For those Longhorns fans all worked up about football season, brace yourselves.

The upcoming season will not be a rebuilding year.

There’s nothing to rebuild from. Football programs don’t rebuild after 6-7 years.

No, this is a building season.

That is not necessarily a good thing because you hate it when the head coach is basically starting from scratch. In Year 2. But that’s the world Charlie Strong wakes up in every morning because it’s almost impossible to name even one phase of his team as a clear strength. It’s a club devoid of superstars and a real identity, and that ain’t good.

Quick, name an All-America candidate on Texas’ team. OK, a legitimate All-Big 12 candidate. All-Centex? Baylor’s awfully good, remember.

Strong doesn’t know who his starting quarterback will be on Sept. 5 and, in fact, suggested Monday that he wouldn’t be opposed to playing two in a game. I’m guessing he’ll also play true freshman Kai Locksley if it means a precious victory.

I’ll be honest. If anything, I might label the secondary as the best unit on the squad, if not the defensive line. Cornerback Duke Thomas may never get over the faux pas that cost Texas an upset of UCLA, but he’s started 23 games. Sheroid Evans, who’s played in 27 games, may be the fastest Longhorn on the roster this side of Daje Johnson and could step in and play well. Safety Jason Hall could be a poor man’s Roy Williams — the OU version — and Dylan Haines brings experience.

But nowhere else on the entire team can an objective party point and feel secure.

Johnathan Gray is a better-than-average running back but lacks breakaway speed and wiggle. Who knows if Johnson can catch a pass downfield longer than 5 yards, and Marcus Johnson definitely regressed last season at a wide receiver position largely devoid of proven ability. Do we even mention the offensive line when those impressive 59 yards of offense against Arkansas are still so deeply ingrained in our minds?

"It burns, and will continue to burn until I get to the first game of next season when you go and compete," Strong said of the 31-7 loss in the Texas Bowl. "We feel we didn’t compete at the level we should, and that’s my fault. I was thinking I don’t know the last time I was part of a losing season. I think it was when I was at South Carolina, our first year with Lou Holtz. We didn’t win a game."

Ouch.

On defense, the prospects aren’t that much better. Defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway may be a budding Malcom Brown, and Tank Jackson, coming off a big injury, could be the emotional spark plug, but are the ends special? Is there depth? Could we see an all-freshman linebacking crew start? Who’s the nickel back?

And who in the heck is the punter going to be? Trust me — Texas could be punting so much that the guy could letter before October.

Strong’s preaching accountability and leadership and chemistry and all those nice qualities that good teams have. And while Texas’ current state of undress is only partly his doing, it’s also reality.

After one year, he’s had a losing season, fired two assistants and lost a third; he has been unable to attract a true, highly regarded quarterback and has made noises about remaking his offense with spread elements, although he’s very short on specifics. No wonder Steve Patterson raised ticket prices.

It’s hard to find eight winnable games on a schedule that includes a trip to Notre Dame and home dates with Cal and Rice. In March, I see a 6-6 record. At best. It could be worse than that, even worse than 2014.

So when I asked Strong if his 2015 team can contend for a Big 12 title, he laughed and said, "Let me get through the spring first."

We will. But this season is critical if only because it sets the stage for an even more critical third season for Strong.

"It’s just a matter of us as a coaching staff pulling it out of them," Strong said. "I told our coaches it’ll probably be one of those years. We’re gonna see how good of coaches we are."

One of those, ahem, building years.