Photo by Noah Goldberg
Arch Manning and Quintrevion Wisner and the rest of the Texas Longhorns overcame a rough first half (offensively) and showed grit and Texas Fight in a dominant second half, outscoring Texas Agricultural & Mechanical 24-7 to secure a second straight win over the Aggies (since restart of the rivalry – 3 straight with 27-25). Quintrevion finished with 155 yards rushing, 126 of that in the second half. A team win, with excellent blocking from the offensive line (Texas rushed for 208, Aggies only got 2 sacks), a resilient pass defense that left Marcel Reed with just 180 yards passing and 2 interceptions that sealed the Texas victory. All of this played out in one of the loudest, if not the loudest, Memorial Stadium crowds I can remember.
Michael Taaffe. If you don’t watch any other video or click any other links, please watch this one.
https://x.com/HornsIllus/status/1994691103057219771
Monday Morning Highlights:
https://x.com/TexasFootball/status/1995504475872837832
The Mini-Movie – over 8 minutes but worth every second.
https://x.com/TexasFootball/status/1995986366060999075
The drone show, courtesy of Tracy LaQuey Parker (happy birthday!)
The only thing missing is Los Longhorns in Español. Bummed. Will have to speak with management.
College Football Playoffs
The Longhorns look like they will be on the outside looking in after the penultimate poll placed them at No. 12, behind 2 teams they beat (Texas Agricultural & Mechanical and the Land Thieves). Not to mention behind Notre Dame, who lost to the Aggies, who of course got spanked by Big Brother. Life isn’t fair. Perhaps some more thoughts before the last edition of Volume XXII of the AHFD.
College Football Last Weekend
A wonderful weekend of football. I will say it was super nice to have our game (and win) on Friday and be able to relax and enjoy some games on Saturday. Ole Miss doubled up Mississippi State 38-19, basically 2 over easy. No. 4 Georgia over No. 23 Georgia Tech in a low scoring Bulldog win, 16-9. No. 1 Ohio State and No. 15 Michigan, in the snow, in the Big House. Sometimes Big Ten football bores me to tears, this game did not. Buckeyes with a big 27-9 win to stop the streak. No. 14 Vanderbilt and my least favorite player Pavia stomped No. 19 Tennessee 45-24. Wahoos with the 27-7 win over the Hokies. A fun Iron Bowl, close as somewhat expected, as No. 10 Alabama beat Auburn 27-20. Then the nightcap from the Farm, No. 9 Notre Dame 49-20 over Stanford. Another family sweep with Texas, Virginia, Ole Miss, and Notre Dame winning.
College Football This Weekend
It is Championship Game weekend. Full previews below. Unfortunately, not much can be done to save the Longhorns at this point.
Photo by Noah Goldberg
Texas Longhorns 27, Texas A & M Aggies 17
What a game. A somewhat brutal first half and then an absolutely dominant second half. I was expecting a much higher scoring game, and the 10-3 halftime score was a surprise. I had predicted (before the game at JHT) that Texas would be trailing by 3 points at halftime, so I was not too upset about the score, but I was a bit worried about the Texas offense.
The first quarter was what is normally called a defensive struggle, but I think it might be more aptly described as just struggling offenses. The first 5 possessions ended on punts, and before the Aggies’ drive for missed field goal, Texas had managed to gain 24 yards and Texas Agricultural & Mechanical had 23. The boxscore doesn’t show blown defensive pass interference calls, but those were critical.
This one is truly inexplicable.
On the Aggies’ next to last possession, after Texas had done a reasonable job playing field position, Niblett returned the aggy punt to the Texas 37, but a block in the back pushed the Horns back to the 27. Manning finally had a nice pass to Jack Endries for 11 yards. A few plays later on third and 9, Arch aired it out for Wingo but the Aggies played it well. Concepcion fielded a 57 yard Bouwmeester punt at the aggy 4 and ran it out to the 13. The way the Texas defense was playing, I thought this would be our chance to get the ball back with great field position, but Marcel Reed got his act together. A drive that included a 17-yard pass to Concepcion (12 yac), a 20 yard Reed run, and a 14 yard completion to Craver had Texas Agricultural & Mechanical at the Texas 26, and a questionable (based on later noncall) Unnecessary Roughness penalty on McDonald gave the Aggies a first and ten at the Texas 13. An aggy false start pushed them back a little, Colin Simmons got pressure on Reed and his first down pass went incomplete, and then two Aggie runs netted zero. Texas Agricultural & Mechanical lined up for a 35 yard field goal, and Ethan Burke with a big play against the Aggies (again) as he blocked the field goal. Texas took over and it was Manning’s turn.
Before looking at the Texas drive, which included 1:42 of the first quarter, some of the Q1 stats. Aggies rushed for 37 yards on 8 carries, Reed was 4 of 9 for 47 yards. Texas rushed 20 yards on 6 carries, and of that 12 yards came on a Manning run in the carryover series. Arch was 4 of 12 for 21 yards. Texas had 41 yards of offense and 23 yards of penalties. Not optimal.
Arch did get the Horns moving, with the aforementioned 12 yard run on a crucial third and 10 at the Texas 20. The next few plays: Arch to Wingo, 2 yards; Arch run for 3 yards; Arch run for 8 yards on third and 5; Arch to Endries for 7 yards, into plus territory; Wisner 8 yards. Manning’s first down deep pass to Mosley was broken up at the Aggie 10, but Wisner picked up 13 yards to get to the Aggie 27. A couple of incompletions and Texas sent Shipley in for the 41 yard field goal, which he nailed. 3-0 Texas.
The Aggies responded with a solid 62 yard, 9 play drive which included a 12 yard pass to Melin-Öhrström, a 15 yard DPI call on Muhammad which gave the Aggies a first down at the Texas 30, and then a 14 yard Reed run. The defense strengthened and another Aggy offsides helped, and Elko sent on the field goal unit for a 31 yarder which tied the game at 3.
Texas needed to respond, but like so many other times this season, a penalty put us in third and long (holding, third and 16), and Manning couldn’t convert. A 3 and out after the Aggies had scored was not what we needed. Nor was a 30 yard KC Concepcion punt return to the Texas 42 (and a touchdown saving shirt tackle by Burke).
The Texas defense actually had the Aggies with a fourth and 5, but our normally impenetrable fourth down defense (33.3%, #1 SEC, #6 nationally) gave up 7 on a good pass to Craver. The Aggies were one of the better fourth down offenses, #6, #2 – 73.3% (#2 SEC, #6 nationally). Reed went to work with his best receivers. 9 more yards to Craver, 12 yards to Concepcion to the Texas 9. Elko with a great play call for the sweep with Concepcion for the Aggie touchdown. 10-3 Aggies. Texas got the ball back with 52 seconds, and Arch moved the Horns (8 yards pass, 12 yard run, 11 yard pass). But the offense stalled at the Aggy 42, and a third down sack for 8 yards with 12 seconds left ended the drive. Texas would go to the locker room down 7.
Texas second quarter stats: 25 yards from Wisner on 3 carries, Manning netted 12 Manning was 4 for 10 for 30 yards. 71 yards of offense, 25 yards of penalties. Marcel Reed was 6 for 6 for 47 yards, and the Aggies had 46 yards rushing.
Texas came out for the second half and went to work. Aggies got the ball first, and Texas forced a 3 and out, aided by Simmons getting pressure on Reed on third and 8. Texas got the ball at the 22 after the punt, and on the first play, Quintrevion Wisner ripped off a 48 yard run that portended things to come. At the Aggy 30 yard line, Manning fired a pass to Wingo who was interfered with, giving the Horns a first down at the Aggie 18. A loss on a run, and incompletion at the goal line (Mosley was the target), and then a sack and intentional grounding led to a fourth and 20 and a 46 yard field goal attempt. Shipley nailed it, and with 27 minutes to play, Texas down 4. That would change.
The Texas defense forced another three and out. Texas got the ball at its own 30 yard line. Wisner with 6 and 16 yards, a short pass, and then a 17 yard run set the Horns up at the Aggie 27. On second and 12, the aggies brought pressure, but Manning used his feet and his eyes to find Wingo alone in the endzone, lofting a pass just on the right side of the line of scrimmage, which Wingo caught with an exceptionally athletic play. 13-10 Texas, and Texas has all the momentum and a hundred thousand on their side.
The Texas defense gave the offense what the Longhorns needed – another stop. Smith got nothing on third and one, and when the aggies lined up at the 50 yard line to go for it on fourth down, the Burnt Orange Nation was loud, and the aggies jumped again. Elko elected to punt on fourth and 6.
Manning went to work. An excellent 19 yard pass to Livingstone and an 11 yard Quintrevion run had Texas to midfield. On second and 12, Arch dropped a short pass to big Jack Endries (out of a 2-tight end set, which I love), who rumbled and stiff-armed his way to the Aggy 2 yard line (54 yards, 36 after the catch). That ended the third quarter, and on the first play of the fourth quarter, Sark with a great call on a fine end around for Nick Townsend to put Texas up 20-10.
Texas stoned the aggies in the third quarter. Quintrevion rushed for 92 yards. Manning was 4 of 5 for 106 yards. Texas had no penalties. The Aggies rushed for 28 yards, but reed was just 2 for 5 for 7 yards. And it was the Aggies with 17 yards of penalties.
The teams traded punts, and the Aggies got the ball down 10 with 10:45 to play. I thought Texas was going to get another stop after we got an offensive pass interference call, but on third and 21 Reed made a nice run and Muhammad got Marcel’s face mask, giving the Aggies a first down at the Texas 41. Reed completed 2 passes to Melin-Öhrström, including a 28 yarder to the Texas 13. Emmitt’s son almost untouched right up the gut for an Aggie touchdown to make it a 3 point game.
Manning answered. A beautiful 21 yard pass to Endries got the Horns in plus territory at the Aggie 42. A couple of 1 yard gains, then on third down the aggies were called for offsides. If you know Rick Whiteley, ask him what I said after that. Great play call by Sark, as Manning took it to the house and an excellent run, well blocked at the line. 27-17 Texas with 7 minutes to play.
A huge rivalry game against an undefeated team who has explosive play capabilities. A lot of time. Texas needed the Defense. Taaffe & Co. brought it. Reed did get some yards – a 19 yard pass completion to Concepcion to midfield. Simmons got a sack, but Reed hit Bethel-Roman for a first down to the Texas 36. A few plays later, first down Aggies at the Texas 18. Reed dropped back, Justus Terry with a good rush, and Mookie with one of the biggest interceptions in his Texas career. 3 and a half minutes and a 10 point lead.
Reed had another chance with 2:32 to play, but on the first play Kobe Black picked him off.
Texas still needed a first down, and Quintrevion delivered with a 30 yard run to seal the game and the win, ending Texas Agricultural & Mechanical’s perfect season, a pot in the SEC championship game, and top-4 seeding in the CFP. What a magnificent win.
Arch Manning finished 14/29 for 179 yards and a touchdown, plus 53 yards on the ground including that critical touchdown run on third down for the final Texas touchdown. Arch’s QBR was 91.4. Reed was 20/32 for 180 yards and 2 picks, no scores, and he led the Aggies with 71 yards rushing; QBR of 65.1.
Quintrevion Wisner finished with 155 yards on 19 rushes, an 8.2 yards per carry average, plus 2 catches for 19 yards. Endries had 4 catches for 93 yards, Wingo 4 for 34 and the score.
Liona Lefau led the Longhorns with 11 tackles. McDonald and Burke each had 9.
I looked back at my long list of keys to the game for Texas.
- A tectonic shift in performance by the Texas defense. They did it. 180 yards and 0 passing touchdowns, back to post-RRS standard.
- Arch Manning had to continue his improvement. He was not able to do that in the first half, but he made up for it in the second.
- Texas has a lot more than a semblance of a rushing attack – a Quintrevion metric ton more. Our first hundred yard rusher of the season.
- “Texas probably needs to be plus 2 in the turnover battle to win (and not have any Texas turnovers that turn to Texas Aggie touchdowns).” ✔️
- Play a clean game, penalty wise. Texas didn’t win this stat. Aggies 8 for 62 yards and Texas 7 for 78 yards. But, 48 of the Texas penalty yards were in the first half. And, frankly, if the SEC officials had just called one of the 2 aggy DPI’s in the first quarter, Texas would have had this edge. Call it a draw.
Finally, Texas needs to figure out a way to play a clean game. Both teams are among the most penalized in the country. If the Longhorns can avoid the penalties, especially the really bad ones (big returns or offensive plays called back) and the hurtful ones (holding calls on 1st or 2nd down to put Texas way behind the chains), then this might be one of the edges that can get Texas in the win column.
A great win for The University of Texas, and a top-5 game at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium for me. Actually, probably one of the best ever, and definitely the best in the last 15+ years.
A very sweet Eyes of Texas!
The game was the most watched game on the ABC/ESPN family, with 13 million viewers, a peak of 14.3. It was the most watched weekday college football game ever, and it was the third most watched game this season across all networks. A lot of eyes on Texas.
Highlights from ESPN, about 18 minutes.
Condensed game, from the SEC, about 20 minutes.
Some Good Stuff
John Bianco, looking at Brian Fremeau’s work (BCF Toys, which I include each week).
https://x.com/UT_Bianco/status/1996603135284895759
Great photos from Noah Goldberg
TCT Thoughts on the Season
First, I am grateful for a winning season, a season where the Longhorns defeated our greatest rivals, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M. A season in which we saw Arch Manning go from over-hyped pre-season Heisman favorite to one ignorant New York pundit’s “flop” to the man we saw lead the Longhorns to victory over the Aggies. A season where Arch Manning joined the ranks of the greatest among Texas quarterbacks to beat the Hogs, Land Thieves, and Aggies in the same season (including Duke Carlyle, James Street, Randy McEachern, Peter Gardere, Colt McCoy, and Quinn Ewers, in my lifetime).
Arch Manning. I am so excited to watch him play next season. From John Bianco:
- Arch Manning has tallied 16 TDs (12 pass/3 rush/1 receiving) over last 5 games
- His 33 TDs responsible for in 2025 (24 pass/8 rush/1 receiving) are tied for FIFTH-MOST in Season in Longhorn history
- With his 35-yard TD run vs A&M, Arch has 26 plays of 30+ yards on season
I think the most important test for Steve Sarkisian since arrival in Austin is the next eight months. First, how does the team hold together for a very important bowl game – regardless of the bowl or the opponent. Second, while the recruiting went well (No. 2 class per ESPN, No. 8 per 247sports.com), the Texas management must have a big year in the portal. Every gap filled, every weakness identified and
How does Arch Manning’s Texas respond to 2025? I think the Florida loss becomes a critical piece of DNA from this team to the 2026 Longhorns. The sting of that loss, and what it cost the Longhorns, must become a driving memory for success in 2026. When the Horns get down in a game, and they will, how do they respond? More than just playing for each other, more than playing with pride, Manning and the other leaders on next year’s team must remind all of the Horns what Gainesville cost them in 2025.
We are projected to play the Michigan Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl, December 31, 2:30 kick. Texas played Michigan in the Rose Bowl and won 38-37. I think this is a great was to close out the 2025 season, as long as we do it with a win!
Love being with family at Longhorn games.
BCF Toys
Texas at the end of the regular season. Lots of stats will get wonky between now and our bowl game, with first round CFP games, other bowl games, etc.
| FEI | OFEI | DFEI | SFEI – Adj | |
| Texas | No. 18: 0.86 | No. 37: 0.18 | No. 13: 0.57 | No. 9: 0.12 |
| NAY | OAY | DAY | |
| Texas | No. 40: 0.075 | No. 67: 0.475 | No. 26: 0.400 |
| NPD | OPD | DPD | |
| Texas | No. 27: 0.87 | No. 42: 2.52 | No. 18: 1.65 |
| NPP | OPP | DPP | |
| Texas | No. 47: 0.52 | No. 67: 5.76 | No. 30: 5.22 |
| PVE | OVE | DVE | SVE | |
| Texas | No. 23: 0.49 | No. 51: 0.01 | No. 17: 0.39 | No. 8: 0.10 |
BCF’s F+ ratings (Brian Fremeau’s FEI ratings combined with Bill Connelly’s SP+ ratings).
| F+ | OF+ | DF+ | SF+ | |
| Texas | No. 20: 1.13 | No. 39: 0.62 | No. 14: 1.28 | No. 13: 1.28 |
My updated results for the Longhorns versus the BCF Projections:
Texas Longhorns Results – BCF Game Projections 2025 – Austin Horns Fan Dispatch
The ESPN Matchup Predictor was the only metric which I track that predicted a Texas win, 51.5%.
Conference Championship Game Weekend
Friday
Conference USA Championship
Kennesaw State Owls (9-3) at Jacksonville State Gamecocks (8-4), 6:00 p.m. on CBSSN. Jack State favored by 2.5, over/under is 60.5. This is Kennesaw State’s 2nd year in the FBS and Jacksonville State’s 3rd. Impressive.
Sun Belt Championship
Troy Trojans (8-4) at James Madison Dukes (11-1), 6:00 p.m. on ESPN from Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Dukes favored by 23.5, over is 60.5. Going to be a chilly night in the upper Shenandoah Valley. JMU to win.
American Athletic Championship
No. 24 North Texas Mean Green (11-1) at No. 20 Tulane Green Wave (10-2), 7:00 p.m. on ABC from Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. Mean Green favored by 2.5 over the Green Wave, over/under is 66.5. This will be an excellent football game. North Texas to win and cover.
| Projected Winner | Projected Loser | PW | PM | PF | PA | PT |
| North Texas | Tulane | .656 | 5.8 | 32.3 | 26.5 | 58.9 |
Mountain West Championship
UNLV Rebels (10-2) at Boise State Broncos (8-4), 7:00 p.m. on FOX, the Smurf Turf at Albertson’s Stadium in Boise. Boise State favored by 4.5, over/under is 59.5. Not sure, but I think Rebels cover.
Saturday
Big XII Championship
No 11 Brigham Young Cougars (11-1) vs. No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-1), 11:00 a.m. on ABC from AT&T Stadium in Arlington. A rematch of the huge game in Lubbock which the Sand Aggies won 29-7. Tech favored by 12.5, over/under is 49.5. Tech to win.
| Projected Winner | Projected Loser | PW | PM | PF | PA | PT |
| Texas Tech | Brigham Young | .693 | 7.4 | 26.2 | 18.8 | 45.0 |
MAC Championship
Miami Redhawks (7-5) vs. Western Michigan Broncos (8-4), 11:00 a.m. on ESPN from Ford Field in Detroit. Broncos favored by 1.5, over/under is 43.5. Bill Connelly has the score Miami 24, Western Michigan 23. Miami to win!
| Projected Winner | Projected Loser | PW | PM | PF | PA | PT |
| Western Michigan | Miami | .563 | 2.2 | 22.1 | 19.9 | 42.1 |
Southeastern Conference Championship
No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (11-1) vs. No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2), 3:00 p.m. on ABC from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This will be the 76th game between the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide, a series which Alabama leads 45-26-4. Crimson Tide has won 10 of the last 11. Kirby has one (very big) win over Alabama. Bulldogs favored by 2.5, over/under is 48.5. Georgia to win and cover.
| Projected Winner | Projected Loser | PW | PM | PF | PA | PT |
| Georgia | Alabama | .536 | 1.3 | 27.3 | 26.1 | 53.4 |
Big Ten Championship
No. 2. Indiana Hoosiers (11-0) vs. No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0), 7:00 p.m. on FOX from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Buckeyes favored by 4, over/under is 47.5. Ohio State to win and cover.
| Projected Winner | Projected Loser | PW | PM | PF | PA | PT |
| Indiana | Ohio State | .503 | 0.1 | 21.7 | 21.5 | 43.2 |
Atlantic Coast Conference Championship
Duke Blue Devils (7-5) vs. No. 17 Virginia Cavaliers (10-2), 7:00 p.m. on ABC from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Wahoos favored by 4, over/under is 57.5. Bill Connelly has it UVA 33, Duke 25. Hoos to win! BCF Projection:
| Projected Winner | Projected Loser | PW | PM | PF | PA | PT |
| Virginia | Duke | .635 | 5.0 | 31.2 | 26.2 | 57.4 |
Bill Connelly’s SP+ Picks
Juan Heisman Tailgate
JHT completed another undefeated season with a righteous tailgate party that exceeded even my predictions and expectations. Joined by so many Good Aggies, we had well over 200 family and friends at Juan Heisman. 25 dozen Del Rio handmade tamales (thanks Rose Marie!), about 30 pounds of venison sausage (thanks Gary & Nathan), and hundreds of Frito pies were washed down with 20 cases of beer, about a case and half of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and a whole lot of other beverages. Nice work on the wine Jason. As always, thanks to the Early Crew, led by Chief Hunter Wilcox, who got up before dawn the morning after Thanksgiving and got the smoker and Suburban to Lot 38 and secured the grounds. So many people to thank, but special props to Brad Laughlin, Judd Messer, Rick Whiteley, Bill Skeen, and Bobby Zamen.
The OG’s of JHT. Taylor, Laughlin, Hawley, & Ferguson.
Texas Men’s Basketball
Texas played the Virginia Cavaliers Wednesday night at the Moody Center. It wasn’t pretty. 88-69 Hoos. Back to work. Monday Texas hosts Southern at 7:00 p.m. At Connecticut next Friday night, 8:00 p.m. on FOX. Then the Le Moyne Dolphins at Moody on December 16.
Texas Women’s Basketball
The No. 2 Longhorns played No. 11 North Carolina Thursday night and beat the Tarheels 79-64. Vic has a very good team.
Texas Volleyball
Texas is hosting a Regional in Austin. First game is Friday at 7:00 p.m. against Florida A&M in Gregory Gym. After Texas wins, they will play the winner of Penn State and South Florida on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Not sure about TV.
Accolades
Arch Manning: Semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Texas Rose Award
Ethan Burke was SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Trevor Goosby was SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week.
Coach Steve Sarkisian was the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week.
Texas did it what it had to do by beating the Aggies, but none of the other dominoes we needed to fall fell. Bummer.
Week Fourteen in the Southeastern Conference
The Egg Bowl. No. 7 Ole Miss 38, Mississippi State 19. Rebels with the win. ✔️
No. 4 Georgia 16, No. 23 Georgia Tech 9. Yellow Jackets cover.
Clemson 28, South Carolina 14. Not a redemption on the season for the Tigers, but a rivalry win to get a 7th win for Dabo. Gamecocks finish 4-8. The team that nearly beat Texas Agricultural & Mechanical. Who is in the playoffs.
Kentucky 0. Louisville 41. Not a good day for the Wildcats. Cutter Boley was 13/26 for 100 yards and 2 interceptions and minus 29 yards after being sacked 6 times. UK fired Mark Stoops on Tuesday.
Louisiana State 13, No. 8 Oklahoma 17. I had the Sooners to win and cover the 10.5 point line, hoping for the jinx. We really needed this one, and LSU failed us. Might have made it. Thanks Tigers. ❌
No. 14 Vanderbilt 45, No. 19 Tennessee 24. Well, I said Vols to win by 1 which means I just missed by 23 points. What the hell George. ❌
Missouri 31, Arkansas 17. Hogs go winless in the SEC and finish DFL. Such a pity. “Tigers to win and cover.” ✔️
Florida State 21, Florida 40. Florida was favored by 1.5. A much better team than their record reflects. “Gators to win and cover.” ✔️
No. 10 Alabama 27, Auburn 20. Line was Crimson Tide by 6.5. Boys in Vegas are so dang good.
Week Fourteen: Service Academies
Navy 38, Memphis 17. What a great win for Navy.
Air Force 42, Colorado State 21. Excellent.
Army 27, UT San Antonio 24. Big win and cover for the Black Knights.
Top 25 – Week Fourteen
No. 13 Utah battled Kansas but scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to escape Lawrence with a win. Utah with the win, but Jayhawks covered. ❌
No. 2 Indiana stomped Purdue 56-3, as expected, including covering the total on their own. “Indiana to win and cover.” ✔️
No. 25 Arizona 23, No. 20 Arizona State 7. Wildcats with a surprisingly easy win in Tempe to get their 10th win of the season. ❌
No. 1 Ohio State 27, No. 16 Michigan 9. Buckeyes looked like the No. 1 team in the snow in the Big House. They are really good. I had the Wolverines covering the 9.5 line. ❌
No. 12 Miami (FL) 38, No. 22 Pittsburgh 7. Texas needed the Panthers, and they failed us.
No. 5 Texas Tech 49, West Virginia 0. Sand Aggies have the No. 3 scoring defense (11.3 ppg), No. 1 rush defense (68.92 ypg), No. 27 pass defense (186.4 ypg), No. 6 total defense (258.9 ypg). Tech may get deep in the CFP. Nice ROI for Cody and the Matador Club.
No. 11 Brigham Young 41, Central Florida 21. Cougars were favored by 17.5. “BYU to win and cover.” ✔️
No. 6 Oregon 26, Washington 14. Ducks with a bigger win than I expected. They may make some noise in the playoffs. ❌
No. 18 Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 7. Finally! Great win for the Hoos. ✔️
University of California, Los Angeles 10, No. 17 University of Southern California 29. The Victory Bell stays painted USC cardinal . “Trojans favored by 21.5 … Southern Cal to win and cover.” ✌️ ✔️
No. 24 Tulane 27, Charlotte 0. Green Wave was favored by 30.5, and what the heck? ❌
No. 21 Southern Methodist 35, California 38. Mustangs to win ❌, Golden Bears to cover ✔️.
No. 9 Notre Dame 49, Stanford 20. Great win, but the Irish missed covering the 31.5 line. Nice trophy though.
Other Games of Interest – Week Fourteen
Iowa 40, Nebraska 16. A 24 point loss when the line was just 5.5. Systemic issues for the Cornhuskers I think.
Temple (5-6) at North Texas 52, Temple 25. Mean Green were favored by 19.5. “UNT to win and cover.” ✔️
Miami 45, Ball State 24. Miami wins and covers. Go Redhawks
UTEP 31. Delaware 61. Not a good season for the Miners.
Texas State 49, South Alabama 26.
Texas Christian 45, Cincinnati 23. “Texas Christian to win and cover at the Carter.” Nice win for the horny toads. ✔️
Oregon State 8. Washington State 32. Cougars win and cover. Oregon State and Washington State are Pac-12 co-champions. It is, literally, the Conference of Champions. Light one up for Bill.
North Carolina 19, North Carolina State 42. Bill Belichek finishes 4-8 and 2-6 in the ACC. The Jordon drama continues.
Rice 3, South Florida 52. Butt kicking.
Other Polls and Rankings
AP Top 25 & the Coaches
FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll
This poll is jointly conducted by the Football Writers Association of America and the National Football Foundation.
ESPN’s FPI
2025 College Football Power Index – ESPN
Bill Connelly’s SP+
SP+ is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. SP+ is intended to be predictive and forward-facing.
The Ohio State University No. 1, followed by Indiana, Oregon, Texas Tech, Georgia, Notre Dame, Brigham Young, Texas Agricultural & Mechanical, Ole Miss, and Alabama. Land Thieves are 12, Vanderbilt 14, and Texas is 16.
PFF
PFF has The Ohio State University No. 1, followed by Indiana, Georgia, Tech, Texas Agricultural & Mechanical, Ole Miss, Oregon, Brigham Young, the Land Thieves, and Alabama. Texas is 12. Vanderbilt at 13, Notre Dame at 14, and Virginia at 16.
Kelley Ford Ratings
https://kfordratings.com/power
Max Olson’s Defensive Stop Rates
Alabama at 24 and Texas Agricultural & Mechanical at 31.
College football defensive stop rate after Week 14 – ESPN
PFF Grades
Music
I will confess that if I did know about Cindy Walker and all her songs, I had forgotten along the way. Country Music Hall of Fame.
Tribute album looks to help save Mexia home of hit-making songstress Cindy Walker | Texas Standard
Lone Star Trail was her first published song and was sung by Bing Crosby.
You Don’t Know Me was recorded by Eddy Arnold and Ray Charles. Here is Ray’s version:
Dream Baby, one of Roy Orbison’s big hits.
I Was Just Walking out the Door, Willie Nelson
Texas with a Capital T, Cindy Walker
Jim Nicar
A close-up of the University of Salamanca seal on U.T. Austin’s Main Building, surrounded by scaffolding for its restoration. Seals from a dozen historically notable universities decorate the east and west sides. In the Middle Ages, Salamanca, Spain, was known for its law school.
From Jim’s post on X on December 4, 2025.
Picture of the Week
Since 1938, a win over Texas Agricultural & Mechanical means the entire U.T. Tower is lit orange. It is a beautiful sight.
This photo is from JType’s December 1, 2025, post on Instagram.
On X: @tctayloratx
On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tctatx
On Instagram: @tctayloratx
On Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Tim.C.Taylor
and: www.Facebook.com/Juan.Heisman
You can contact me by mail:
Tim Taylor P.O. Box 5371 Austin, Texas 78763-5371