Cool username!

Hmmm there's quite a few airlines... Airtran is big (though probably doesn't go to IAH); CO has a presence; United is here, too; but I would say AA is by far the biggest airline. Would BOS-DFW work for you? Both cities are AA hubs, and maybe you could find a deal.

Dallas and Houston are both in texas -- how far apart could they be?

Good luck with grad school in Boston. I'm doing the same in Cambridge and the Boston area's a great place to be.

P.S. Have you tried looking with the fare search engine at www.itasoftware.com? It's a local company for us.