FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
TEXAS A&M
1 Quarterback: It could be the experienced Jake Hubenak’s job, or highly touted freshman Kellen Mond or Nick Starkel could make a move to take over. Either way, the Aggies are starting over under center.
2 Tailback duo: C.E. King product Trayveon Williams and Cypress Ranch product Keith Ford give the Aggies one of the SEC’s best tandems at the position. What do they do for an encore?
3 Christian Kirk: The Aggies have been a mainstay in the first round of the NFL draft in recent years. Kirk, a wide receiver, looks to be next in line.
4 Defensive end: It is not a position of great depth thanks to the NFL. Qualen Cunningham and Jarrett Johnson are players to watch.
5 SEC West foes: A&M has not beaten Alabama since 2012 and has lost six in a row to LSU. Beating the division’s powerhouses remains a major obstacle.
TEXAS
1 Tom Herman: His arrival has many believing the Longhorns are back. How many wins in his debut season are enough for UT fans to believe it’s for real this time.
2 Shane Buechele: He proved last year that he can be the answer at quarterback, which has been a bit of a revolving door recently.
3 Connor Williams: Just three first-round NFL draft picks for Texas since 2010. The 6-6, 320-pound offensive tackle could give the Longhorns another.
4 Malik Jefferson: He needs to turn it around after a rough 2016 at linebacker that followed a stellar freshman season.
5 The Red River Showdown: Tom Herman vs. Lincoln Riley could take this rivalry to another level. Oct. 14 is the first chapter in the new installment.
RICE
1 5-2-4: New defensive coordinator Brian Stewart hopes the Owls’ new defense erases the recent struggles the program has seen.
2 Emmanuel Ellerbee: The senior linebacker is a tackling machine, and his voice rings loud in the locker room, too.
3 David Bailiff: There was some speculation about his job status at the end of a 3-9 campaign in 2016. Can he quell the talk in 2017?
4 Offensive line: It is the team’s biggest strength, considering the entire unit returns.
5 Down Under: The Owls make the long trip to Sydney, Australia, where they will play Stanford at 9 p.m. CDT Aug. 26 on ESPN.
HOUSTON
1 Ed Oliver: Sports Illustrated recently tabbed the sophomore All-America defensive tackle as the fourth-best player in college football. Hard to argue after a dominating freshman season that produced 23 tackles for loss.
2 Kyle Allen: After sitting out a year, the Texas A&M transfer takes over the quarterback job after the graduation of dual-threat star Greg Ward Jr. With SEC experience, Allen could be headed for a big season in the American Athletic Conference.
3 Major Applewhite: He gets a mulligan for the Las Vegas Bowl with little time to prepare and a skeleton coaching staff. The first-time head coach begins his first season at UTSA on Sept. 2.
4 Power Five opponents: There is no Oklahoma or Louisville on the non-conference schedule, but the Cougars travel to Arizona on Sept. 9 and host Texas Tech on Sept. 23.
5 AAC West: There is no consensus in preseason predictions, with the Cougars expected to challenge Tulsa, Memphis and Navy in a tight division race.
REST OF FBS TEXAS
1 Matt Rhule: He takes over at Baylor, where repairing the program’s public image after the sexual assault scandal will be more important than winning on the field.
2 Kenny Hill: He will be the quarterback for a TCU team flying under the radar for 2017.
3 Kliff Kingsbury: Defense is always a question mark at Texas Tech. A first-round NFL draft pick has to be replaced at quarterback. Kingsbury’s seat is heating up.
4 Group of Five: UTSA, North Texas and SMU have serious bowl aspirations in 2017.
5 Big 12 title game: It is back for the first time in seven years. Will it be the 13th data point the conference seemingly needs to make the playoffs?