Houston – Four true freshmen on the travel roster: running back Daniel Spencer and receiver Mark Roberts on offense and defensive lineman Joey Mbu and linebacker Derrick Mathews on defense.  Because the running back position is crowded, Spencer has been lining up at receiver…Houston senior quarterback Case Keenum was pegged as a third-team All-American at quarterback by Rivals.com…The Cougars officially announced today that it will be playing a home-and-home with BYU in 2013 (Houston) and 2014 (Provo)…DB Damian Payne, a Houston native, has transferred in from Utah.

Rice – LT Jake Hicks has returned to practice this week after missing time with a leg injury…Despite signing a minor-league baseball contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, tight end Luke Wilson still has his two years of football eligibility in tact…Even though Driphus Jackson is getting reps with the second-team offense, Nick Fanuzzi remains the backup to Taylor McHargue.

SMU – Coach Jones had the following to say to the school newspaper: “Darius Johnson and Cole Beasley had really good camps. Our defensive line has had really good camp as well. Torlan Pittman is getting back fired up the way he was. The defensive line has really stood out to me…”

Tulane – Running back Orleans Darkwa, who is going through hamstring and toe injuries, could miss the season opener…Shane Delery got tangled up in some shoving and lost his temper, getting ejected from practice toward the end when a play carried on past the whistle during Thursday’s practice…6’6, 308 lb right tackle Eric Jones won a team diving contest…True freshman linebacker Matthew Bailey is looking like he is going to start at linebacker…

Tulsa – Tulsa and Fresno State have agreed to a home-and-home football series, it was announced on Thursday.
Fresno State will play at Tulsa on Sept. 29, 2012. The two-game contract will conclude in 2014, when the Golden Hurricane visits Fresno…Sophomore Stetson Burnett is dueling junior Brian DeShane for the starting right guard position in a battle that could go right up until kickoff of the OU game…Quarterback Shavodrick Beaver has decided to transfer from the program.

UTEP – Wide receiver Cliff Tucker returns to football for the first time since starring for Chapin High five years ago. He’s certainly shown he can contribute right away, but for the most immediate impact, the names to watch are junior college transfer Mike Edwards and redshirt freshman Jordan Leslie…Guards Jerel Watkins (sprained ankle) and James Robinson (sprained knee) are still out, and while coach Mike Price said their injuries aren’t season threatening, he did raise the possibility they could miss the opener…