Tall order for Cougs: Best team in Texas

Published Oct. 16, 2010 10:08 a.m. ET

foxsports

FORT WORTH, Texas ? The Friday drive through the Lone Star State revealed a lot of city signs, places like Kingwood, Aldine, Katy in Houston; Denton, Euless and Southlake Carroll near Dallas ? places where football traditions have become lore. I had lunch this week in Crosby, where former Ute quarterback Brian Johnson cut his teeth playing football, and there is a lot of well-deserved pride in that town for the current Utah quarterbacks coach.

In this state, football is a religion, a way of life and a topic folks write books about along with movies and TV shows. It is against state high school bylaws for any school football team to televise a Friday night game in Texas because the community and the sport will not tolerate the distraction to the event that the culture here believes must be played before live eyeballs. There are high school stadiums and press boxes here that are better than college facilities across America. I've seen South Lake Carroll Dragon Stadium and Pennington Field where Euless Trinity plays home games. These are mammoth prep facilities, monuments to the love of football. And in this state, the best college football team isn't Texas; it isn't Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor of the Big 12 or SMU or Houston. It is No. 4-ranked TCU, the only major school in this great state that is undefeated and ranked in the Top 25. The Horned Frogs, as meager of an imprint their football team makes in the Metroplex area with TV and newspapers, has taken over as the premier college football power. A non-AQ team from a non-BCS league has the best program in Texas, according to record, ranking and perception by voters? Heck, yes. Texas A&M is 3-2 with wins over Stephen F. Austin, Louisiana Tech and FIU. Texas Tech is 3-2 with wins over SMU, New Mexico and Baylor. The legendary Texas Longhorns, who made so many headlines this summer when college expansion talk hit, are 3-2 with wins over Rice, Wyoming and Texas Tech. Baylor is 4-2 with wins over Sam Houston State, Buffalo, Rice and a crashing Kansas. SMU sports a 4-2 record with wins over UAB, Washington State, Rice and Tulsa, while Houston, which lost its No. 1 and No. 2 quarterbacks last month, is 3-2 with wins over Texas State, UTEP and Tulane. On Friday, in the Dallas Love Field Airport working on this column while waiting for BYU beat writer Jeff Call to land, I made conversation with Reed Kirksey, a freshman at Baylor from San Antonio who flew in for a Texas Rangers game. Kirksey has no problem with TCU being the top team in Texas. "I think they should be in the Big 12, to tell you the truth," he said. "They are the best football team in the state, no question." Always like the truth. "And there are a lot of Texans that cannot stand Texas and their fans," said Kirksey. "It's weird to even drive through Austin. I hate them." TCU. Patterson. No. 1. This is the place BYU visits today, trying to build some momentum after breaking a four-game losing streak with a 24-21 win over San Diego State last week. To say today's game will be "a challenge" merely scratches the surface of the Cougar task at hand. This Gary Patterson football program has showed few blemishes in the way they've dispatched the Cougars the past two meetings, both solid blowouts. Now here comes the Cougars nursing a young offense, a banged-up defense and a freshman quarterback in Jake Heaps, who was parking his car at a Washington high school this time last fall. You have to admire his bravery. Welcome to Texas. "This is an exciting week," said Heaps. "It's always fun when you get to go up against one of the top teams in the nation. It's a great team and coach Patterson coaches them up really well. It's been a lot of fun preparing for them and it's going to be a good challenge for us." No kidding. This week's predictions: COLORADO STATE 21, UNLV 17: The Rams will take advantage of the Rebels struggling on their home field. They'd better take advantage of it while it is harvest time. AIR FORCE 42, SAN DIEGO STATE 14: If the Aztecs couldn't keep BYU's offense off the field last Saturday, then the Falcons might build a nest and lay out some lounge furniture. Let's hope there are no replay reviews to question. UTAH 48, WYOMING 14: Who knows when the Utes will make this trip to Laramie again? But while they're there this Saturday, they should enjoy the barbecue. Pass the sauce. Somebody advise Kyle Whittingham where to throw the rib bones. TCU 34, BYU 0: The Cougar offense was loaded in 2008 and 2009 and still lost to TCU, scoring just two TDs in eight quarters. Boise State only scored one offensive TD the last two times it faced TCU in bowl games. Will this be a shutout? It makes sense, even though BYU is an improved football team. The Cougars have labored to score two touchdowns in every game this season. Last week: 5-1; overall season record: 37-7 (.840). e-mail: dharmon@desnews.com Cougars on the air BYU (2-4, 1-1) at No. 4 TCU (6-0, 2-0) Saturday, 2 p.m. MT Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas TV: Versus Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM