Coach Taylor is faced with building a football program from the ground up after the redistricting splits Dillon into two high-school districts. East Dillon is without funds, without a qualified coaching staff and without talent after the gerrymandering that was done by the Dillon Panther Boosters. Meanwhile Tim Riggins gives up on college and returns to Dillon only to find that you can't always go home again. Matt Saracen & Julie struggle with their roles in football crazed Dillon, now that Matt is no longer on the team.

Following an opening night forfeit, Coach Taylor struggles to regain the support of his new team. Coach & Mrs Taylor weather a maelstrom when the star running back of the Dillon Panthers is outed as an East Dillon resident. Tim Riggins struggles to find a new living arrangement. Matt struggles with an internship with an abrasive local artist. Landry runs into an interesting girl at his new school.

Coach Taylor & the team struggle to come up with funds for new uniforms & Coach makes a commitment that may get him in trouble with Mrs. Taylor. Riggins bonds with Becky, his new landlady's daughter. Matt's artist mentor influences both Matt and Julie. Landry's interest in Jess increases and he discovers that she knows football when she tutors him on kicking.

Coach Taylor tries to foster community interest in the East Dillon Lions by staging a pep-rally while dealing with the increasing friction between Vince and Luke, his two star players. Tammy is still suffering the repercussions of making Luke Cafferty attend East Dillon. Riggins finds himself pageant dress shopping with his landlady's daughter and hunting with a trigger happy Matt Saracen. Meanwhile Julie accompanies Devin to a gay bar and runs into someone unexpected.

Julie mourns the end of her relationship with Matt. Luke's family commitments interfere with his football. Becky's dad returns from a road-trip with a secret. The police stop by the school in response to an anonymous tip to search Vince's locker for a gun. Mindy's maternity gets more expensive than Billy was prepared for and the Landing Strip girls throw a fund-raiser. Tammy's staff celebrates an academic award with a karaoke night and Glenn goes a bit too far.

When East Dillon and the only other winless team in the district face off, locals term it the "Toilet Bowl." This conflicts with Coach's and Buddy's attempts to get play-by-play coverage from a local radio station. Meanwhile, Julie & Mrs. Taylor visit her old alma mater. Landry tries to convince Jess that he's completely over Tryra and that they should date. Vince's mom invites Jess to dinner with her and her son. Tim Riggins helps Luke get pain meds following an injury on the ranch without letting Coach Taylor know. Riggins also discovers that his brother Billy has been running a chop shop operation on the side to make extra money and when Tim's more legitimate attempts at landing a job fall through he considers joining him.

When a 12 year-old is shot in an East Dillon park, Coach Taylor takes action. Julie takes a step in recovering from her break-up with Matt thanks to a cute supervisor at a Habitat for Humanity build. Vince gets a job at Ray's BBQ and he & Landry face off over their mutual attraction to Jess Merriweather. Meanwhile Becky Sproles finds out that she's pregnant and informs both Luke and Riggins.

Luke Cafferty's mom raises a ruckus and wants Mrs. Taylor fired for her role in the aborting of her grandson. Landry and his folks invite Jess over for a rather awkward dinner. Julie reacts badly when Matt finally calls her to say he misses her. Luke becomes more and more dependent on pain pills and continues to hide his injury from everyone until it results in a crisis. Vince gets in deeper with the neighborhood thugs after borrowing money from them to get his mom into rehab. Mrs. Sproles comes onto Tim after a celebratory dinner then reacts badly when she finds him in a questionable situation with her daughter.

The final game of the regular season has the East Dillon Lions slated to host the Dillon Panthers in what is sure to be the mother of all cross town rivalries. When the Panther boosters question the fitness of the East Dillon field it quickly escalates from toothpick pranks to torn up turf. Meanwhile the pro-life witch-hunt to get Tammy terminated for counseling the pregnant Becky escalates. Adding to the chaos, Mindy goes into labor, Billy goes on a caffeine bender, and soon after the boy is born, Uncle Tim gets arrested when the cops bust the chop shop. Meanwhile Vince is reeling from the shooting death of his childhood friend and the gang that he's been running with want him in on getting vengeance.

Jess confides to Landry that she has feelings for Vince. Thanksgiving arrives, the day before the big game finds the Taylors playing host to an extended family dinner. The Riggins are there including the newest Riggins. Matt's back from Chicago. Buddy is bringing his own turkey to deep fry. Then on Friday, The lions meet the Panthers on the Panther's home field but they're a tougher team than anticipated. It all comes down to Landry can he make a 45 yard field goal and win the game?

Julie Taylor prepares to go away to college. Mrs. Taylor digs into her new job as the guidance counselor at East Dillon and Coach Taylor poaches a basketball player for his team as the East Dillon Lions prepare for a pre-season game against the Croft Cowboys, last year's Texas State champs.

Julie starts her college classes and meets an interesting teaching assistant. Tammy Taylor has trouble fitting in with the East Dillon teaching staff. Luke Cafferty's tackle from the last game is questioned. Coach Taylor finds that he's now on the outside and set a new goal. Jess and Vince hit a bump in their relationship.

Vince's dad gets out on parole. A video of Maura drunk at the party with several Lions team members gets posted on the Internet. Mrs Taylor tries to take corrective action during school hours and Coach Taylor tries to get the team members back on track. Meanwhile Julie's flirtation with her history TA gets more serious.