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HOUSTON (AP) — The city of Houston wants to become a part of college football's playoff system.

Houston submitted a bid on Tuesday to host the new Big 12-Southeastern Conference bowl and join the rotation for semifinal games in the sport's new postseason format, which begins in the 2014 season.

The champions of the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference or replacement teams from those leagues would meet in the bowl game, at least temporarily dubbed the Champions Bowl. The game would be played at Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans.

Cotton Bowl organizers have also expressed interest in being part of the playoff rotation and hosting the title game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, as have officials from the Chick-fil-a Bowl in Atlanta.

Reliant Stadium has hosted a bowl game — currently the Meineke Car Care Bowl — since 2006. The venue, which also has a retractable roof, was the site of the 2004 Super Bowl and the 2011 Final Four. It is slated to host the Final Four again in 2016.

"We're really honored and very proud of the bid that we've put forth," said Heather Houston, the executive director of the Meineke Car Care Bowl. "We feel like it'll stack up against any other market. We've got the strongest local economy, a beautiful facility here at Reliant Stadium, and also an avid college sports base; and of course the proven track record of hosting successful events such as the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four and, of course, the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas."

The bid is for 12 years, Houston said, and the goal is for the city to land one of the semifinal games in four of those years. The deadline for cities to submit bids is Wednesday, she said.

The Meineke Car Care Bowl has drawn high attendance the past three years. Last season, a crowd of 68,395 watched Texas A&M defeat Northwestern.

"I feel like our market weighs heavily in their minds," Houston said. "Both of those conferences have said over and over again that they want to be in Houston, and they've seen that we have a proven track record of hosting a really successful bowl game now and big-time sporting events here. We feel like, again, our bid will stack up against New Orleans' and Arlington's and the rest of the cities that will be bidding on this as well."

Houston said league officials set no timeline on deciding which cities would host the playoff games.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Times are changing in the Big 12.

A new commissioner, two new schools and a batch of new starting quarterbacks bring a distinctly different flavor to the conference this season after a period of turmoil when one-third of the original members left.

Big East champion West Virginia and Mountain West champ TCU will at least partially fill the void left by Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M scattering to other leagues.

Exactly who will take over the superstar roles filled by Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and fellow first-round NFL draft picks Justin Blackmon, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden and Kendall Wright remains to be seen.

It all makes for an unpredictable season. But can it be a great one?

"We don't want the SEC to win another national championship," new commissioner Bob Bowlsby proclaimed Monday during a stop on Oklahoma's campus.

"We think the University of Oklahoma can compete at that level and have a chance, and we think there are several others this year that can do similar."

Defending conference champion Oklahoma State (Wes Lunt), Baylor (Nick Florence) and Kansas (Dayne Crist) will all be breaking in new quarterbacks. And although they're not new to starting college football games, West Virginia's Geno Smith and TCU's Casey Pachall will be new to the Big 12 and trying to continue their championship-winning ways.

"When you're going into a new conference, a new landscape, it's all about finding a way to win," said TCU coach Gary Patterson, who'll wait an extra week to make his Big 12 debut Sept. 8 against Grambling State.

"We've had this plan before. This is not the first time we've changed conferences."

Patterson's Horned Frogs are rejoining some former Southwest Conference foes after hopscotching to the WAC, Conference USA and Mountain West.

"You've just got to keep growing up. That's what good programs do, and that's what we intend to do here," Patterson said. "It's not going to be a sprint. It's three to five years, and then over the course of 10 years, how do we get as a program as we keep recruiting to the Big 12 to become what we need to become?"

Whoever can overcome all of the changes the best will be crowned the champion in December.

Oklahoma State is attempting to get there with Lunt, who's just out of high school, taking over for the 28-year old Weeden. Yet coach Mike Gundy says the Cowboys won't be changing their offense up — or relying heavily on the run — to ease Lunt into the college game.

"There'll be mistakes, growing pains," said Gundy, whose Cowboys open the season Saturday against Savannah State.

"We had them with Brandon Weeden here, and he had been in practice and was obviously very mature with his age. ... He'll make mistakes just like any other young player, and you go with it and you keep playing."

Kansas, which didn't win a single conference game last season, is turning to the former Notre Dame connection of Crist and coach Charlie Weis. Weis was brought in to replace Turner Gill, who was fired after two losing seasons, and said his players have been through a "pretty grueling offseason" to try and improve.

"I think they're really looking forward to showing everyone they're not as bad as they were," Weis said.

Bowlsby believes there's depth in the Big 12 from top to bottom that can help the conference build on its reputation.

"I think the thing that makes a great conference is great competition every time you take the playing surface," he said.

The league has been dumped on at times over the past two years as longtime members have headed toward the door. Bowlsby believes there is stability ahead as he tries to conclude negotiations on a television contract worth as much as $2.6 billion, along with a written agreement among the 10 schools to give their grant of rights to the conference.

The latter part of that deal would be as close as the league can come to ensuring that no more schools will leave, since they would have to forfeit millions upon millions of TV dollars to do so.

"There are no real stumbling blocks. It's a matter of just fine-tuning the wording and some things like that. I think the grant of rights will fall into place almost automatically," said University of Oklahoma President David Boren, seated next to Bowlsby.

If Bowlsby can complete that, it might finally be time for the change to slow down for a while and for the conference to get back to talking about championships instead of its possible extinction.

"What enhances athletic reputation? Winning," Bowlsby said. "And it isn't just winning conference championships. It's having our conference champion go on and win national championships. We're going to do that. We've had a rich tradition of it, and we're going to continue to do it."

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — David Ash never doubted he would be the starting quarterback at No. 15 Texas.

Now that he has won the job, the challenge is keeping it beyond Saturday's season-opener against Wyoming.

Ash, who rotated last season with Case McCoy, won the preseason battle to take over the job without an "or" between their names on the depth chart. Coach Mack Brown announced the decision last week and Ash met with reporters Monday.

"I expected it," Ash said. "I worked really hard. The coaches have given me a shot. That's all you can really ask for."

Ash still has a lot to prove on the field.

He was 3-3 as a freshman starter last season with just four touchdown passes and eight interceptions. His completion rate was under 58 percent and Texas ranked 86th nationally in passing.

Ash seemed to be asserting himself as the Longhorns' No. 1 when he played every snap of Texas' Holiday Bowl win over California. Ash was named the most valuable player of the game after passing for one touchdown, catching another and not committing any turnovers.

But even with that game under this belt, Texas opened their 2012 training camp with Brown refusing to name a starter and he insisted McCoy was battling Ash for the job. Despite the competition, Ash said his confidence has grown as he's matured and had more time to learn just how to be a college quarterback.

"I can play football," Ash said. "I can play quarterback as good as anybody else."

Some of his teammates said Monday they thought the competition was close until Brown announced Ash was No. 1.

"For me, it was a tossup," linebacker Jordan Hicks said. "We had no clue."

McCoy, the younger brother of former Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy, could still get playing time against Wyoming. Brown said McCoy and Ash are friends but Ash revealed little about their relationship.

Ash said both wanted whatever is best for the team. When asked if he said anything to McCoy after the decision, Ash said, "Um, not really."

Ash knows his play will be the focus of a lot of scrutiny. The Longhorns expect to have one of the best defenses and running games in the Big 12. Even a decent passing game could be the difference between another mediocre season and one where Texas again competes for the league championship.

Texas went Texas went 69-9 from 2004-2009, won two Big 12 titles and appeared in two national championship games behind Vince Young and Colt McCoy. The Longhorns are just 13-12 over the last two seasons, including a paltry 6-11 in Big 12 play.

Brown will have to hope Ash is developing into the quarterback the Longhorns need.

"The concern we had with David last year was he tried to make every play," Brown said.

Now he's making better decisions when reading defense and finding his escape routes, such as pulling back a deep pass into coverage to complete a shorter one.

"Trust your other players,' Brown said. "Drop it off to the back in the flat. He may score."

PHOENIX (AP) — College football is in for some big and, some say, much-needed changes with the switch to a four-team playoff.

Before we get to that, there's still a couple more seasons under the current system; the playoffs don't begin until 2014.

And this one will be worth watching.

There's plenty of interesting story lines, from Penn State trying to rebuild in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal to Urban Meyer's return to coaching with Ohio State.

There's no shortage of great players, either.

Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley skipped the NFL for the chance at a national title, Michigan's Denard Robinson is a blur even without his shoelaces tied and Wisconsin's Montee Ball is like trying to tackle a wrecking ball.

Great teams? Could be a few of those, too. USC, LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Oregon — the BCS could be under a lot of strain this season with those teams all bidding for No. 1.

So to get you ready, we've got a rundown of some of the things to watch out for this season.

Enjoy.

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TOP TEAMS

USC. Barkley is back. So is his top target, Robert Woods. Former Penn State running back Silas Redd was a nice addition. Postseason eligible again, the Trojans aren't aiming for just any bowl; they want a trip to Miami and national championship.

Alabama. The Crimson Tide have won two of the past three national championships. They figure to be contenders for another.

LSU. The Honey Badger is gone. All those other NFL prospects — such as defensive end Sam Montgomery and safety Eric Reid — should keep the Tigers from missing him.

Oklahoma. The Sooners have a record-setting QB in Landry Jones, a brick wall of an offensive line and with the return of Mike Stoops, Bob's feisty little brother, they should be good on defense, too.

Oregon. LaMichael James and Darron Thomas are gone? Big deal. The Ducks have plenty of other players who can fly in those new winged unis.

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KEEP AN EYE ON

Arkansas. QB Tyler Wilson and RB Knile Davis are back, coach John L. Smith has calmed the storm after Bobby Petrino's motorcycle crash and subsequent firing. All Arkansas has to do now is get by Alabama and LSU — its only two losses a year ago — which isn't as farfetched as you might think. Both visit the Natural state, one early (Alabama on Sept. 15) the other late (LSU the day after Thanksgiving)

Florida State. The Seminoles' return to prominence has been rumored for years. Under coach Jimbo Fisher, it may actually happen this season.

Wisconsin. The Badgers are hungry after consecutive Rose Bowl losses and they have Ball, one of the nation's best running backs.

Michigan State. Behind RB Le'Veon Bell, the Spartans could be on the verge of breaking a Rose Bowl drought that goes back to 1988.

Texas. Mack Brown's crew appears to be headed back to the big stage behind a helmet-rattling defense.

West Virginia. The Mountaineers could make their first season in the Big 12 championship worthy.

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TOP PLAYERS

Barkley, USC. Projected as a high NFL draft pick, Barkley became an instant Heisman Trophy front-runner when he announced he was coming back for his senior season.

Ball, Wisconsin. The Badgers' star running back changed the pronunciation of his name from Mon-tee to Mon-tay. Whatever you call him, dude's good.

Robinson, Michigan. The Wolverines' electric quarterback has churned out more than 8,000 yards in his career, most of those the past two seasons. Imagine what he could do if he tied his shoes.

Geno Smith, West Virginia. The Mountaineers' QB set multiple school records as a junior and more could be on the way in his final season in Charleston.

Barkevious Mingo, LSU. Been known to train wreck offensive linemen.

Jones, Oklahoma. He's been around since Barry Switzer was coach. OK, maybe not that long, but the four-year starter will leave as the most prolific passer in OU history.

De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon. Spectacular as a freshman last season and will likely get more touches this season now that James is in the NFL.

Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina. Back from a torn ACL last season, he should be one of the nation's top running backs this year.

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BIG GAMES

Sept. 1, Michigan vs. Alabama at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas. The annual opener at Jerry Jones' funhouse has had some great matchups in the past. This one could be the best of the bunch.

Sept. 15, Alabama at Arkansas. Winner could get the inside track on a national-title run.

Sept. 22, Michigan at Notre Dame. Last season's epic finish makes this a must-watch.

Oct. 13, Oklahoma vs. Texas in Dallas. The Red River rivalry continues after all the conference shuffling and could become epic again with these two teams on the rise.

Oct. 27, Notre Dame at Oklahoma. A rare meeting between power programs.

Nov. 3, Alabama at LSU. We may not get sucked into calling it the Game of the Century again, but it still figures to have national-title implications.

Nov. 3, Oregon at USC. Triple digits in combined points is a possibility with all those playmakers on the field.

Nov. 24, Michigan at Ohio State. Meyer is running the Buckeyes and Michigan appears to be back. This rivalry could be heating back up.

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THE NEW GUYS

There was quite a bit of turnover in the coaching ranks over the offseason, with some pretty big names landing in new places. Here's a few:

Bob Davie, New Mexico. Away from coaching for a decade, Davie tries to turn around a program plagued by embarrassments on and off the field under Mike Locksley.

Todd Graham, Arizona State. The fast-talking Texan has done everything right in Tempe so far, soothing concerns about bouncing around while building excitement for the program. All that's left is to win some games.

Mike Leach, Washington State. His offenses are always entertaining. So's his mouth.

Meyer, Ohio State. Burned out no more, the two-time national champion coach returns to the sideline with one of the country's premier programs — and too many references to an Urban renewal.

Bill O'Brien, Penn State. The former o-coordinator of the New England Patriots might have the toughest job in the country.

Rich Rodriguez, Arizona. RichRod's three-year run at Michigan didn't go so well, but he has Tucson buzzing about football again with his suped-up offense.

Smith, Arkansas. The Razorbacks needed someone to smooth over the ugliness of Bobby Petrino's firing. The even-keel Smith should be a good fit.

Charlie Weis, Kansas. Weis' first stint as a head coach petered out at Notre Dame. The Jayhawks are hoping he can turn around a program that languished under Turner Gill.

Follow John Marshall on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jmarshallap

Arkansas and Texas A&M have agreed to play their Southwest Classic series at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, from 2014 through 2024.

The game is being played at campus sites this year and in 2013 after three years in the Dallas suburb. The new agreement, announced Wednesday, amends the existing contract through 2018.

The Razorbacks have won all three previous Southwest Classics. The two teams are now SEC rivals.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — St. Jude's football program has had recent success, but not without charges of questionable conduct leveled against football coach Wade Manora and principal Wanda Twitty by parents and former players.

In the past two years, Manora has had events in which players have signed "scholarships" to colleges that had not offered scholarships, had not recruited the players and in and least one instance, had never heard of St. Jude or Manora.

"I have no knowledge of that happening," Twitty said.

When specific instances of the questionable scholarship signing occurring were outlined for Twitty, she said she had no comment.

On national signing day last Feb. 1, three players at St. Jude gathered for a news conference in the school library to sign national letters of intent. Two of those scholarship offers were fraudulent, according to the coaches at the respective colleges.

Carlton Perkins, a wide receiver and a three-sport star at St. Jude, "signed" with Highland (Kansas) Community College, but Highland coach Ryan Held said he never offered a scholarship or made any effort to sign Perkins.

Jarvis Provitt, a Montgomery Advertiser All-Metro selection in football, "signed" with Alabama A&M University on a type-written sheet of paper that was not an official document from the university.

"Jarvis Provitt was not offered a football scholarship from Alabama A&M," Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones said in a released statement to the Advertiser.

When asked this week about the incident, St. Jude executive director Douglas Watson said Manora was disciplined for the situation with Provitt.

In 2011, several weeks after signing day, Manora also called the Advertiser and said that Rashaad Williams had signed with Lane College in Jackson, Tenn.

Lane coach Derrick Burroughs said in a statement released to the Advertiser that Williams was not offered a scholarship, but only a preferred walk-on position.

Watson said he had not heard of the Williams situation with Lane College until the Advertiser informed him on Wednesday.

For Provitt, signing day was the beginning of a difficult struggle rather than a celebration of his prep career and a future in football.

"We were there thinking he was signing to play football at Alabama A&M and it was all false," said Renee Provitt, Jarvis' mother. "The St. Jude coach knew all along and had him sign a piece of paper that was fake that he made up himself. It was humiliating and embarrassing.

"There was no scholarship. It caused an incredible amount of pain to my family."

As a senior, Jarvis had 10 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries and was credited with 78 tackles. He was also a Hitchcock Award nominee for his school and church leadership and volunteer work, which included being a member of Enough is Enough (an organization started by his church, Freewill Baptist, to help stop violence in the community).

He said he did not hear of any potential scholarship offers from any schools until Manora spoke to him shortly before signing day.

"The week before, he told me he talked to coach Jones at A&M and that he was going to offer me a scholarship on signing day," Jarvis said. "On signing day, I signed a piece of paper. Two days after, another coach came up to me and he was like you need to check into it.

"My mom talked to coach Jones, and he had never heard of a coach Wade Manora. He didn't know anything about it. No information. No tapes and he had not heard or known who my coach was. . You know how kids are. I was embarrassed. It got to the point where I didn't even want to be around anybody because I really knew what happened now. It was embarrassing. It gets to you."

When asked about Provitt, Manora said Provitt did not qualify academically. Players regularly sign on national signing day not knowing whether they will qualify for their first collegiate season.

But when asked about the fact A&M did not offer Provitt a scholarship, Manora declined to answer the question.

Jarvis acknowledged there may have been some questions at that point whether he was academically qualified. He said he did take the ACT a second time and received a 16.

Jarvis is a student now at Alabama State University, where he completed classes in the summer session. He said he's a physical education major and plans on taking firefighter training classes in the fall, but is not ruling out the possibility of trying to play football again.

Jarvis said he struggled deciding whether to be interviewed for this story because of how much he loves St. Jude School, but he said for him it came down to one thing:

"They are my brothers over there and I love them," Jarvis said. "And I don't want what has happened to me and so many others over there to happen to them."

There are other issues raised against Manora and the school's administration.

Three former players and their parents said that Twitty allowed their children to stay in school and play football with large outstanding tuition balances during the season, but shortly after the last game did not allow those players to continue to participate in school and take exams.

On July 26, 2010, Stephanie Anthony received a letter from St. Jude that her son, Kaelin Pettus Anthony, would not be accepted for the 2010-11 school year because of an outstanding balance of $7,435.

It stated that Pettus Anthony, who played for the football team, could reapply when the balance was brought current.

Watson said each child in grades seven through 12 is charged $3,000 a year tuition. He said tuition is $7,400 per year but each student receives a $4,400 subsidy regardless of whether they are an athlete. Tuition was reduced for the 2011-12 school year and is in place for the 2012-13 school year. There was a different tuition scale in place in the 2010-11 school year.

"There are no breaks for athletes," Watson said. "Being a Catholic school, we work with all families. Just like a business, when people are not able to pay, we have bills."

Pettus Anthony's balance was not brought current prior to the school year, but he remained enrolled and part of the football team. Stephanie Anthony, who had lost her job, told the school she would not be able to pay prior to the start of the school year and was considering public school options.

Watson said he would not address individual parents' concerns.

"We really don't comment on what parents say," Watson said. "You get into a lot of privacy issues with parents. If they want to comment, that's fine. We don't comment. ... We stand as a pillar in this community for our faith and values and we stand by that. We do not know why people do what they do."