Winning with Whitt-Texas football is special

By Whitt Sparks
Tribune Sports Columnist

Texas Football is a special kind of football.  The conditions can be extreme, the distances teams have to travel(in high school) can be long, but Texans love football.  And, there is a lot of football in Texas to like.  We have teams that compete on a national level in every classification of football from the PeeWee leagues to the Pros.  So, who’s the best?  Which schools this season in colleges across Texas will put out the best teams on the field?  Here’s my list of the top 10 college programs this year from the state of Texas.
10.  University of Mary Hardin Baylor.  The Crusaders are the defending NCAA Div.3 national champions.  Pound for pound this is one of the most elite programs in college football.  They win a lot…and with no athletes on scholarship.
9.  Texas A&M Commerce.  The Lions are the defending NCAA Div.2 national Champions, and it looks like that wasn’t a fluke.  The Lions are here to stay.
8.  Southern Methodist University.  Former Head Coach Chad Morris changed the culture in Dallas from being a pushover team to a team you better not overlook.  But, Coach Morris is gone, so we’ll see if the Mustangs will stay on course this season or will they fall back into bad habits.
7.  Texas Tech University.  Every year I think the same thing when I see the Red Raiders…Why aren’t they better than this?  The Raiders have some measured success over the years, and have developed a reputation as a program that will beat the teams they are supposed to and get beat by the teams that are supposed to beat them.  I think that kind of play is getting old out in Lubbock for the faithful fans, but I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
6.  University of Houston.  The Cougars have been the best school in Texas that’s not in the Big12 or SEC for the last few years.  They are good, and I think everyone believes Coach Applewhite is a great coach.  They also have the best player in Texas in Ed Oliver.  But they are still on the outside looking in on greatness.
5.  Sam Houston State University.  The Bearkats play in the FCS division, which is just under the big schools, but don’t let that make you think they are inferior because they aren’t!  Sam Houston has had the most success in terms of wins, playoff appearances, and where they finish in the rankings than any other program in Texas over the last 15 years.  They have a tradition of winning that is hard to argue against.
4. University of North Texas.  Don’t be surprised to see the Mean Green in the top 5 because this isn’t the North Texas team from a few years ago.  They have experience, speed, strength, and a head coach that has proven that he can win AND that he’s committed to the program.  North Texas is going places, you don’t want to overlook them this season.
3.  University of Texas.  The Longhorns are improving, but honestly they could only improve.  Coach Herman is a prove leader and I believe will get the Longhorns to the playoffs.  He just won’t do it this year.  
2.  Texas A&M University.  The Aggies have a new coach which some might see as a liability, but when you have Jimbo as the head coach, that’s an upgrade that everyone in Aggieland is excited about.  With the talent that is in College Station this season I think the Aggies will set a tone by the end of the season that will make everyone excited for 2019.
Texas Christian University.  This is a no brainer.  All they do is win!  They have been the only team other than Oklahoma that has been a serious contender for the Big12 title year in and year out.  They recruit well all over the region, but they especially do well in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  TCU will compete for a Big12 title and if they play their cards right they will make the playoffs.