New year, clean slate.

That’s how it is supposed to work, right?

All things equal, Auburn and Texas A&M should be on the same preseason wavelength heading into next weekend’s openers. Each division rival is just as capable as the other as far as SEC West championship hopes are concerned.

But they aren’t.

The Tigers are ranked inside the top 10 in every preseason poll and the Aggies, if they’re lucky, are hovering around the 24-25 range or in the “also receiving votes” category as a team projected to finish in the bottom half of the division alongside Mississippi State and by some accounts, Arkansas and Ole Miss.

What’s up with that?

Maybe it’s the idea Texas A&M is on a downward trend after suffering consecutive underachieving seasons following Johnny Manziel’s run to a Heisman and 11 wins during the 2012 campaign. Kevin Sumlin won three times in his last 10 games against ranked teams. The Aggies sported a mediocre 2-5 record at home against league competition in the last two seasons.

Or maybe it’s the considerable hype surrounding Jeremy Johnson as Cam Newton 2.0 and his budding relationship with Duke Williams, arguably the SEC’s top returning receiver. How quickly we forget Auburn’s slide last fall featuring four losses in the final five games (Samford was the only win) and a defense that yielded 32.8 points per game in SEC contests — only a few points better than Texas A&M’s 36.6.

If we’re putting a heavy emphasis on the Aggies’ fall from No. 6 in the country to outside the Top 25 by season’s end, why aren’t we doing the same for the Tigers’ massive drop from No. 3 to No. 19 in the College Football Playoff rankings thanks to their late-season misfortune?

Stepping back from the hoopla surrounding SEC preseason favorite Auburn for a moment, look at each the strengths for each team on paper:

Team A

  • Hired a respected defensive coordinator during the offseason
  • Led by an up-tempo, offense-centric head coach
  • Posted 69 plays of 10-plus yards last season
  • Went 2-3 vs. ranked teams during 2014 season
  • Scored on 87.7 percent red zone possessions last fall
  • Led defensively by a sophomore pass-rush end
  • 11th-ranked 2015 signing class

Team B

  • Hired a respected defensive coordinator during the offseason
  • Led by an up-tempo, offense-centric head coach
  • Posted 69 plays of 10-plus yards last season
  • Went 3-4 vs. ranked teams during 2014 season
  • Scored on 87.9 percent red zone possessions last fall
  • Led defensively by a sophomore pass-rush end
  • 10th-ranked 2015 signing class

Notice the similarities?

It’s scary how closely these teams mirror each other, though you wouldn’t know it based on preseason buzz — or the lack thereof concerning the Aggies (ahem, props to Fox Sports’ Stewart Mandel for picking Texas A&M to win the West).

Without looking it up, try and differentiate between the teams listed above. It’s challenging, right? One offense runs the ball with success, the other wins games through the air. Staff philosophies may differ, but both units are tempo-driven with some of the country’s most dynamic playmakers on the outside.

I’ve tried to find a compelling argument in favor of one team over the other, but it’s a struggle. Glancing at the treacherous schedules both teams will endure this fall, perhaps Texas A&M gets the edge and here’s why: the Aggies leave Texas only three times this season and one of those games is against Vanderbilt.

On the other hand, Auburn will play at least two ranked teams away from home (three if you’re buying into the Aggies) and takes on Kentucky in Thursday night fashion at Commonwealth Stadium — you know, a scenario that has all the necessary upset ingredients.

Can anyone tell me why Auburn is valued so highly over Texas A&M considering the similarities?