cincinnati is not on the regular season schedule. None of Houston's final four opponents currently possess a winning record. A 4-4 Memphis team is the toughest challenge, at least on paper. Up next is a trip to South Florida.

Baylor knows how to hire football coaches: You know how universities hire million-dollar consultant firms to hire the next football coach? Maybe those programs should just ask Baylor. The Bears hit gold following the Art Briles embarrassment with Matt Rhule, an actual good person to go along with coaching prowess. Briles brought the program to new heights, but he also left it in the dust after failing to show any type of moral fortitude. The fact that his name is surfacing for the Texas Tech job is an embarrassment, but that is a separate discussion. 

Rhule returned the Bears to prominence in his two years in Waco, proving one doesn't need to sell his soul to win at Baylor. That climb to the top was short lived, however, when Rhule ditched the hassle of recruiting teenagers for an NFL job with the Carolina Panthers. That left Baylor looking for a new coach, and this time it turned to Dave Aranda, the defensive coordinator at LSU. In year two, Aranda has his Bears competing for a Big 12 title after a comeback win over Texas. 

Baylor looks tremendous under the guidance of Aranda, who showed humility after a disappointing first season by hiring a new offensive coordinator. Baylor trailed 21-10 in the third quarter against Texas, but the Bears never blinked. Baylor dominated both lines of scrimmage en route to a 31-24 win over the Longhorns to improve to 7-1 on the season. Keeping Aranda around for more than three years will prove a challenge if his stock continues to rise. 

Nobody asked for more of Rice vs. North Texas: The football gods always possess a cruel sense of humor. That was the case on Saturday when fans were treated to overtime between North Texas and Rice. Most would argue that 60 minutes of action was 59 too long for the two struggling programs. In the end, the Mean Green triumphed in a 30-24 overtime win thanks to 121 yards passing and 65 yards rushing from quarterback Austin Aune. Rice lost quarterback Wiley Green to injury in the loss, but Jake Constantine threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns in relief. An Ayoe Adeyi one-yard touchdown run in overtime ended the contest. 

UTEP should scare UTSA: Sure, the Miners lost by three points on the road to FAU. It was the 27th trip to the Eastern Time Zone for UTEP without a win. But even in defeat, the Miners showed why they've already reached bowl eligibility and should scare the undefeated Roadrunners next week in an important showdown in El Paso. UTEP was down 28-10 to FAU after a James Charles touchdown run with 10:57 left in the contest. Old UTEP teams would've folded and lost by 20+ points. Instead, this UTEP team fired back with 15 unanswered points to almost pull off an unlikley comeback. That type of fight is how teams pull upsets and UTSA should be cautiously optimistic heading into Week 10. 

One question

Who will coach Texas Tech in 2022? 

Texas Tech fired Matt Wells last week and put offensive coordinator, and former Red Raiders quarterback, Sunny Cumbie in charge as the interim head coach. Cumbie sees the final four games as an audition for the vacancy and/or for his next job as a coordinator outside of Lubbock. The defensive side of the ball let Cumbie down, a concept he became familiar with as the quarterback at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders allowed true freshman Caleb Williams to throw six touchdown passes in a 52-21 win. Even Spencer Rattler made an appearance and threw a late touchdown pass. Texas Tech is a worse version of itself from a decade ago. The Red Raiders still play defense as if it is optional, but the offense isn't as explosive as it once was. So, who is next? 

The obvious choice is Sonny Dykes. The SMU head coach is an alum and his dad led the Red Raiders for more than a decade. But, is the Texas Tech job better than the one he has at SMU if the Mustangs can pony up the money to match what he'd earn in Lubbock? I'm not quite so sure with the Big 12 set to fall down the perception ratings of Power Five conferences when Texas and Oklahoa depart for the SEC. Recruiting to Lubbock is hard. Recruiting in Dallas is a stroll in the park. If not Dykes, then UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor becomes the No. 1 option. He's led the Roadrunners to an 8-0 start and has Texas ties as deep as the oil wells in West Texas. 

One prediction

At least a third of the 12 FBS schools in Texas have a new head coach for 2022: Texas Tech pushed the first domino by firing Wells. If Dykes or Traylor move to Lubbock to fill that void, that is now two Texas teams that must replace a head coach. There are other coaches at the state's 12 FBS programs that are feeling some type of heat. Texas State head coach Jake Spavital and his Bobcats are 2-6 following a 45-0 loss to Louisiana. North Texas is 2-6 after the overtime victory at Rice, but the program is a long way from the consecutive nine-win seasons he led early in his tenure. Even Gary Patterson at TCU is under some pressure to move on with his Horned Frogs at 3-5 and looking uphill at bowl eligibility. It could be a year of massive change inside the state.