The first FBS game of the 2024 season involving a Texas FBS team is in Week 0 when SMU travels to Nevada as the Mustangs begin their first season as a Power Four program. The other 12 squads, including nationally ranked Texas and Texas A&M, begin their seasons in Week 1. Eight of the 13 programs in the Lone Star State reached a bowl game last year – down by one team from 2022. 

The 2024 season brings more change to the state than SMU’s move to the ACC. Texas joins the SEC and reunites with the Aggies. Texas A&M is one of three teams under new leadership with Mike Elko taking over in College Station. Willie Fritz (Houston) and Scotty Walden (UTEP) also start Year 1 on Aug. 31. A new 12-team playoff means higher stakes for more teams this season. With P4 conference champions receiving an auto-bid to the CFP alongside the G5 champion, as many as seven in-state teams are in the mix for a spot in the tournament. 

Here is our 2024 preseason Power Poll.  

1. TEXAS LONGHORNS 

2023 record: 12-2, Big 12 champions, College Football Playoff semifinal 
2024 outlook: Texas returns a third year starting quarterback in Quinn Ewers and four starters along the offensive line for Year 1 as an SEC squad. Steve Sarkisian was hired to build a roster capable of beating SEC squads – now he’ll need to do it every week. The good news for the Horns is that the schedule is manageable. 

They avoid Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee, and Mizzou in 2024. The Georgia game is at home. Trips to Michigan and Texas A&M will be tricky, as will the annual meeting with Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl. Reaching the playoff as an SEC squad requires a 10-2 record, maybe even 9-3 with big enough wins. With a reloaded wide receiver unit, an improved pass rush, and a revamped secondary with more speed, it is playoff or bust for Texas. 

2. TEXAS A&M AGGIES 

2023 record: 7-6, Texas Bowl 
2024 outlook: A new era begins in College Station as Elko returns as head coach. He was a successful defensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher from 2018-21 before cutting his teeth in the head coaching ranks with a 16-9 record at Duke. The Aggies were 34-14 in the four seasons under Fisher with Elko on staff. They were 11-11, including a 6-9 mark in the SEC, after Elko left. Texas A&M begins the season ranked 20th in the AP and Coach’s Poll. The Aggies host Notre Dame in the marquee game of Week 1. 

Elko & Co. don’t need to start from scratch. They return plenty of production on offense with quarterback Conner Weigman, running backs Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels, and wide receivers such as Noah Thomas and Moose Muhammad. The defensive line, which added Purdue transfer Nic Scourton, should be one of the best in the SEC. Elko’s secondaries tend to perform at a high level. 

3. SMU MUSTANGS 

2023 record: 11-3, AAC champions, Fenway Bowl 
2024 outlook: SMU rides into Power Four life with two capable starters at quarterback, a stable of running backs and wide receivers, and a solid offensive line. The defensive line, which includes Elijah Roberts, was bolstered by a handful of P5 transfers. The linebackers and secondary units return most of the production from last year. Moving from G5 to P4 isn’t easy (ask Houston) but the Mustangs are uniquely positioned to punch into the second tier of the ACC behind Florida State, Clemson, and Miami as soon as 2024. 

4. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS 

2023 record: 7-6, Independence Bowl 
2024 outlook: Road games and slow starts have plagued otherwise great seasons for the Red Raiders in two years under Joey McGuire. On one hand, Texas Tech is 4-7 on the road with a 1-3 start in 2023 and a 2-3 start in 2022. On the other, the program finished with a winning record in Big 12 play both seasons – no coach since Steve Sloan in the 1970s has done that in their first two seasons at Tech – and are a combined 8-2 after Nov. 1. The 2024 schedule sets up for the Raiders to buck the trend. A 5-0 start isn’t a fever dream and the only road game before Oct. 5 is to Washington State. 

5. TCU HORNED FROGS 

2023 record: 5-7 
2024 outlook: The question in Funky Town heading into 2024 is obvious: Are Sonny Dykes’ Horned Frogs more 2022 or 2023? The answer might be somewhere in the middle in 2024. Much depends on Josh Hoover. The young quarterback threw for over 300 yards in five of his six starts down the stretch last year. The Frogs moved the ball when they weren’t turning it over in the red zone. Speaking of turnovers, Dykes hired Andy Avalos as defensive coordinator to help create more big plays like interceptions, fumbles, and sacks. 

6. UTSA ROADRUNNERS 

2023 record: 9-4, Frisco Bowl 
2024 outlook: UTSA has won more games than any FBS program in Texas since Jeff Traylor arrived in 2020. His Roadrunners are 27-4 against conference opponents in that time with two conference championships and a recent bowl win. The next hurdle is to win the American and compete for the G5 auto bid into the College Football Playoff. They must reach those heights without program stalwarts such as Frank Harris, Rashad Wisdom, and Joshua Cephus, however. A deeper offensive line and possibly the program’s best defense might erase those losses.

7. TEXAS STATE BOBCATS 

2023 record: 8-5, First Responder Bowl 
2024 outlook: GJ Kinne led the Bobcats to the program’s first eight-win season and bowl berth as an FBS program in Year 1 as the head coach. They closed the season with a victory over Rice in the First Responder’s Bowl. Kinne returns most of his staff and a core group of players to the 2024 season. Texas State added quarterback transfer Jordan McCloud and should improve on defense with Ben Bell and Kaleb Culp back in the fold. A Week 2 home game against UTSA could decide the G5 playoff spot if both programs win their conferences.  

8. BAYLOR BEARS 

2023 record: 3-9 
2024 outlook: The Bears posted a losing record for the third time in four seasons under Dave Aranda in a disappointing 2023 campaign. Baylor attacked the transfer portal and leaned into NIL while changing the coaching staff structure with Aranda taking over defensive play calling and hiring Jake Spavital to run the offense. Toledo transfer Dequan Finn was recently named starting quarterback. Aranda enters the season on the hot seat and needing to reach a bowl and finish the season over .500 to show that his Bears are moving in the right direction. 

9. HOUSTON COUGARS 

2023 record: 4-8 
2024 outlook: The Cougars pushed the reset button one year into Big 12 membership by firing head coach Dana Holgorsen and athletic director Chris Pezman. Houston hired Willie Fritz to run the football program after successful stints at, well, everywhere he’s ever coached. That includes nearby Sam Houston and Blinn Junior College. He most recently resurrected Tulane from the basement. He’ll need to do the same in Third Ward. 

10. RICE OWLS 

2023 record: 6-7, First Responder Bowl 
2024 outlook: The Owls continue to inch forward after program under the stewardship of Mike Bloomgren, who is the state’s longest-tenured FBS coach as he enters Year 7 in charge on South Main. Rice brought in Temple transfer quarterback EJ Warner to replace JT Daniels. Replacing wide receiver Luke McCaffrey might be the biggest challenge. 

11. NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN 

2023 record: 5-7
2024 outlook: Eight of the Mean Green’s 12 games last year were decided by one possession. They went 3-5 in those contests in Year 1 under Eric Morris. His offense was great. His defense was arguably the worst in the FBS. Chandler Morris arrives from TCU to take the reigns of what will be one of the most pass-happy offenses in America. Moving up the AAC ranks is doable for the Mean Green in 2024 if the defense can make the jump from putrid to average. 

12. SAM HOUSTON BEARKATS 

2023 record: 3-9 
2024 outlook: Sam Houston is another team that lost too many one-possession games to reach a bowl in Year 1 as an FBS program. Thin margins exist in Conference USA so the Bearkats could jump into bowl contention in Year 2, especially if offensive weapons such as Ife Adeyi and Zach Hrbacek can stay healthy. The defense should be good again. They must learn how to close games against conference foes. 

13. UTEP MINERS

2023 record: 3-9
2024 outlook: The Miners turned to the young and energetic Scotty Walden to inject excitement and offensive firepower into the squad. The first half of the schedule is brutal with trips to Nebraska, Colorado State, and Liberty by Week 6. They can build momentum into the 2025 offseason with a strong finish, however.