When you think of the state of Texas, football is likely one of the first things that come to mind.

Texas is considered one of the premier talent spots for football across the nation. They have established juggernauts at every level. 

At the high school level, Duncanville has established itself at a premier level. The University of Texas was a juggernaut in the early-mid 2000s, and they very well appear to be on their way of truly "being back." And then of course there are the Dallas Cowboys.

While they were more of a juggernaut in the 90's, you can still count on them to at least be competitive year after year.

However, as we all know they are not the only NFL team in the state of Texas.

There is a team that resides further south, the Houston Texans.

The history of the Texans is a long one, that includes relocation. They started as the Houston Oilers. They then relocated to Nashville, Tennessee and became the Tennessee Oilers for a brief stint. 

The NFL would undergo expansion, and Houston would be chosen as a city that would yet again host and NFL team, and the Texans were born. 

If you're not from Texas, Houston, and Dallas have a bitter rivalry that extends just about everywhere.

The Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers hate each other, the residents of Dallas consistently talk down on Houston and vice versa, and there are rivalries in high school football, there are even arguments about who has better food. 

But oddly enough, this rivalry doesn't extend to the NFL at the level you think it would.

When the Texans and the Cowboys play each other it is deemed as the Governor's Cup. A perceived "rivalry" among residents of both cities, but with the NFL schedule only allowing them to play each other every four years due to being in different conferences, keeping that disdain for each other, in the form of a "rivalry" can be a challenge. 

Since being rebranded as the Texans, the Cowboys and the Texans have only squared off against each other six times. 

The Cowboys have won four of those six matchups. 

This year the Cowboys and the Texans are set to face off against each other in the seventh game of their "rivalry".

In week eleven, the Dallas Cowboys will host the Houston Texans in Arlington.

And we may see a turn in the tide of this "rivalries" record.

If you haven't been paying attention to the Texans, they appear to have turned the corner as a franchise and appear competitive.

It starts with their young quarterback CJ Stroud.

The Texans selected Stroud with the second pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he had a phenomenal rookie year, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. In the same draft, they also added Will Anderson with the third overall pick. He would win Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. 

Also in the same draft, they added Tank Dell, who put up 709 yards, on 47 catches, for 7 touchdowns in his rookie year.

In short, they hit a grand slam in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Texans didn't stop there.

After Stroud led them to a 10-7 record, en route to winning the AFC South the Texans got busy this off-season. 

The Texans realized they are now in a win-now window with a rookie quarterback under contract, so they truly went "all in." They traded for Stefon Diggs. As well as trading for Joe Mixon. That's before you start digging into what they did in free agency.

In short, the Texans are scary, they are a team on the rise, and one frankly I would be nervous to face. 

This does not bode well for the Cowboys who unsurprisingly did not do a whole lot in free agency this year. 

The Texans got better this off-season, while on paper the Cowboys did not. 

This might be the year we see a turn in the tide and the Texans take over the title of being the team to beat in Texas. 

The challenge the Cowboys now face is to retain that title.

Cowboys Schedule Release: We officially have a date for the Diggs Brothers Bowl

Stefon and Trevon will be fun.