The landscape of college football is constantly evolving and changing. The state of Texas provides telling examples with some 2014 storylines that are vastly different than last year.

A national championship winning coach and Heisman Trophy quarterback are no longer part of the Lone Star State gridiron scene. Mack Brown is gone and so is Johnny Manziel. The Houston Cougars entered a new conference last year. This year they open a new stadium. The Rice Owls will be defending a conference championship. LSU, another program with strong local interest, is replacing nine players drafted into the NFL ranks.

Expectations can be as much of a burden as they can be exciting. Count Texas A & M Coach Kevin Sumlin among those who don’t care.

“We weren’t concerned with it (expectations) last year and we weren’t concerned with it the first year,” Sumlin said during a Houston Touchdown Club stop last week. “Expectations last year were through the roof. Expecations the first year, no one thought we could win any games. I don’t get caught up in either one. That is for you guys (media).”

Sumlin may not care, but fans do. It is no surprise that the team with the fewest question marks, shines brighter than all others, at least according to media members who produce the array of pre-season publications. That team is the Baylor Bears.

In a survey of USA Today, Athlon, Lindys and The Sporting News football magazines, Baylor is ranked as high as #7 (TSN) and as low as #11 (USA Today).

Baylor’s lofty and consistent rankings still won’t translate to a conference championship according to the experts. Oklahoma is placed above the Bears in the national polls and Big 12 predictions.

Despite the loss of nine talented players to the NFL including quarterback Zach Mettenberger, LSU’s depth has garnered the Tigers national rankings ranging from 11th to 19th and SEC West positioning of third or fourth in the division behind Alabama and Auburn.

The biggest change from a year ago might be the expectations of the Texas Longhorns surpassing Texas A & M. The Aggies lost three offensive players in the first round of the NFL Draft. Texas replaced Mack Brown with Charlie Strong, a coach who also had three first- round draft picks last year at Louisville.

In the quartet of publications, the Aggies varied from 18th (TSN & USA Today) to 34th (Athlon). Texas ranged from 17th (Athlon) to 24th (USA Today). Longhorn fans will want to read Athlon and Lindys. Texas A & M fans will prefer USA Today and The Sporting News.

The team that generates the widest range of rankings is Houston. USA Today has the UH as pre-season #32 with 9-3, 6-2 records. Athlon had the Cougars 69th at 8-4, 5-3.

The Sporting News predicts the Owls will take the C-USA West title again. The USA Today has Rice with an 8-4, 6-2 finish. Athlon has the Owls as low as 87th nationally despite a 7-5 and 6-2 predicted finish.

The biggest head to head games of the year could be Baylor at Oklahoma on November 8th, Baylor at Texas on October 4th and LSU at Texas A & M on November 27th. Houston and Rice will not meet this season.

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