With a very intimidating opponent on the horizon, Coach Taylor deals with his former starting quarterback and his unfaithful girlfriend and his new starting quarterback dating his own daughter. Lyla and Tim face repercussions of their own actions, and Smash deals with having to go back to his old hometown for the big game and dealing with old feelings regarding his father, all the while facing the issues surrounding his secret steroid use, especially when his sister begins to notice the changes in him.

While everyone is focused on the cheerleaders, who have an upcoming competition, they focus on giving Lyla a hard time. Smash begins to show signs of steroid abuse, and Coach Taylor finds another way to occupy his starting quarterback in an effort to squash Matt's efforts with the coach's daughter.

The Panthers are preparing yet again for another game they can't afford to lose. Jason (Scott Porter) still finds it difficult to adjust to life at home, and the feelings he still has for Lyla (Minka Kelly) don't make it any easier. Meanwhile, at what couldn't seem like a better time, Matt's (Zach Gilford) dad comes home from Iraq, but the homecoming is not what Matt expected. To make situations even more complicated, UT has taken an interest in Coach Taylor, whose popularity continues to grow, and Smash becomes more and more dependent on unnatural substances to keep up with the competition. With all the drama off the field mounting, the players work even harder to get a victory.

Matt's dad decides to stay home instead of returning to Iraq, while Jason's parents level a lawsuit against the coach for negligence. Smash tries to get closer to a girl, but he keeps getting in the way, himself. The whole town awaits another game involving two other schools, with the results determining the Panthers' post-season hopes.

When Smash's mother finds his needle, she puts the coach in an uncomfortable position and Tammy gets a new job offer, which makes the coach even more uncomfortable. Matts father gets recalled to duty and Jason ponders his decision about his relationship with Lila and Tyra tries to help her mom get over her last woman-beating boyfriend.

Coach Taylor continues to ride Smash while the team gets ready for their upcoming playoff game. Tim goes in search of his father and Jason stands up to Buddy Garrity, which sets him apart from Lyla.

When an assistant coach is quoted in the media with racial intentions, he draws a line between the team, right at playoff time. Julie and Tyra are forced to join the powderpuff game as a result for skipping class, and Julie's dad is a bit elated when she's picked for quarterback by Matt. Tyra, meanwhile, has a hard time dealing with her mother's growing relationship with Buddy Garrity, and starts taking it out on his daughter, Lila. Jason gets an invite to join the local rugby team.

Julie is confronted by her parents regarding her growing relationship with Tyra. Matt tries his hardest to get back in Julie's good graces. Meanwhile, the post-season is in jeopardy as Coach Taylor remains divided over firing his offensive coordinator or standing by his friend, which is the key to one quarter of the team taking a stand by sitting out of the next game.

Mrs. Taylor confronts Julie after seeing Matt buying condoms; Coach Taylor accuses Tim's father of stealing a camera from his office; Buddy Garrity fires Tyra's mother from the dealership.

When his wife throws him out of the house, Buddy Garrity turns to Coach Taylor and Lyla turns to Jason. Julie turns to her mother when an accident happens involving Tyra's mother, even though she knows she's not supposed to be hanging out with Tyra. And Waverly's father turns to Smash when he fears that she has taken a personal change without consulting her father.

With TMU trying to recruit Coach Taylor, Julie insists that she will not be moved away from Matt and Dillon. The quad rugby recruiters in Austin deliver some bad news to Jason. Riggins becomes friends with a single mother and her son.

A chemical spill forces Coach Taylor and the Panthers to seek another facility in which to play the crucial State semifinal game.

Coach Taylor makes a final decision about whether to take the job at Texas Methodist University, while Tyra's secret is revealed.

The Panthers gear up for the state championship, as the rumor about Coach Taylor spreads. Meanwhile, Tami receives some news.

As a new school season gears up the Dillon Panthers find themselves without Coach Taylor, who is also missed by expectant mom Tami and adrift daughter Julie.

Eric and Tammi's separation takes its toll; Landry and Tyra become closer while Matt and Julie drift apart meanwhile the Panthers gear up for a new season.

Matt takes it upon himself to try to curb Smash's enthusiasm for the upcoming season. Tim turns to Lila when he spots his brother leaving his neighbor's house. Jason turns his attention on Mexico in an effort to walk again. Buddy turns to Coach Taylor to convince him to return as coach of the Panthers.

Eric quits his college coaching job to return home to his family and the Panthers, but the latter doesn't look very promising when the old coach fights his termination after only two games. Tim accompanies Jason to Mexico where a questionable medical procedure gives Jason hopes of walking again. After making an appearance in the Lord's name in a boys' home, Lila takes it upon herself to show a recently-release inmate the light. Landry's father is called into work after the body that he and Tyra disposed of is discovered.

Upon returning to the Panthers, Coach Taylor finds himself trying to mend broken fences between his quarterback and his halfback and attempts to find a little intimate time with his wife. Tim recruits Lila in trying to talk Jason out of the risky surgery he has scheduled in Mexico, while Landry's father tries to put up a fence between his son and Tyra.

Upon returning to Dillon, Tim finds his team locker empty, while Coach Taylor deals with Jason and offering him a coaching job, while, at the same time, dealing with his own job not paying as nearly much as what he was getting the previous year. Lila's friend from the boys' school shows up with her father in hopes of a tryout with the Panthers and Landry's father nears the truth about his role in a death.

The coach's wife enlists the aid of Tyra and Lila to secure entertainment for the annual Pantherama event, while the coach enlists the aid of Buddy, who found a hot new football player for him, but the new prospective star has a family that's run out on him, and Tami won't let him play football until that scenario is amended. Julie enlists the aid of journalism in an effort to help her get over the loss of Matt. Smash doesn't want help from anybody, while he turns his back on the possibility of a great education, opting out, instead for a chance at more recognition from the pro ranks while playing for a more-notable school.

Tami manages to alienate her husband and her daughter. Smash manages to alienate a prospective teammate while on a college visit. Matt manages to alienate the young lady who cares for his grandmother and the girl from school who was sweet on him. After alienating the team, Tim still finds himself trying to get back on the team, which, embarrassingly, lost their last game. Landry agrees to meet the brother of the man he killed for Tyra, who originally agreed to meet the man who wanted to make amends for his brother

Landry gives into his better judgment and confesses about what he did while trying to save Tyra. Santiago feels the pressure about the upcoming football game, while pressure mounts between Julie and her mother surrounding the christening of the new baby in the family. Tim feels the pressure of his new roommate, while Jason does his best in getting back into the dating world.

After a tornado rips through the surrounding country side, bombs begin to fly: Coach Taylor drops a bomb on his team by being host to a rival team when their school and field is damaged, Lila drops a bomb on her father about her mother's impending nuptials, and Tyra drops a bomb on Landry about attending Dillon High School's formal dance. Meanwhile, tensions grow around the Taylor household surrounding Tim living in the house.

The coach's need for his own space in his own house doesn't just stop at throwing out Tim, even though his wife has her own needs when it comes to caring for her family and Smash's need for choosing a college is taking its toll on his family, especially his mother.

Matt doesn't want to break his bond with his grandmother's nurse, who's moving back to her native country. Smash and Noelle are pressured by their parents to break the bond they have between them. Tami doesn't want to break the bond with her infant daughter by leaving her at daycare. And as Santiago's former friends show up at his house to retrieve their bond, Buddy feels the bond with his material possessions, while his daughter, Lyla, takes a job at a Christian radio station.

As the athletic director, it falls to Coach Taylor to find a new girls' volleyball coach, and he stops at his own wife, who searches for her newest player. Jason takes a new job working for Buddy Garrity and Smash has some fallout of his own after getting arrested. Tim's given a few days to give back the money he stole while he still makes a play for Lyla.

The hardships in Saracen's life begin to get to him, and he and Riggins, who is still pining away for Lyla, commiserate; Julie feels left out when it seems like her mom is more focused on the volleyball team than on her; Smash's suspension hurts the rest of the team's morale, and it has an unexpected consequence for him; Tyra becomes jealous of Landry's new girlfriend.

Brian "Smash" Williams is determined to get a football scholarship to college despite the recent events that have transpired. However, Brian is very shocked when the most unlikely place offers him what may be the opportunity of his life. Tami Taylor runs into her ex-boyfriend from high school, a big real estate mogul, and he decides to stay in Dillon for a few days. A few days proves to be too long as Coach Taylor begins to feel a bit jealous. Elsewhere, Jason Street hears the biggest news of his life since his accident and must decide if he is willing to change his life completely. Meanwhile, Tim Riggins continues his pursuit of Lyla by getting his own radio show at the Christian radio station. Lyla seems to be enjoying her current relationship with her Christian boyfriend as she goes with him to meet his family.

The press grills Coach Taylor about the upcoming season while the teachers grill his wife, the new principal, about the budget and the necessary cutbacks, while Buddy and the football team have the best of everything. A new quarterback enters the picture and Matt feels threatened and Riggins is still up to his old game plan about not feeling anything. Tyra's new guidance counselor lays some rather bleak news on her, causing her to walk out of school, only to find some personal resolve within herself to attempt to rectify her situation.

When Coach Taylor realizes that it's not Smash's knee that's holding him back, he comes up with a rather unique way of laying it all on the line. The doctor lays it all on the line for Matt, who, legally, can't take care of grandmother, anymore, while Buddy goes out of his way, laying it on the line for Tami over the jumbo tron issue, and laying it on the line with Tim, who's now dating his daughter. Meanwhile, Tyra realizes that it's easier to lay it all on the line by taking shortcuts in winning the student body presidency.

Coach Taylor feels pressured when the boosters corner him at the annual barbecue. Tim gets pressured from his brother about helping him score some extra cash to pay for his impending wedding, while getting pressured at the same time, from Lyla, to try and turn his life around...and her father isn't any help, either. Julie and Matt continue to bond, while Smash's future gets offered an option.

Coach Taylor asks himself whether he should shake things up when it comes to his quarterback controversy, while his wife asks whether she is able to shake things up because Buddy is schmoozing up to the school district's superintendent, Matt gets shaken when his mother shows up in town and Tyra shakes things up with Landry when an old friend of Billy's shows up in town and begins paying her attention and, finally, Smash feels a bit shaken up as his tryout date comes closer.

Jason and Tim come up with an idea that will, hopefully, get them out of their financial woes, but Buddy stands in the way. Tyra's budding romance continues to bloom, while Julie shows 'signs' of rebellion. Coach Taylor's new idea to his quarterback situation only ends up in disarray and pressure from his coaching staff.

After witnessing a hazing incident involving his new starting quarterback, Coach Taylor sets a task before his team captain, Tim Riggins, the job of making J. D. McCoy feel more comfortable with the team. Matt's comfort level with his new position on the bench is felt by everyone close to him, including Julie as they continue to grow closer together. Tyra sings a different tune after her new boyfriend's family shows up on her doorstep.

Coach Taylor has difficulties in the relationship between his new starting quarterback and the kid's father, while his starting fullback presents difficulties for Tami. Buddy's two younger children are nothing but difficult on a planned visit and Jason stands pat on his price for Buddy's house that he and his pals are trying to flip.

Tami considers new living surroundings, while Eric considers a temporary replacement for Mac, who collapses on the field during practice. Tyra considers her options between following her dream and following her boyfriend, while Jason considers investing his share of the profits from flipping Buddy Garrity's house in his future by taking a trip to the East Coast.

Lila is put off when Tim puts off a college recruiter; Tim is put off when his brother's impending marriage is over and takes it out on Tim's truck; Tyra is put off by Cash's actions when they go out on the road together, and Coach Taylor is all but put off by being selected as the game of the week for television during an important playoff game.

Buddy loses his cool over a deal gone sour and wrecks the local strip joint, which causes Lyla to lose her cool and walk out on him after he gets out of jail, while Julie's parents try to not lose their cool over catching her in bed with Matt, Landry loses his cool over Tyra's using him, and Coach Taylor loses his cool when the refs turn a blind eye to his playoff game.

Buddy tries to use Tim to get to Lyla, who's still mad about losing her college fund to a business deal and it gets worse when she finds she's been accepted by the college she's always dreamed of. Buddy also enlists the power of the Dillon Panthers boosters in order to re-draft the line proposed by the school district when a new East Dillon High School is proposed. Landry and Tyra bond over Tyra's sister's wedding, while J.D. and his father don't exactly see eye to eye over the girl in J.D.'s life

The Taylors are faced with a decision that could end what is already a fragile friendship with the McCoys. Lyla informs her father of her alternate decision after her chances of attending her dream college have fallen through, Landry tries to help Tyra with her college essay, and Matt has dreams of attaining some kind of post-high school education.

Skipping ahead five months in time, Dillon High School finds its graduating class with: Lyla, who's father has come up with a plan for her to still possibly attend Vanderbilt; Matt, who plans to attend a school in Chicago away from Julie; Tim, whose brother tries to get a mechanic's garage going while planning to attend college himself; and Tyra, who's application is still up in the air in wanting to attend TU. Meanwhile, the issue over splitting Dillon High School seems small, compared to the fact that outside influences such as money and a control for power continue to affect Coach Taylor, even while his contract comes up for negotiations.