Top 10 Best Football Colleges in Texas

Football colleges in Texas combine academics and sporting activities, creating a fine balance between sporting and intellectual learning. Go Texas!

The state of Texas screams football. The game is a big deal as it brings together all football lovers. As one of the most popular sports, Texas has some of the best football colleges to help you achieve your dream of becoming a professional footballer.

If you are a student-athlete looking to further your studies while maintaining your football career at the same time, then this is for you.

This article is a guide to football colleges in Texas to help you out with making a better academic choice. There is no direct answer to this as football colleges do not function as one might expect.

While yes, there are colleges that major in football, as students, your primary aim of study remains your other majors.

Hence, there are football colleges, just like music schools or acting schools. Your books are still of concern while you maintain focus on your football study/career.

When it comes to college football, the state of Texas has the highest number of college football teams. These teams are ranked and measured based on their conference.

There are 12 Football Bowl Division (FBS) college teams. Arranged in no particular order, here’s a list of Texas’s best college football teams.

• Baylor Bears
• Houston Cougars
• UTSA Roadrunners
• Texas A & M Aggies
• SMU Mustangs
• North Texas Mean Green
• UTEP Miners
• Texas Tech Red Raiders
• Texas Longhorn 
• TCU Horned Frogs
• Rice owls
• Texas State Bobcats

READ ALSO: Top 10 Best Football Colleges in the UK

Does Texas have Ivy League Schools?

Some states within the United States have the Ivy League within their borders.

• New Jersey (Princeton)
• New York (Columbia, Cornell)
• Pennsylvania (Penn)
• Rhode Island (Brown)
• Connecticut (Yale)
• Massachusetts (Harvard)
• New Hampshire (Dartmouth)

While this comes in no particular order, Texas isn’t one of them for certain reasons. Despite being one of the largest states in the United States, Texas falls short of not having the Ivies in any of its schools.

Many assume that Texas colleges aren’t “prestigious enough”. You could not be any more incorrect, and here’s why. As mentioned above, the states are all geographically located in the northeastern part of the US. 

While this may be no surprise, the United States has no Nationwide sports conference;. However, the Ivies is a sports conference, it’s simply an NCAA Division 1 athletic conference for the northeastern part of the United States.

Since students have to travel between schools in their division for the competition, it would make no sense to haul the entire team on top of a plane to travel cross-country every weekend.

The Ivy League isn’t some badge of excellence as many might think; otherwise, schools like the private RICE University in Houston, highly selective with a very high academic reputation, would also be in the Ivies.

The Ivy League is a regional conference for a part of the United States,  with every other region having its own sports conference leagues.

READ ALSO: Top 10 Best Football Colleges in Florida

Top 10 Best Football Colleges in Texas

Texas is one of the states in the United States with some of the best Football colleges, although largely dominated by the number one on our list. 

#1. The University of Texas at Austin

Undeniably one of the best colleges, the University of Texas at Austin combines academics and sporting activities well. The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate team representing the University of Texas at Austin in American football.

Also, all training and home games are played at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.

The college aims to properly develop these players’ football skills and provide opportunities to be scouted for by the best clubs.

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#2. Southern Methodist University Mustangs

The SMU Mustangs is the college football team representing Southern Methodist University (SMU) in University Park in Dallas County, Texas.  

The football team plays at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus and competes in the American Athletic Conference for all sports.

The University ensures that athletes get the full-time training experience to attain their full potential.

The SMU football program has produced many professional football stars, such as Don Meredith, Doak Walker, Kyle Rote, Eric Dickerson, Jerry Ball, and Craig James.

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#3. Texas A&M University Aggies

As the first public institution of higher education in Texas, the Texas A&M University Aggies takes pride in producing the best athletes. 

The football team has won about 18 Southwest Conference championships and has claimed three national championships. 

As of 2021, the football team appeared in 42 bowl games, winning 20.

The University has a stadium with a current capacity of 102,500.

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#4. Texas Christian University Horned Frogs

Located in Fort Worth, Texas, the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs is one of the distinct football colleges with the best team. The school‘s athletic team, known as the Texas Horned Frogs has won numerous titles.

Also, TCU competes in NCAA Division I athletics as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Texas Christian University football team trains and plays all major games in the Amon G. Carter stadium, which has a 47,000 capacity. 

TCU ranks as the fourth most successful private college football program, behind Notre Dame, USC, and Miami-FL.

Many notable football players have played for TCU, including Sammy Baugh, Davey O’Brien, Jim Swink, Bob Lilly, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Andy Dalton. Many other Horned Frogs also currently play in the NFL.

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READ ALSO: Top 10 Best Football Colleges in New York

#5. Texas Tech University Red Raiders

The Texas Tech Red Raiders is the college team representing the university in all football tournaments. As one of the Division One schools, young players can enroll at the university and be certain they would receive top-notch training.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders are charter members of the Big 12 Conference and compete in Division I for all varsity sports. The Red Raiders football team has made about 36 bowl appearances.

Jones AT&T Stadium is home to the Red Raiders football team. The stadium, which opened in 1947, has a capacity of 60,454.

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#6. Baylor University Bears

“Baylor bears” is the name given to all students at the university. The University upholds communal training for athletes. 

Baylor University’s athletic teams, known as the Bears, participate actively in all 19 intercollegiate sports. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and is in the NCAA Division I.

Having one of the best sporting facilities shows that the university considers the need for young athletes to develop their skills.

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#7. University of Houston Cougars

The University of Houston is the third-largest university in Texas. The Houston Cougars are the athletic team that represents the school. It competes in the NCAA’s Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision as members of the American Athletic Conference.

The Houston Cougars football team has made 27 post-season bowl appearances. It has to its credit several Southwest Conference championships and Cotton Bowl Classic appearances,

The University of Houston has a stadium with a 40,000 capacity.

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#8. Rice University Owls

Rice University is one of the football colleges to look out for. The Owls ( the college’s football team)  play at an on-campus football facility, Rice Stadium, which was the site of Super Bowl VIII and a speech by John F. Kennedy.

Rice competes in 14 NCAA Division I varsity sports and is a part of Conference USA, often competing with its cross-town rival, the University of Houston.

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#9. University of Texas-El Paso Miners

Aside from providing quality education for its students, the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) understands the need to incorporate sporting activities into its curriculum.

Also, the UTEP Miners football team currently competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The team plays its games in the Sun Bowl Stadium.

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#10. University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners

The UTSA Roadrunners football team represents the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in American football.

The Roadrunners compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the West Division of Conference USA (CUA).

They are set to move to the American Athletic Conference (The American) in 2023. The Roadrunners play their home games at the Alamodome, which has a seating capacity of 65,000.

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READ ALSO: Top 10 Best Football Colleges in North Carolina

The Division 1 League – Football Colleges in Texas

The Division 1 league comprises the Colleges that generate the most revenue and have the largest budget available.

Texas boasts of having the second most Division 1 teams numbering 21, although ranking right behind California in the number one spot. The county of Texas is still very much interested in college sports in general

Here’s a list of D1 colleges in Texas

Texas Christian University

• Location: Fort Worth city
• Division 1 teams: TCU Horned Frogs and Lady Frogs

The University of Texas at Austin

• Location: Austin City
• Division 1 team: Texas Longhorns

Texas A&M University

• Location: College Station-Bryan
• Division 1 team: Texas A&M Aggies.

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READ ALSO: Top 10 Best Colleges in Mississippi For Students

The Division 2 League – Football Colleges in Texas

Division 2 (d2) football is an intermediate-level football division governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 

While the overall athletic competitiveness is slightly less than that of NCAA Division 1 football, Division 2 football players are still formidable athletes!

Student-athletes of division 2 are eligible to receive athletic scholarships.

Here’s a list of D2 Colleges in no particular order alongside their various acceptance rates.

Dallas Baptist University

• Location: Dallas City, Texas 
• Acceptance rate: 90%

Angelo State University

• Location: San Angelo
• Acceptance rate: 80%

Texas A&M University

• Location: Commerce
• Acceptance rate: 51%

St. Mary’s University (Texas)

• Location: San Antonio 
• Acceptance rate: 75%

St. Edward’s University

• Location: Austin
• Acceptance rate: 80%

The University of Texas

• Location: Tyler
• Acceptance rate: 70%

The University of Texas Permian Basin

• Location: Odessa
• Acceptance rate: 55%

West Texas A&M University

• Location: Canyon
• Acceptance rate: 85%

Texas Woman’s University

• Location: Denton
• Acceptance rate: 78%

Texas A&M University-Kingsville

• Location: Kingsville
• Acceptance rate: 65%

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The Division 3 League – Football Colleges in Texas

National college athletic association (NCAA) Division 3 colleges are known for their smaller, more intimate campuses, strong emphasis on academics, and ability to provide student-athletes with a well-rounded college experience. 

NCAA Division 3 football teams are still very competitive, but athletes can create a more traditional college experience.

Here’s a list of Division 3 (d3) Colleges:

1. Austin College
2. East Texas Baptist University
3. Hardin-Simmons University
4. Howard Payne University
5. McMurry University
6. Sul Ross State University
7. Texas Lutheran University
8. Trinity University Texas
9. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

Division 3 (d3) is the largest of the NCAA, for more information on the Division 3 colleges.

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Junior Football Colleges in Texas

A junior college, also called a community college, is an academic institution that provides two (2) years of academic instruction beyond secondary school and technical and vocational training to prepare graduates for careers.

In no particular order, the best junior colleges in Texas for football are as follows;

• Rice University Houston, Texas
• Trinity Valley Community College, Athens, Texas
• Panola College, Carthage, Texas.
• Texas Christian University Fort Worth, Texas.
• Tyler Junior College, Tyler, Texas
•  Kilgore College, Kilgore, Texas
• Ranger College, Ranger, Texas
• Baylor University Waco, Texas

• Texas A & M University-College Station, Texas
• Angelina College, Lufkin, Texas

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How to Join a Football Club

There is a lot of information out there on how to join a football club, but much of this information is about the opinions or personal experiences of other people.

Well, we have created a simple guide to answer this question so you can see how to get into a football club in Texas.

Here are five (5) steps to help you on your way to any football club in Texas:

Step #1. Getting Scouted

This is probably the most commonly recognized and talked about method of joining a football club but also the least likely one. 

You’re going to need a lot of luck for this. As a young athlete, you’ll need to put yourself out there to be seen by the top clubs.

This can be through posting videos of yourself displaying your football skills and tagging these clubs on all social media platforms. Never doubt the power of social media!

Step #2. Look for a good football agent in Texas

Getting connected with the best football clubs requires the presence of a football agent who will serve as a link between players and the club.

A football agent will always proffer good recommendations for you. If you want to be considered by top clubs, get yourself a trusted agent.

Step #3. Enroll in Football Colleges

Aspiring footballers who intend to kickstart their football careers should consider applying to football colleges in Texas. 

Texas has football colleges with state-of-the-art facilities. Often colleges serve as avenues for scouts looking for players to join their teams. 

Step #4. Attend Open Day Trials in Texas

At Open day trials, scouts from all over Texas come to monitor and hand-pick the best players to join their football team. 

Open-day trials are means by which young players get their lifelong dream contracts.

Step #5. Join a local team

Local teams are one of the best places to start your football career. 

Occasionally, scouts visit the local team training grounds in search of the best talent. 

Also, these local teams have an established link to the coaches of professional clubs.

READ ALSO: Top 10 Best Summer Programs in Texas for High School Students

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

The best way to begin your football career journey in Texas involves enrolling at the football colleges of your choice.

Also, getting attached to a scouting network aiming to discover your talents and link them to top football clubs will benefit you.

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