It is quite possible to match to Texas without any Texas connections at all (source: Me, doing residency in Texas with zero ties). My non-Texas med school sends large numbers of people to Texas residencies every year.
Much of what you're seeing about top schools not matching to Texas likely relates to applicant geographic preference more than anything. You will need to be prepared for the possibility of not matching in Houston (or Texas) because there are only so many programs (For IM - Methodist, Baylor, and UT), but it's not impossible