Mike Craven
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Mike Craven
@cravenmike.bsky.social
Senior college football writer at Dave Campbell’s Texas Football | Buy my book on college football published by Texas Monthly: https://www.texasfootball.com/store/product/dave-campbell-s-guide-to-texas-college-football
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I wrote a book about the history of college football in the state of Texas with Texas Monthly and Dave Campbell’s if you’re looking for a Christmas gift.

www.texasfootball.com/store/produc...
Dave Campbell's Guide to Texas College Football
www.texasfootball.com
Four Texas teams in the CFP Top 25

3. Texas A&M
5. Texas Tech
17. Texas
23. Houston
November 19, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Texas is home to 20% of the AP Top 25 with five teams ranked.

The Lone Star State could occupy 25% of the CFP because there’s a greater than 0 chance that we get four teams in.

Here’s how: www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Don’t Laugh: Up to Four Texas Teams Could Make College Football Playoff
Texas A&M is in, Texas Tech is nearly locked, and SMU and North Texas control their destiny. Here’s how Texas could dominate the CFP picture in the final weeks of the season.
www.texasfootball.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Texas teams ranked:

FBS: 3. Texas A&M, 6. Texas Tech, 17. Texas, 22. North Texas, 25. Houston

FCS: 5. Tarleton State, 13. SFA, 18. ACU, 19. Lamar

DII: 10. UTPB

DIII: 12. Hardin-Simmons, 21. Trinity

NAIA: 25. Texas Wesleyan

JUCO: 3. Tyler JC, 13. Trinity Valley
November 17, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Non-FBS playoff picture in Texas

One team in DII, NAIA brackets, a pair of squads reach DIII tournament. TylerJC still alive in JUCO ranks.

www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Playoff Frenzy in Texas: UTPB, Trinity, HSU, and Texas Wesleyan Punch Tickets
Texas football made its mark as four programs advanced to the postseason, including UTPB in DII, Trinity and Hardin-Simmons in DIII, Texas Wesleyan in NAIA, and Tyler JC in the JUCO finals.
www.texasfootball.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Ten Thoughts on CFB in the state of Texas

- Texas' CFP hopes (should) be dashed
- What is wrong at TCU?
- North Texas' path clears
- UTSA gets a road win
- Sam Houston on a roll

2,500 words to make you a better a Texan: www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Week 12 Texas FBS Recap: Aggies Rally, Mean Green Rise, Longhorns Collapse
Week 12 reshaped Texas college football as Texas A&M surged toward the CFP, Texas suffered a season-defining loss, and Texas Tech and North Texas stayed alive in the playoff hunt.
www.texasfootball.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Five of the AP Top 25 are Texas programs

3. Texas A&M
6. Texas Tech
17. Texas
22. North Texas
25. Houston

No more than three teams from the same state have finished the season ranked in the AP Top 25 from what I've found.
November 16, 2025 at 7:57 PM
10 Thoughts from Week 12 in Texas

- Aggies extend Elko, clinch CFP spot
- Texas' CFP hopes end in Athens
- Get Jacob Rodriguez to New York
- Pathway open for Mean Green

All here: www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Week 12 Texas FBS Recap: Aggies Rally, Mean Green Rise, Longhorns Collapse
Week 12 reshaped Texas college football as Texas A&M surged toward the CFP, Texas suffered a season-defining loss, and Texas Tech and North Texas stayed alive in the playoff hunt.
www.texasfootball.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:05 PM
The FBS Power Poll remains unchanged after Week 12.

The 10 teams in action went 6-4 with a strong week from the G5 group. The 13 FBS teams in Texas are a combined 80-51 on the season and four programs are still in the CFP picture.

www.texasfootball.com/college-powe...
Power Rankings for the 13 FBS Texas College Football Teams
The Dave Campbell’s Texas Football staff gives their power rankings of the 13 FBS college football teams in Texas presented by TicketCity.
www.texasfootball.com
November 16, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Texas A&M isn’t the same old Aggies.

A 27-point comeback vs South Carolina, Elko’s massive extension, and a CFP path wide open.

The Aggies continue to shed their skin and locked in a spot in the CFP.

#GigEm

www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Mike Elko’s Extension and the Comeback Win That Justified It
Mike Elko’s Texas A&M team erased a 27-point deficit against South Carolina, ending decades of doubt and showing the Aggies are legitimate SEC and College Football Playoff contenders in 2024.
www.texasfootball.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Week 12 CFB Questions

- Can the Horns get the Bulldog off their back?
- Will TCU play spoiler?
- Does Texas A&M run the table?

Plus, 5 picks against the spread. I'm 35-26 on FBS games involving Texas teams this year.

www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Week 12 College Football Preview: Texas Teams Battle for CFP Positioning
Playoff dreams are alive in Texas. Week 12 could separate contenders from pretenders as six Lone Star programs fight to stay in the CFP hunt, including the Texas Longhorns who face the Georgia Bulldog...
www.texasfootball.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Who are the playoff contenders and scenarios for the Non-FBS teams in Texas?

I try to paint the picture in the FCS, DII, DIII, and JUCO ranks as playoff races take center stage at every level of CFB.

www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
From FCS to JUCO: Texas Teams Eye 2025 College Football Playoffs
From FCS to JUCO, Texas college football programs are fighting for playoff spots. See where Tarleton State, SFA, Hardin-Simmons, and other Lone Star teams stand right now.
www.texasfootball.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Mike Craven
New episode of Aggie War Pod with me and @cravenmike.bsky.social out now!

- Mizzou Recap
- SC Preview
- Playoff talk
- other big games

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
AGGIE WAR POD: #3 Texas A&M Leads SEC Down The Stretch
Podcast Episode · Dave Campbell's College Podcast Network · 11/12/2025 · 1h 7m
podcasts.apple.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Sun Belt suspends six Texas State players following the brawl with Louisiana on Saturday.

Tymere Jackson - 2 games
Kamari Terrell - 1 game
Justin DeLeon - 1 game
Kiran Bourda - 1 game
Devarrick Woods - 1 game
J.P. Deeter - 1 game
November 10, 2025 at 8:40 PM
12 CFB teams ranked in Texas:

FBS - 3. Texas A&M, 8. Texas Tech, 10. Texas

FCS - 5. Tarleton State, 14. Lamar, 17. SFA, 20. ACU

DII - 15. UTPB

DIII - 12. Hardin-Simmons, 22. Trinity

JUCO - 3. Tyler JC, 9. Trinity Valley Community College
November 10, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Joey McGuire learned to dream big at Cedar Hill High School, where he won a state championship in Year 4 with the Longhorns.

Now in Year 4 with the Red Raiders, McGuire has Texas Tech in title contention.

"He's the perfect guy for this job."

www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Building the Case: Joey McGuire’s Blueprint for a Texas Tech Revival
The story behind Texas Tech's football renaissance under head coach Joey McGuire added another chapter with a dominant win over previously undefeated BYU.
www.texasfootball.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:39 PM
🔟 Thoughts from Week 11

- Texas State needs to follow the UNT on defense
- Scott Symons is the best DC no one talks about
- TCU’s unfortunate formula
- Sam Houston finds its silver lining

Catch up on the State of Texas

www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Texas College Football Week 11: Defense Powers Texas Tech, A&M Eyes No. 1 Ranking
Texas A&M edges closer to the CFP, Texas Tech rises in Big 12, and SMU’s defense shines in a pivotal Week 11 across Texas football.
www.texasfootball.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:22 PM
New FBS Power Poll after Week 11 in Texas

TCU falls, Rice rises in latest update.

www.texasfootball.com/college-powe...
Power Rankings for the 13 FBS Texas College Football Teams
The Dave Campbell’s Texas Football staff gives their power rankings of the 13 FBS college football teams in Texas presented by TicketCity.
www.texasfootball.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:32 PM
"He is the perfect guy for this job."

Joey McGuire has done this before - lead an Uber-talented team on a championship run in Year 4 at a program not known for winning.

Maybe it wasn't the job he was hired for, but it is one he's right for.

#WreckEm

www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Building the Case: Joey McGuire’s Blueprint for a Texas Tech Revival
The story behind Texas Tech's football renaissance under head coach Joey McGuire added another chapter with a dominant win over previously undefeated BYU.
www.texasfootball.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:48 PM
There are only five states with six or more FBS programs.

Texas has 13. Six of them are still alive for the College Football Playoff.

Texas A&M feels like a CFP lock. What are the odds for the other 5 contenders and what’s their road map to entry?

www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Making the Case: Six Teams from Texas Still in CFP Hunt
Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Texas were all ranked in the Top 11 of the first College Football Playoff rankings, but six squads in the Lone Star State are still technically alive, including North Texas.
www.texasfootball.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:00 PM
There are 13 FBS teams in Texas. Six are still alive for the CFP.

Here are the odds to make the CFP and the road maps for each of those teams, from Texas A&M to TCU.

#GigEm #WreckEm #HookEm #GMG #PonyUp #GoFrogs

www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Making the Case: Six Teams from Texas Still in CFP Hunt
Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Texas were all ranked in the Top 11 of the first College Football Playoff rankings, but six squads in the Lone Star State are still technically alive, including North Texas.
www.texasfootball.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Using the Richter scale, how likely is it for the 13 FBS programs in Texas to be shook up by head coaching changes this cycle?

9.5 for Dave Aranda, Baylor
6.5 for G.J Kinne
3.5 for Willie Fritz

All 13: www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
The Texas Coaching Richter Scale: Measuring the Quakes Before the Carousel Spins
From Dave Aranda at Baylor to Joey McGuire at Texas Tech, a look at which Texas college football programs are standing firm and which could be shaken by the 2025 coaching carousel.
www.texasfootball.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:45 PM
The coaching carousel is already crazy in early November.

Wanted to take stock of the potential firings/poachings that could take place in Texas this cycle.

The FBS Richter scale of coaching: www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
The Texas Coaching Richter Scale: Measuring the Quakes Before the Carousel Spins
From Dave Aranda at Baylor to Joey McGuire at Texas Tech, a look at which Texas college football programs are standing firm and which could be shaken by the 2025 coaching carousel.
www.texasfootball.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Fourteen CFB programs ranked in Texas:

FBS - 3. Texas A&M; 9. Texas Tech; 13. Texas

FCS - 7. Tarleton State; 18. Lamar; 20. ACU; 21. SFA

DII - 17. UTPB; 22. Angelo State

DIII - 5. Hardin-Simmons; 22. Trinity

JUCO - 3. Tyler JC; 10. Trinity Valley CC; 13. Navarro College
November 3, 2025 at 8:09 PM
ICYMI: Ten Thoughts from Week 10 in Texas

- Table set for North Texas
- Defense holding TXST back
- Texas is in the CFP Race and doesn't need to win out to get there
- SMU cashes bet it placed on itself

Become a better Texan: www.texasfootball.com/article/2025...
Texas Takeover: Longhorns, Mean Green, and Red Raiders Lead Week 10 Surge
Full Week 10 Texas college football recap: Texas Longhorns beat Vanderbilt, North Texas tops Navy, Texas Tech defeats Kansas State on the road and Baylor wins to keep Dave Aranda safe another week.
www.texasfootball.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:19 PM