This was the year to mess with Texas.
There are 12 FBS football teams in the Lone Star State. Their combined record at the end of the 2016 regular season is 64-80. That’s not great, and their collective performance in conference play was far uglier: 37 wins and 63 losses. Even with six of the 12 going to bowl games, this was not a proud year for many of the programs in a state proud of its football.
Houston (9-3) and Texas A&M (8-4) had by far the best seasons of the bunch and had early College Football Playoff aspirations.