What are the top coaching questions and storylines in 2015? Here are a few of the most intriguing.

WILL THERE BE TEXAS-SIZED UPHEAVAL IN THE LONGHORN STATE?

Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin and Texas coach Charlie Strong enter 2016 with a legitimate chance of losing their jobs. It doesn’t help that Tom Herman is perched at nearby Houston as one of the sexiest young coaching names in the country, ready to pounce.

But Kevin Sumlin’s offense has gone into a gradual regression since the departures of quarterback Johnny Manziel and play-caller Kliff Kingsbury. And it feels like the program momentum is going in the wrong direction, not just because of the team’s record on a yearly basis. His $5 million salary isn’t as lucrative as it appeared two years ago, but Texas A&M isn’t paying a coach that amount of money to finish fifth in the SEC West.

Strong has shown signs of life during February, doing an excellent job of closing on National Signing Day. Still, Texas fans are going to be furious if the team hovers near .500 for a third consecutive season. The program has taken discipline more seriously since Mack Brown left and has gotten tougher. But Strong is 11-14 at Texas. Teams like Oklahoma State, Baylor and TCU have all passed the Longhorns, not to mention Oklahoma.

Both teams have enough talent to make it interesting. Can one or both survive? And if not, will Herman or someone else inherit a sleeping giant?

CAN NICK SABAN TIE BEAR BRYANT AT 6 NATIONAL TITLES?

We love premature proclamations in 2016, when personalities like ESPN’s Skip Bayless get the most followers and the highest salaries. We’ve talked about Nick Saban potentially being the greatest ever for a long time. But that argument is getting more legitimate by the year, especially since he won his fifth college football national championship.

Comparing coaches in different eras is difficult, as the game and the industry have changed drastically even since Saban launched his career. But if he reaches six titles or more, it’s going to be very difficult to argue against him.

Alabama’s roster entering 2016 doesn’t look especially fearsome compared to some of its teams under Saban. But he’s got the program running so much like a machine that it seems impossible for the Tide to lose more than two regular season games. So, every year, there’s a chance that Saban can lead the team to another national championship. And the current run is reaching all-time levels in terms of length.

WILL JIM HARBAUGH’S MICHIGAN COMPLETE A BIG TEN TAKEOVER?

He’s built a reputation as a turnaround artist, perfecting the act at San Francisco and Michigan.

Unafraid to unleash all his quirks in recruiting, Harbaugh has a great understanding of the role of strong marketing in today’s college football. He’s proven that through his use of Twitter, satellite camps, well-chosen media barbs and the National Signing Day feista.

After a better than expected 2015 capped by a dominant Citrus Bowl win, the Wolverines will enter the fall with lofty goals. It’s likely that voters will deem them a top 10 team before the season. Is Harbaugh ready to overtake Ohio State and Michigan State on the field, or does he need another year to recruit and develop?

Whatever your feelings are on the Big Ten, that conference is going to be fun to watch this fall.

DABO SWINNEY VS. JIMBO FISHER

Speaking of coaching rivalries, this is as good as it gets in college football right now, even considering Harbaugh-Urban Meyer.

The ACC gets its share of five-star recruits and lands plenty of players in the NFL draft. But overall, it has been astoundingly weak after the first two or three teams. The Coastal Division has been even more of a joke than the SEC East in most recent years, with Frank Beamer’s late-career decline and turmoil at Miami.

Florida State and Clemson, though, are as relevant as any college football programs nationally. The difference the last two seasons has been Jameis Winston at his peak vs. Deshaun Watson at his. Watson is back in 2016 off a College Football Playoff championship loss to Alabama, while Florida State lost very little from a transition year in 15.

Watching the Seminoles and Tigers compete for control of the ACC will be as dramatic as any head-to-head matchup this fall.

CAN MARK RICHT RE-ESTABLISH “THE U”?

Seeing Richt ousted after what became a 10-win season brought mixed emotions from UGA fans, many of whom adore Richt as a man and at least admire him as a coach.

Still, after 15 years, it probably was time for a change on both sides.

Like Alabama, Notre Dame and Texas, Miami is one of those nationally-historic programs with a widespread fan base. College football is better when the Hurricanes are competitive. And Richt inherits a good quarterback, a decent roster and a manageable schedule.

Will Miami instantly become a top 25 team with potential to improve from there? Did Georgia make the right move in getting rid of Richt? Both of those are intriguing questions to monitor.

HAS BUTCH JONES FINALLY STACKED ENOUGH BRICKS?

A common theme any place where fans comment on Tennessee-related content is that the Vols constantly are hyped, but rarely win anything of significance.

I’d counter that by saying that Tennessee hasn’t been ranked in the Associated Press preseason top 10 since 2005. Whether or not that happens this year — Team 120 may be ranked in the 11 to 13 range before opening kickoff — this is a much different scenario than the wishful thinking of the last decade.

Tennessee returns one of the most experienced teams in the SEC. The Vols play tremendous defense, can run the football, are getting much stronger at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and feature a veteran quarterback.

In the SEC East, only Georgia (with a first-year coach) and Florida (with major quarterback concerns) are considered legitimate competition in 2016. Butch Jones and his staff finally appear poised to play for a championship. Is this the year?

OTHERS

Georgia: Kirby Smart spent years learning from Nick Saban. We know he can coach defense. He’s put together a veteran SEC staff. He recruited well in the early stages. But can he do any better than Mark Richt? Is he capable of bringing conference and national titles to Athens? We should find out a lot about the first-year head coach in 2016.

LSU: Les Miles managed to secure a top 5 recruiting class despite a tenuous job status. The administration already took a deep look into jettisoning him after the 2015 season; what must he do to keep his job into 2017? And will he allow offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to turn it loose more often?

Kentucky: The last two years, 5-1 and 4-1 have become 5-7. Confidence in Mark Stoops has waned despite the fact that he keeps bringing solid talent to Lexington. No one is asking for an SEC championship. But if he can’t find a way to convert that talent into a lower-tier bowl appearance, he’ll be replaced at some point in the next year or two.

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers got rid of Bo Pelini in a “careful what you ask for” move, then made a curious hire in pulling Mike Riley out of Oregon State. Riley is a likable guy, good with the media and in many ways a nice change for the program. But Nebraska won just 5 games in 2015 and got hammered by the likes of Purdue. Riley needs to show significant progress or else his time in Lincoln is going to be short.

Auburn: It took just one season for coach Gus Malzahn to go from “offensive genius” to “just another guy” in the SEC West. The power team of Malzahn and Will Muschamp dissolved after just one season. But this program has had success with transfer quarterbacks in Cam Newton and Nick Marshall. Perhaps John Franklin III can help restart the offense. 2016 is a critical juncture for Malzahn’s tenure.

Penn State: Sure, the Nittany Lions still faced considerable NCAA sanctions when James Franklin arrived from Vanderbilt. But not many expected Franklin to have this much trouble so soon. Christian Hackenberg’s development flatlined the last two years, so perhaps a new quarterback will help. But Franklin’s best attribute — Bob Shoop’s defense — walked out the door to Tennessee. And the rest of the conference is getting tougher. Could this be the beginning of the end for Franklin in Happy Valley?