Catch up on Week 13 around the Lone Star State as all 13 FBS programs were in action. 

1. SMU crashes ACC party 

Don’t let anyone tell you money can’t buy happiness. 

SMU wanted a seat at the adult’s table after decades relegated to second tier football. Boosters like Bill Armstrong and Dave Miller attended the school in the 1980s when the Ponies were the toast of the Southwest Conference. Now, with money to burn, they, and others, wanted a new generation of Ponies to enjoy Saturdays in the fall. Mission accomplished. The Week 13 win over Virginia clinched a spot in the ACC championship in two weeks in Charlotte, likely against Miami. 

SMU passed up on 10 years’ worth of television revenue, betting that a return to major college football would make up for the money they never had in the first place. The bet cashed. Head coach Rhett Lashlee built a P4 roster through the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail, maneuvering through a quarterback change after the BYU loss to catapult the program to heights not seen in 40 years. 

The Mustangs are two wins away from their second consecutive conference title – they won the AAC last season – and a berth into the College Football Playoffs as one of the top four seeds with an automatic bye to the quarterfinals. No one believed it was possible. No one except for those on the Hilltop. 

2. Texas A&M falls in four overtimes 

The SEC schedule is a gauntlet and night games late in the season are a recipe for disaster. Alabama learned that at Oklahoma while the Aggies were reminded at Auburn. A slow start put Texas A&M in a 21-0 hole that they climbed out of by the 4:01 mark in the fourth quarter after an Amari Daniels touchdown. The Aggies couldn’t hold the lead, however, and the Tigers eventually won the two-point competition that begin in the third overtime. 

The loss, while disappointing, is not debilitating. The goals are still in front of Mike Elko’s squad because the winner of the Lone Star Showdown on Saturday night in College Station will determine who faces Georgia in the SEC championship game. The winner of the SEC championship game will get a bye into the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.  

3. UTSA reaches a bowl game for fifth straight season 

History is an important reminder. Jeff Traylor arrived at UTSA ahead of the 2020 season, taking over an embryotic football program that had learned how to acquire talent under former head coach Frank Wilson, but not one that knew how to win. The 2016 trip to the New Mexico Bowl was on the only postseason appearance for the Roadrunners since joining the FBS in 2013. Seven wins in 2013 were the most in program history outside the eight-win WAC season in 2012. 

Traylor matched that seven-win total in his inaugural season, leading UTSA to its second bowl game in program history. The Roadrunners then won consecutive CUSA titles with a combined 23-5 record in 2021-22. A nine-win season announced their arrival in the American, which was capped off with the program’s first bowl win in school history. 

Doubt began to creep in around the program following a 3-5 start that included a collapse at Tulsa and losses to Rice and East Carolina – programs that fired coaches shortly after those wins over UTSA. Traylor was headed towards his first losing season as a head coach. But then he wasn’t. UTSA found a quarterback in Owen McCown and have won four of its last six. The two losses were by a combined three points. 

4. Sam Houston offense bites Bearkats 

The defense was good enough for Sam Houston to scratch past second- and third-tier Conference USA programs, but the top tier of the league requires some semblance of balance. Balance that the Kats simply don’t have in present form. A beat-up Hunter Watson is out of sync in the passing game. He was 13-of-25 for 84 yards in the 21-11 loss at Jax State. 

Sam Houston was 3-0 over the last three games despite scoring a grand total of 42 combined points in that time. The Kats won with 10 points at FIU and nine points versus La Tech. But in games against Western Kentucky and Jax State, that isn’t enough. It is hard to imagine it’ll be enough against Liberty to end the season. 

5. TCU found its groove 

Sonny Dykes’ program was reeling after the first Friday of October when Houston arrived in Fort Worth and bullied the Horned Frogs during the upset win. It was the third loss in the last four games for the Frogs, including a collapse at home against UCF and an embarrassing performance at SMU that included Dykes getting ejected like a baseball manager in front of his former student body. 

Instead of further collapse, TCU rose up and saved the season. That continued with a dominant 49-28 victory over Arizona. Win next week at Cincinnati and the Frogs finish the regular season 8-4 and winners of five of the last six. The team’s only loss since Oct. 4 was a three-point decision at Baylor. 

6. Texas rolls 

Winning by 17 points in the SEC shouldn’t be taken for granted. The Longhorns weren’t perfect, or even overly impressive for large stretches, but they took care of business and are a road win against rival Texas A&M away from reaching the SEC championship game and locking up a spot in the College Football Playoff for the second straight season. 

7. Texas Tech gets another road win 

Joey McGuire only won four of his first 14 road games as head coach at Texas Tech. His Red Raiders have now won their last two and are a home win over a struggling West Virginia squad away from finishing the regular season 8-4. Tahj Brooks touched the ball 37 times for 198 yards and four total touchdowns. Jacob Rodriguez, who is playing at an All-Big 12 level, finished the game off with an interception. 

8. North Texas runs out of bullets 

The Mean Green looked like a competent defense for nearly two full quarters in the loss to East Carolina in their first game since firing defensive coordinator Matt Caponi. North Texas built a 21-0 while forcing two early turnovers and stopping ECU on fourth down. The Pirates scored their first touchdown late in the second quarter and then ripped off the first 24 points of the third quarter to build a 10-point lead that they never relinquished. 

9. The Dave Aranda Quote of the Week 

The Baylor head coach is always good for a great quote and he delivered another one after the 20-10 win over Houston. 

10. Texas State loses third in last five 

The Bobcats exited the Week 2 blowout win over the rival UTSA Roadrunners with Sun Belt aspirations and College Football Playoff dreams. They left the same stadium after a Week 13 loss to Georgia State scratching their heads and wondering how it all slipped away. It was Texas State’s third loss in the last five games.