SWC Poll: Week 6
Texas A&M claims the top spot, Houston and SMU struggle to find footing, and Arkansas hits rock bottom.
There are two things I love more than anything when it comes to college football: the Southwest Conference and ranking teams. As I was sitting around contemplating what to write this week, I realized that combining those two aspects of the sport would be a fantastic idea. Thus, the SWC Poll was born.
Below is my ranking of every team that used to make up the now-defunct Southwest Conference—in my opinion, the best conference to ever exist in the history of college football. While it unfortunately folded in 1996 following Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech’s merger with the Big 8, it still lives on in my heart. It’s my lifelong goal to one day revitalize this conference in some way, so with my current platform on this Substack, I’ve decided to group these teams together in any way I can. Last week that was with the SWC Preview (which will drop sometime tomorrow); today, it’s with the SWC Poll.
My criteria for ranking these teams is the same as the D Poll: vibes and feelings are valued first, with winning coming a close second. For more information on how that poll works, you can check out the latest version at the link below.
Here’s the SWC Poll for Week 6. I hope that you enjoy seeing these teams together as much as I do.
9. Arkansas
Week 5 result: 56-13 loss at Notre Dame
There’s no doubt that Arkansas is at the bottom of the pit. Notre Dame made everything look easy last Saturday, in large part due to the Razorbacks quitting midway through the game. While they’ll never admit that that’s what happened, it’s obvious to anybody who watched that Arkansas wasn’t really trying anymore once the game began to get out of hand.
As a result of that disaster, Sam Pittman was canned, and Bobby Petrino, the team’s offensive coordinator and former head coach, became the interim leader of the football program. Several changes have been made to the defensive coaching staff to try to induce a sense of hope into the atmosphere, but it probably won’t work. With the schedule ahead of them and the roster currently in-house, it’s difficult to see a path toward competitiveness and relevance moving forward.
What will help Arkansas is that the vibes can’t possibly be worse than they are right now. With Pittman out the door and the prospects of greener grass on the other side, there’s definitely a chance that positivity gets injected into the entire operation and the team pulls out a couple of stunners down the road. Petrino has surprised us before, and he could do it again. For now, with the vibes in the dumps and the team itself reeling, Arkansas finds itself at the bottom of this ranking. Frankly, it’ll take a lot of effort to climb out from this spot.
8. Rice
Week 5 result: 21-13 loss at Navy
Rice is the black sheep of this group and probably will be for the foreseeable future. The Owls are the only remaining school from the SWC that hasn’t found a home in a Power 4 league, and they’re the only team that really hasn’t been relevant on a national stage since the disbanding of the conference in the 1990s.
New head coach Scott Abell is attempting to change that. In last week’s SWC Preview, I outlined how Abell was trying to flip the script for the Rice football program by running an option-style offense to level the playing field with his team’s opponents. So far, that’s worked decently, until this past week when the Owls ran into Navy, a school that could do what they were doing but better. Navy put up 455 total yards on Rice’s defense, 283 of which were on the ground. Abell’s squad wants to win the time-of-possession battle. So does Navy, and last Saturday, it was the Midshipmen who took control of the ball for the majority of the contest.
Somebody told me yesterday that Rice was bad. I wholeheartedly disagree. The Owls are not a great team by any means, but from what I’ve seen through five games, they’re certainly a group of players and coaches that can hold their own against pretty much anybody left on their schedule. Whether they win those games is a totally different question that will be answered in due time. At this particular moment, let’s just focus on the growth of the team from last year’s disaster-fest. Things are improving, and that’s really all you can ask for.
7. SMU
Week 5 result: BYE
The Mustangs didn’t play last week, which means that they didn’t have an opportunity to change the narrative. So far, SMU has underwhelmed. From making the College Football Playoff last season to starting this year 2-2 with losses to former SWC foes Baylor and TCU, the start hasn’t been fantastic. Add in the fact that they didn’t appear all that cohesive or impressive in their win against Missouri State, and we might have a full-blown crisis on our hands.
OK, that’s an overreaction, but let’s break this down: SMU was expected to compete for an ACC title in 2025. Through four games, have they done anything to make you think they can do that? In my opinion, the answer is a definitive no.
It’s still early, and SMU has yet to even play a conference game, so there’s still time for the story to change. But in order for them to climb up this ranking, I’m going to need to see some winning here soon.
6. Houston
Week 5 result: 27-24 win at Oregon State
Somehow, someway, Houston came away with a win in Corvallis against the Beavers. It wasn’t looking good for the majority of Friday night, as Oregon State surprised Houston and went up 24-10 midway through the fourth quarter. That’s when Willy Fritz’s team decided to wake up, with Conner Weigman throwing a pair of big-time touchdowns to tie the game late. Houston blocked a game-winning field goal attempt by Oregon State to send the game into overtime, where Ethan Sanchez won it from 24 yards out to give the Cougars a 27-24 victory.
All that sounds fantastic until you remember that Oregon State is not good. Sure, Houston had to travel a long way to play a game in a place that’s not particularly easy to play at, but still—it’s Oregon State in 2025, for goodness’ sake! After beating up on Colorado in the Big 12 opener, it was my understanding that Houston was going to continue to show its mettle against an inferior opponent. The opposite was true, and the Cougars are lucky they were able to come away with the win.
So, despite having a better record than some of the teams above it, Houston remains in the bottom half of the SWC Poll. If anybody is upset about that, I implore you to watch the highlights of the Houston-Oregon State game from last Friday—I promise you’ll see my perspective fairly quickly.
5. Baylor
Week 5 result: 45-27 win at Oklahoma State
Props to Dave Aranda and the Bears for not falling victim to the interim head coach trap against the Cowboys. It was a spot that I thought Baylor might trip up in, and it didn’t, so good job.
In all seriousness, Baylor’s defense is a bit of a mess, and that’s concerning. Allowing 27 points and 448 total yards of offense against this version of Oklahoma State is alarming, to say the least. More quality Big 12 teams are going to be able to exploit that deficiency, and if it isn’t addressed soon, there could be some unfortunate losses ahead.
Sawyer Robertson is the saving grace, however. When he’s on, he’s one of, if not the best, quarterbacks in the Big 12. He completed 24-of-35 for 393 yards and four touchdowns at OSU, bringing his total for the season to 1,713 yards passing and 17 touchdowns. What’s even more impressive is the lack of turnovers—he’s only thrown three interceptions all year. He’s great and certainly a name to keep an eye on in the Heisman Trophy conversation down the line.
But that defense, man. That has to be figured out. It’s already cost the Bears games against Auburn and Arizona State. Figure that out, and I don’t see any reason why Baylor can’t contend for the Big 12.
4. TCU
Week 5 result: 27-24 loss at Arizona State
Same story, different season.
Last year around this time, TCU lost a heartbreaker to UCF after having a major lead that it wasn’t able to maintain because it couldn’t run down the clock with its rushing attack. Last Friday night in Tempe, TCU led big, only to see it wither away because it wasn’t able to salt away the game due to a rushing offense that bordered on abysmal—against ASU, the Horned Frogs ran for 10 total yards.
The loss at Arizona State was also the first time we’d seen quarterback Josh Hoover under duress, and he didn’t handle it well. Sure, the offensive line was getting eaten up all evening, but Hoover’s pocket presence left a lot to be desired. His throws weren’t as sharp, and because of the added pressure, his accuracy faltered as he threw two interceptions. It was not his best game, that’s for sure.
What’s crazy is that even though Arizona State out-gained TCU 498-269, ran 25 more plays, and had ten more first downs, the Horned Frogs were still up 24-17 with less than two minutes left and could’ve won the game had they gotten a fourth-down stop on the goal line. Despite not playing their best football, the Frogs inexplicably still could’ve come out on top. To me, that’s somewhat encouraging.
TCU is still a Big 12 contender, though maybe not as strong as we all thought after beating up on North Carolina and SMU. Good teams find ways to bounce back after disappointments, and that’s what the Frogs need to do this Saturday against Colorado if they want a chance to move up in the SWC Poll.
3. Texas
Week 5 result: BYE
The Longhorns cling to a top-three spot even though they didn’t play this week. They have TCU’s loss to thank for that.
Through four games, Texas had done everything to make me doubt them. Arch Manning hasn’t played up to his potential, the offense has sputtered in almost every game, and the overall vibes surrounding the program continue to suggest they might not be all that strong this year. Yet, when I look at the talent on the roster, I keep coming back to the same point: Texas can absolutely win a national championship this season. All it has to do is unlock all that talent and potential. Once it does that, it’s off to the races.
So, if Texas goes on a tear over the next couple of weeks and beats Florida and Oklahoma, don’t be surprised when the Longhorns find themselves moving up in both this poll and the D Poll. I believe. I just hope the people inside the building in Austin believe, too.
2. Texas Tech
Week 5 result: BYE
The lesson around Texas Tech is simple: if you spend a lot of money on players in the offseason, you too could be ranked number two in the SWC Poll after Week 5.
What’s special about the Red Raiders to me is their depth on the defensive line. Players who were getting consistent reps at those positions a year ago now find themselves further down the depth chart. That’s a testament to the new infusion of talent that’s suddenly hit Lubbock. As my friend said the other day, “It’s the best defensive line that money can buy in the Big 12.”
Find me a team that can compete with Texas Tech in the conference right now, and I’ll find you a fraud. With what I’ve seen from everybody else in the Big 12, there’s nobody that matches up on the lines of scrimmage with the Red Raiders. Sure, the Longhorns and the Aggies might be able to eat their lunch, but does Texas Tech have to play those teams? Nope. As a result, we never have to ask ourselves that hypothetical question. Texas Tech is a great Big 12 team, and if it keeps up this pace, it might level up to a great national team sooner rather than later.
1. Texas A&M
Week 5 result: 16-10 win vs. Auburn
The Aggies put Jackson Arnold and Auburn’s offense in the woodshed all afternoon. It was a massacre. If you’re a young child, I highly advise against watching the replay of that game. It was that bad.
Whether this speaks more to Texas A&M’s defensive prowess or Auburn’s lack of offensive firepower is a question that will be answered in the coming weeks. For now, I’m leaning toward it being a credit to the Aggies. If that’s true, the rest of the SEC should take notice—because with offensive weapons like wide receivers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion, along with star running backs Le’Veon Moss and Rueben Owens II, there’s very little margin for error when facing A&M.
The Aggies already have wins over Notre Dame and Auburn and will have the opportunity to further improve their résumé against Mississippi State this week. Win that, and the path toward contention in the SEC becomes extremely clear, as the schedule is fairly manageable and doesn’t feature some of the top-tier teams in the conference like Alabama and Georgia. If Texas A&M can keep up the pace, it’ll remain at the top of the SWC Poll for quite a long time.
Love this! Not a bad year for the SWC