1. UT-Austin - Like 'em or not, the horns are the top dog in the State of Texas in regards of overall athletic program. They have great facilities, and bring in a TON of money through the Longhorn Network (even IF no one will carry the thing) Yes, their football luster has dulled recently (and I believe that will carry into the next few years, until they can find a solid QB/RB/WR trio again) but they've got more resources than any other school in the State, by far.
2. Texas A&M - For all of the screaming and yelling, aTm did the best job of any of BIG state schools improving their position. The jump to the SEC was a smart move, and will provide them with money and recruiting resources for years. Outside of Kentucky, it's a conference that doesn't care much about basketball, so aTm should do better than expected there. It's football where the big advantages will be found. Not initially, as Coach Kevin Sumlin and crew will find out, but over time possibly. To me their ceiling is Georgia. That ain't too bad.
3. TCU - A surprise here, but not really. TCU has been working diligently on their athletic program for years now with one goal in mind: making it into the Big
4. Baylor - Say what you want about the little college in Waco, they've parlayed some friendly government intervention into a decent run in the Big XII and are getting a new football stadium and a host of upgrades for the rest of their facilities. With quality men's football and basketball teams to complement the Ladies basketball juggernaut the Bears are slowly building a competitive sports product to compete with the big boys. Ultimately, I feel that their lack of a donor base and other limitations will cap them out here but man, what a ride.
5. Texas Tech - That "West Texas school" has been on a bit of a since the Mike Leach debacle took some steam out of their momentum. Right now they have the feel of a moribund program whose prospects for future greatness are well.....Football is sliding, as is basketball, and may or may not have reached their low points. Something needs to change in Lubbock, and fast.
6. SMU - I realize that I'm going to get killed for this by UH fans but the facts here speak for themselves. SMU has better facilities, better current programs, and a better financial base on which to continue building than do the Cougars. They are in the same conference and have the same problems with that conference that UH has. The difference is SMU is rising, UH is falling.
7. Houston - Houston is a school that's fallen way down my rankings over the last few years. Five years ago they may have been ranked as high as four on the list. Unfortunately, despite having some measure of success on the football field, the Cougars are still suffering under the immense weight of unfilled potential. They have a new, on campus, football stadium coming, maybe. Their basketball stadium is an aging relic and every other facility on campus is average at best. For the Cougars life seems to be a steady stream of "wait and see", meanwhile other schools are moving faster and bumping them down the list. If they can sustain some measure of success on the field, get a new football & basketball stadium up and running they can move back up again.
8. UT-El Paso - It's hard for me to rank any school in the UT system (not named UT-Austin) too high. Ultimately they have to answer to a board of directors who want to make sure the children don't surpass the parent. UTEP does have some decent facilities however and some good coaches that they claimed off of the scrap-heap. They're in a dog conference, and are limited on what they can accomplish due in part to geography. Still, they are currently a lot better than they were previously.
9. Texas State - You have to like what Texas State is doing. They're on the cusp of moving to D-1A in a conference (The WAC) that's very weak and which should allow them to make some competitive inroads. However, they couldn't dominate weaker competition in the Southland conference. They have decent facilities and an administration that seems to be committed to making them a D-1 competitive school. Time will tell.
10. Rice - Due in large part to their tiny alumni base, and the fact that they don't place great value on the revenue sports, Rice is what Rice is, a small private institution who will always be known for academics than athletics. This is a good thing, because this is what Rice values. It's not a good thing for the purposes of this list however. That said, they have a great, if aged, football stadium and the recently renovated Autry at least gives them a workable basketball facility. Wayne Graham is a genius in baseball.
11. North Texas. - Saddled with a conference affiliation that's terrible (the Sun Belt) North Texas is moving along under the sports radar albeit, with a very large donor ("Mattress" Mack) in their corner. They recently completed a nice little new football stadium and they have a pretty nice campus up in Denton, I just don't think they will ever have the resources to really challenge anyone above them on this list.
12. UT - San Antonio - Look, I appreciate what they are doing but there's really nowhere else you can put this school but at the bottom considering where they are today. They've not played a down of football at the D-1 level although they could improve given the dearth of college sports in the San Antonio area and the fact that their WAC affiliation is better than the Sun Belt or C-USA. I'd say this grade is "incomplete" but, for now, I think this is where they must rank.
