There's a tight battle at the top of this week's Best in Texas rankings, with TCU and Texas A&M -- both 2-1 with tight losses in marquee matchups over the last two weeks -- neck and neck. The Horned Frogs dropped a primetime game to Ohio State at AT&T Stadium in Week 3, one week after Texas A&M lost to No. 2 Clemson by two points in Week 2.

Six members of our 12-person panel gave Texas A&M the nod at No. 1 and the other six went with TCU. The Horned Frogs hold on to their spot atop the poll by the slimmest of margins as one voter placed Texas A&M No. 3 on his ballot, while TCU was No. 2 on every ballot that it didn't appear No. 1 on.

North Texas, the area's lone unbeaten FBS school, saw itself rise in the poll for the second time in three weeks. The Mean Green dominated the SEC's Arkansas Razorbacks in Week 3 for a high-profile road win. After debuting at No. 8 in the Best in Texas preseason poll, UNT has climbed all the way up to No. 3, ahead of schools like Texas and Texas Tech, who each picked up big wins of their own in Week 3 (Texas topped USC while Texas Tech bested Houston in a game with more than 100 total points). Those two schools rounded out this week's top 5.

Here is this week's full poll:

[Previous installments: Week 2 poll | Week 1 poll | Preseason poll]

Full rankings

1. TCU: 138 (6 first-place votes)

2. Texas A&M: 137 (6)

3. North Texas: 117

4. Texas: 112

5. Texas Tech: 96

6. Houston: 84

7. Baylor: 72

8. SMU: 60

9. Rice: 47

10. UTSA: 31

11. Texas State: 30

12. UTEP: 12

Best in Texas panelists (click names to view their Twitter accounts): Ben Baby, Scott Bell, Chuck Carlton, Trenton Daeschner, Spenser Davis, Reece Graham, EJ Holland, Selby Lopez, Alex Miller, Jose Rodriguez, Kevin Sherrington, Brett Vito.

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1. TCU (2-1)

Costly mistakes prevented the upset of Ohio State, but the Frogs still look like a force to be reckoned with. TCU opens up Big 12 play in Austin next week. (Reece Graham)

2. Texas A&M (2-1)

By no means did A&M play its sharpest game, yet still reeled off a 38-point win. QB Kellen Mond continues to progress well heading into the showdown against No. 1 Alabama. (Alex Miller)

3. North Texas (3-0)

The Mean Green hammered Arkansas 44-17 and captured national attention in the process. UNT had not beaten a "power five" conference opponent since 2011. (Brett Vito)

4. Texas (2-1)

Texas shook off a slow start and scored 34 unanswered points to storm past No. 22 USC, 37-14, led by a steady performance from quarterback Sam Ehlinger. (Trenton Daeschner)

5. Texas Tech (2-1)

Freshman Alan Bowman impressed with 605 yards and 5 TDs against Houston. Bowman's performances won't matter if the Red Raiders can't improve their defense. (Selby Lopez)

6. Houston (2-1)

The Cougars' offense continues to thrive under dynamic QB D'Eriq King, but their defense looked like a turnstile against Texas Tech, yielding north of 700 yards of offense. (Scott Bell)

7. Baylor (2-1)

Charlie Brewer and Jalan McClendon played well at QB against Duke , but Baylor will need to improve its run game to make some noise in the Big 12. (Selby Lopez)

8. SMU (0-3)

SMU was never going to upset Michigan, but the Ponies did stay within striking distance for 30 minutes. Despite an 0-3 record, things might slowly be improving on The Hilltop. (Reece Graham)

9. Rice (1-2)

The Owls were on a bye week. Up next: Conference USA foe Southern Miss, which also didn't play this weekend after its game at Appalachian State was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence. (Jose Rodriguez)

10. UTSA (0-3)

After suffering three straight P5 losses, the Roadrunners turn their attention to Texas State. UTSA is 2-0 all-time against the Bobcats, including a 44-14 win last season. (Spenser Davis)

11. Texas State (1-2)

The Bobcats let one slip away in a 41-31 loss to South Alabama. They will try to bounce back in an I-35 rivalry game against UTSA. (Ben Baby)

12. UTEP (0-3)

The Miners fell to Tennessee and have now lost 15 straight games. That streak could come to an end as UTEP takes on winless New Mexico State next. (EJ Holland)