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Best in Texas poll (11/10): After 3OT win, Baylor remains unanimous No. 1; Texas jumps idle Texas A&M

At 9-1, SMU remains a comfortable No. 2 in this week’s poll, ranking higher than four different in-state Power 5 schools.

Baylor stayed alone atop the Big 12 standings with its dramatic triple-OT win over rival TCU on Saturday afternoon. And as a result, the Bears remain alone atop the Best in Texas poll, too.

For the fourth straight week (and for the second consecutive week as a unanimous selection), the undefeated Bears have been dubbed the “Best in Texas.”

SMU remained No. 2 in the poll for the fifth straight week. The Mustangs have the second best record in the state after improving to 9-1 following a 59-51 win over East Carolina Saturday afternoon.

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The school with the biggest positive bump in this week’s poll was Texas. The Longhorns kept their Big 12 Championship Game hopes alive after upending No. 16 Kansas State on Saturday, 27-24. As a result, they moved up to No. 3 in our Best in Texas poll.

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Texas A&M was apparently out of sight, out of mind for a good chunk of voters this week. Despite battling SMU for the No. 2 spot in last week’s poll and ultimately settling for No. 3, the idle Aggies fell to No. 4 in this week’s edition. They led Texas 123 voting points to 103 last week. This week’s margin was a 116-114 edge in favor of the Longhorns.

SMU, Texas and Texas A&M all had at least one voter advocate for their school being No. 2 in the poll.

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On the heels of its close loss to Baylor, TCU rounded out this week’s top 5.

This week’s full poll can be found below:

Full rankings

1. Baylor: 144 (12 first-place votes)

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2. SMU: 129

3. Texas: 116

4. Texas A&M: 114

5. TCU: 97

6. Texas Tech: 84

7. Houston: 72

8. North Texas: 60

t-9. Texas State: 42

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t-9. UTSA: 42

11. Rice: 24

12. UTEP: 12

This week’s Best in Texas panelists (click names to view their Twitter accounts): Scott Bell, Sam Blum, Alex Briseno, Chuck Carlton, Spenser Davis, Selby Lopez, Grant McGalliard, Alex Miller, Brice Paterik, Jose Rodriguez, Kevin Sherrington, Brett Vito.

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1. Baylor (9-0)

Baylor appeared to be heading for its first loss of the season before a furious comeback vs. TCU. All eyes will be on the Bears next week in their test vs. Oklahoma. (Selby Lopez)

2. SMU (9-1)

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SMU held serve against a pesky ECU team. The final bye week comes at a perfect time, as SMU will need to beat Navy in two weeks to remain in AAC title contention. (Sam Blum)

3. Texas (6-3)

It took another game winner from Texas kicker Cameron Dicker, but the Longhorns’ Big 12 titles hopes aren’t dead yet. Now, Texas has road trips to Ames and Waco on back-to-back weeks. (Alex Briseno)

4. Texas A&M (6-3)

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The Aggies had time to rest and regroup on their bye week. Now A&M gears up for its final home game against South Carolina, who lost at home to Appalachian State 20-15 Saturday night. (Alex Miller)

5. TCU (4-5)

TCU nearly beat undefeated Baylor without the benefit of a touchdown, but lost in a triple-OT thriller. Now, the Horned Frogs need two wins in three weeks to make a bowl. (Sam Blum)

6. Texas Tech (4-5)

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Linebacker Jordyn Brooks had 11 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, in Tech’s 38-17 win over WVU. Brooks now has 18 TFLs, most by a Red Raider in a decade. (Chuck Carlton)

7. Houston (3-6)

The Cougars will host a ranked Memphis team after an open date. Houston must finish the season 3-0 in order to gain bowl eligibility in Dana Holgorsen’s first season. (Spenser Davis)

8. North Texas (4-6)

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A trip to Louisiana Tech couldn’t have gone worse for North Texas. UNT was blown out, lost QB Mason Fine to injury and now needs to win its last two to become bowl eligible. (Brett Vito)

t-9. Texas State (3-6)

A back-and-forth game came down to one kick and the Bobcats’ Josh Rowland made a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give Texas State a gritty 30-28 win over South Alabama. (Alex Miller)

t-9. UTSA (4-5)

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UTSA used two drives of 10-plus plays that both resulted in touchdowns to flip a 23-10 deficit after three quarters against Old Dominion into a one-point victory. (Scott Bell)

11. Rice (0-9)

Winless Rice took some needed time off this weekend. Now the Owls travel to Middle Tennessee looking for an elusive first win of 2019. (Alex Miller)

12. UTEP (1-8)

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The Miners looked poised to pick up their first win over an FBS opponent this season on Saturday. But their 21-7 halftime lead over Charlotte eventually turned into a 28-21 loss. (Scott Bell)