You have to realize the difference between "Rhetoric" in the English Departments, and "Rhetoric" in the Communication (Which is UT's one) Department.
That being said, UT does have a good program in Comm Studies. However, be aware, that the Rhetoric subfield's job market isn't that great (In Comm Studies, not in English). Of course, it's still loads better than a regular English Ph.D, so w/e.
Edit:
About your GPA,
A 3.0 could keep you from getting looked at by top programs (Make sure to get a good GRE score).
I would definitely throw in a few MA programs as backup options, preferably ones which guarantee funding.