Here’s a little nugget to add excitement to the 2024 football season. Four national championship games will be played in Texas. The NCAA Division II title game is back at McKinney ISD Stadium on Dec. 21. The Division III championship game returns to Texas and will be played at Turner Stadium in Humble on Jan. 4, 2025. The FCS title game returns to Frisco on Jan. 6, 2025. The NJCAA Division I national championship game will be inside Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium on the campus of  West Texas A&M on Dec. 18. 

FCS

Tarleton’s offense was rolling in the first half of the Texans' Week 0 game against McNeese. Victor Gabalis completed 11 of 18 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown, leading the Texans to a 26-7 lead at the break. Then came the bad news. Gabalis suffered a thumb injury late in the first half and could not grip the ball.

The offense sputtered under the guidance of backup quarterback Jaden Pete, who completed 1 of 8 passes for 4 yards in the second half. Tarleton coach Todd Whitten announced earlier this week that Gabalis will miss Saturday’s game at Baylor.

Gabalis underwent surgery on his injured thumb ligament this week, but the Texans received good news. Gabalis is expected to miss three to four weeks, which relieved those around the program who initially feared the injury might cause Gabalis to miss the remainder of the season. 

Indeed, Pete’s performance in the second half was not good. However, the game plan was built around Gabalis' strengths. Pete, a transfer from Tyler, has more dual-threat ability. Pete won the backup quarterback job over Daniel Greek, who had surgery on his back last year after transferring to Tarleton from Mississippi State.

If Pete is the starter against Baylor, expect Tarleton offensive coordinator Adam Austin to build a game plan around his strengths. Austin has a track record of success with both dual-threat and dropback quarterbacks. However, Greek will likely receive playing time if Pete struggles early against the Bears. The Texans hope to find an answer at quarterback before they travel to play Houston Christian next week and their United Athletic Conference opener at North Alabama on Sept. 21.

United Athletic Conference eyes single-sport conference status in 2025

Sources within the UAC are hopeful the NCAA DI Council and Board of Directors will allow the moratorium on adding single-sport conferences to expire in January 2025. The DI Council voted in June 2023 to extend the moratorium through the end of the 2024 calendar year. If the moratorium expires, single-sport conferences, like the UAC, can submit an application for membership beginning on Feb. 1, 2025, until May 31, 2025.

Those within the UAC are confident they will be approved for membership once the moratorium expires. Central Arkansas President Dr. Houston Davis is currently a DI Board of Directors member and is expected to voice his support for the UAC receiving membership.

The UAC does not presently own an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. The auto bid remains under the umbrella of the Atlantic Sun Conference, which continues to operate in partnership with the Western Athletic Conference. Becoming a single-sport conference member is crucial for the UAC’s plan to transition to FBS as a conference.

Prairie View A&M names Houston transfer Lucas Coley starting quarterback

Prairie View A&M head coach Bubba McDowell named Lucas Coley the starting quarterback during the Labor Day Classic press conference. Coley transferred to PVAMU after spending the previous two seasons at Houston. The Converse native appeared in three games for the Cougars as a redshirt freshman and ended the 2022 season as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart. Coley beat out Missouri State transfer Jaden Johnson and Kilgore transfer Cameron Peters for the starting job.

The Panthers are set to host Texas Southern in the 39th edition of the Labor Day Classic on Saturday. The game will mark the head coaching debut for Tigers coach Cris Dishman, who teamed with McDowell in the early 1990s to form a dynamic defensive back duo for the Houston Oilers. Read more about their friendship here.