Here’s a recap of everything that happened in Week 5 of Texas college football season.

1. Time is running out for Dave Aranda  

Two things can be true at once. And while his Baylor Bears haven’t quit on Dave Aranda and this coaching staff, the record makes it hard to justify a future with him as head coach beyond 2024. 

Baylor is now 6-17 against Power Five competition and 6-15 against Big 12 foes since the start of 2022. The Bears are also 6-11 at McLane Stadium in Waco during that time. The stands were half empty before the opening kickoff. There is no reason to fire Aranda at this junction because the season isn’t halfway over and the team is still playing hard, but Baylor could be 2-4 by its idle week halfway through the season. 

2. Who has it better than the Longhorns? 

While the two other SEC favorites – Georgia and Alabama – were in a dog fight in primetime, the Texas Longhorns were hanging out on the Forty Acres following a 22-point win in their first SEC game. A dropped sure-fire TD pass and two fumbles kept the game closer than it should’ve been considering Arch Manning was 26 of 31 for 324 yards and three total touchdowns.

The defense has only allowed 35 points all year – the lowest total through five games since 1977. The injury to Quinn Ewers came at the perfect time and the last 2.5 games worked out perfectly for Steve Sarkisian. Manning was given two weeks as the starter, and while he played well, no one is wondering who the starter is when Ewers returns after the idle week to face Oklahoma. 

3. The Ponies are a problem 

Turns out that BYU loss wasn’t a warning shot because the Cougars are good. And so is SMU, especially with Kevin Jennings at quarterback. The Mustangs scored 44 points in two games against FBS competition with Preston Stone at quarterback, winning one of two. With Jennings at the helm in two games against FBS opponents, SMU is 2-0 with 108 points scored. Some of that is thanks to the Scott Symons defense, which has 14 takeaways in the past four games and at least three in all four since the Nevada win in Week 0. The Ponies have four defensive touchdowns and an FBS high five non-offensive touchdowns on the year. 

4. Texas A&M is on a roll 

The Aggies won their fourth straight in a predictably goofy contest against Arkansas at Jerry World. Quick starts are normal in College Station, though. They were 3-1 after the Arkansas win in 2022 and 4-1 after beating the Razorbacks in 2023. The problems occurred following those victories. Texas A&M lost six straight after the Arkansas win in 2022 and two of the next three after the victory in 2023. Mike Elko’s team is still in the College Playoff hunt thanks to a 12-team expansion. A win over Mizzou in Week 6 at Kyle Field would propel the Aggies to a Top 15 ranking. 

5. TCU needed that one…bad 

The noise was about to get loud in Funky Town if the Horned Frogs lost their third straight. Instead, they sent Kansas to the cellar of the Big 12 with a comeback win on the road in Arrowhead. TCU gave up 14 points in the first 11 minutes of the game before settling in to allow just 13 over the last 49 minutes. Josh Hoover threw for over 300 yards for the ninth time in 11 starts. But beyond another great performance by the TCU passing game, especially wide receivers Jack Bech and Eric McAllister, was the emergence of the run game. TCU ran the ball 35 times to 37 pass attempts as true freshman Jeremy Payne and starter Cam Cook combined for 125 yards on 23 carries. 

6. Things really might run through Lubbock 

Texas Tech is great at home. Night games at Jones AT&T Stadium should be a bucket list experience for any college football fan in the state of Texas. The Red Raiders sold out their second game of the year and won 44-41 against Cincinnati in a pivotal Big 12 game between two surging squads. Joey McGuire is now 14-3 at home with six-straight wins in The Jones. Tahj Brooks ran for over 170 yards and Behren Morton didn’t commit a turnover for the third straight game – all wins. The defense wasn’t great, but they produced three turnovers, including a Pick 6 by A.J. McCarty. 

7. Sam Houston, North Texas the class of G5 football in Texas

The Bearkats and Mean Green are a combined 8-2 to start 2024 and are undefeated against fellow G5 programs. The only loss for North Texas was at 4-1 Texas Tech. The only loss for Sam Houston was at UCF. The Bearkats roared back from a 22-0 first-quarter deficit to knock off Texas Tech with a last-second field goal. Their first and only lead came with six seconds left in the game. North Texas beat Tulsa by 30+ points to tie the program’s best start since 1967. The Mean Green have accounted for over 500 yards of total offense in 11 of Eric Morris’ 17 games in charge. 

8. Scary hours for Rice, Bloomgren 

The Owls dominated in almost every metric other than the scoreboard in the Week 5 loss to Charlotte. Rice led 10-0 at halftime, but were defeated, 21-20, despite racking up 463 yards of total offense. Now at 1-4, head coach Mike Bloomgren’s seat is starting to heat up. Losses to Sam Houston and Charlotte – at home – are hard to justify in Year 7 at the program. The steady mark of improvement from one season to the next was the hallmark of the Owls under Bloom, but they’ve taken a step back in 2024. 

9. Time to recalibrate expectations at UTSA 

The hope for the Roadrunners was that a strong run game and a stout defense would help them transition away from the Frank Harris era with grace. Instead, they’ve lost three of their last four and the only two wins of the season were against an FCS team (Houston Christian) and Kennesaw State, which is in its first season as an FBS program. UTSA isn’t a conference contender in 2024. The Roadrunners’ new goal is to reach a bowl game and figure out which pieces to ride with into 2025. 

10. News looming for Texas State 

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported in the middle of the Sam Houston comeback that the Bobcats were formally invited to the Mountain West. We reported last week that Texas State had spoken with the Pac-12, MWC, and the AAC about moving conferences to make more money. The Sun Belt is a great football conference for fans, but the television deal is bad. The Bobcats are expected to make a decision about their future in the next few days while they work tirelessly behind the scenes to find the best landing spot.