The BCS has published a minimum standard for a conference to obtain AQ status, and there are other criteria that are not published as well. However, without first passing the test of "published" criteria, there is little doubt that a conference will ever get put to the test for the other standards.

It will review the 2008 thru 2011 regular seasons to determine if any changes will be made in regards to conference affiliations. The rules state that up to seven conferences can obtain annual automatic berths.

For the 2008 and 2009 college football seasons, the Mountain West has put those criteria to the test and now appears to have a solid claim under its belt.

In 2008 the Mountain West placed an undefeated sixth ranked Utah Ute squad into the Sugar Bowl and two other teams in the top 25 (11th ranked TCU and 16th ranked BYU).

In 2009, the 12-0 TCU Horned Frogs climbed to the fourth ranked spot and another BCS berth, with BYU (14) and Utah (23) also finishing in the top 25.

But this is football, and every team needs to play a complete game in order to get that "W".

“Counting Coup” in college football means that you have to put your season on the line and schedule opponents that are worthy, that risk “injury or death” to your season.  Gaining prestige by winning those contests and escaping with your record unharmed will add some powerful feathers to the headdress.

A conference counts coup by having their members face off against opponents that belong to prestigious conferences. The Mountain West Conference has many such opportunities in 2010, with 15 games against BCS AQ members and at least one such contest for each team in the MWC.

For the 2010 season the Mountain West programs look to be separated by the "Big Three" of Utah, BYU, and TCU once again. Utah has busted the BCS (twice), TCU did it last year, but will 2010 be BYU's year? The original "mid-major" powerhouse that claims a national championship has been a consistent top 20 team, but taken a back seat to Utah and TCU over the last two seasons.

While the BCS doesn't say that it is important for multiple teams to carry the banner during the review period for each conference, in my opinion, it certainly can't hurt. Proving that the conference can produce multiple teams that will represent well on the field and the box office is exactly what the BCS wants to see.

For BYU to accomplish such a lofty goal it will need to take care of business on the road. A revenge match against the Florida State Seminoles (FSU stunned them 54-28 in Provo last season), in addition to in-conference travels to face TCU and Utah. Throw in a home game against the Jake Locker-led Washington Huskies, and that makes for one tough slate for the Cougars. But it is also one that would earn BCS-worthy national respect if they can go unscathed.

All of those games will have national media exposure, and it will give the conference a tremendous boast to see great football with packed stadiums. Traveling to Tallahassee and showing coach-no-longer-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher that the Cougs will return the favor of being embarrassed on their home field is absolutely vital. This game is just as important for the MWC as it is BYU in the battle for national respect.

Texas Christian returns a great deal of firepower from the last season and will most likely begin the season as the favorite to win the conference. The 2010 season starts with a bang, as the season-opener against Oregon State is on the biggest stage possible, Cowboys Stadium. In-state rivalry games against a resurgent SMU and a hopeful Baylor squad become "must-win" games for TCU to repeat as a BCS candidate.

One team that really has to pass the test in out-of-conference contests is the Utah Utes. With matchups against Pittsburgh at home and road games against Iowa State and Notre Dame, the Utes can either put some notches on the coup stick or live to fight another season.

At this point in time, the Iowa State game becomes a "must win" game as, despite the Cyclones' winning season in 2009, the Utes should still be the favorite. A home game rematch of the 2004 Fiesta Bowl against the Pitt Panthers will put the Big East versus Mountain West debate front and center, and possibly be a major coup to count in both conferences’ battle for BCS prestige.

The remaining members of the conference all have important battles that respect must be earned for the conference to gain respect and rankings within the BCS computer rankings.

The Air Force Falcons travel to Norman, Okla., to face the Sooners and host the Navy Midshipmen which should be for the Commander-in-Chief trophy. The Falcons have placed fourth in the last two years in the conference. Coach Troy Calhoun has committed to staying with the program and competing for conference championships. The Zoomies lost their entire starting offensive line, and many key defensive players, but return QB Tim Jefferson and the rest of the backfield.

Beyond the top four teams in the conference, however, the Mountain West has been viewed as being a weak conference. It is important that these teams win out-of-conference games, in order to improve the conference averages in the computer components of the BCS formula.

It should be expected that conferences will “beat each other up” as conference play starts, but conference respect is gained by having your weakest members still be strong opponents for other conference teams. Judging by the high rate of coaching turnover with these programs, you can sense that they are all desperate to grab that ring and pull themselves up.

The Colorado State Rams take on the Colorado Buffaloes in the Rocky Mountain Showdown, in Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium. The Rams won last year’s matchup, but struggled the rest of the way through the season, capping off with a nine-game losing streak. Not exactly what head coach Steve Fairchild wanted to follow up his winning rookie season, but maybe it was a case of a sophomore slump.

The San Diego State Aztecs match up against the Missouri Tigers in Columbia, as second-year head coach Brady Hoke looks to take a step towards realizing the potential inherent within the program, but long unrealized. Likewise, New Mexico has struggled to keep pace with the big boys, and hope that a second year under Mike Locksley will get them closer to their goals. The Lobos make a tough road trip to the defending Pac-10 champions Oregon Ducks and then host Texas Tech for Pecos River bragging rights.

Another sophomore coach is Dave Christensen at Wyoming, who actually did taste success in 2009. With a 7-6 bowl-winning season under his belt and some play-makers on his team, the Cowboys hope to avoid the CSU model, and establish themselves as a challenger for a top four conference spot. The Pokes have two big-time matchups out of conference, traveling to Austin to take on national title contender Texas Longhorns, and hosting the Boise State Broncos in Laramie.

This year’s rookie head coach, UNLV’s Bobby Hauck, hopes to improve upon a 5-7 2009 season for the Running Rebels with his extraordinary success at Division I-FCS powerhouse Montana. Hauck and the Rebels must start off their run by trying to skin the Wisconsin Badgers in Sin City, and later must travel to Morgantown and take on West Virginia.

All of the Mountain West programs must have near perfect success across the board against all of their other non-conference opponents from the WAC, MAC, Conference USA, and Division I-FCS teams. The “big three” schools will rightfully expect to dominate the conference, only knocking each other out as the season progresses. One of the three schools must remain unscathed through all of these hurdles and push for a top five ranking by season’s end.

It is extremely important for the MWC that one or two of the other squads put together a near-Top 25 type season. Wyoming is in the most obvious position to do this, with two early opportunities to make a statement, and more than enough returning players to build on last year’s success. Brady Hoke isn’t one to be overlooked at San Diego State, but their OOC schedule is weak after Missouri and it would require at least a 10-win season for them to push that high into the rankings.

Counting Coup Recap:

Signature games—A great effort goes a long way, but a win would be tremendous:

BYU at Florida State

New Mexico at Oregon

UNLV vs Wisconsin

Wyoming at Texas

Underdog games that are expected losses, but a win would be a giant payoff:

Air Force at Oklahoma

New Mexico vs Texas Tech

San Diego State at Missouri

UNLV at West Virginia

Wyoming vs Boise State

Push games that will define the conference’s season:

TCU vs Oregon State (at Cowboys Stadium)

Air Force vs Navy

CSU vs Colorado (at Mile High Stadium)

BYU vs Washington

UNLV vs Nevada, and at Hawaii

Utah vs Pittsburgh, and at Notre Dame

Trap games that MWC member should win, but the opponent could upset them:

Air Force at Army

BYU vs Nevada

Colorado State at Nevada

New Mexico vs UTEP

TCU vs Baylor, and at SMU

San Diego State vs Utah State

UNLV at Idaho

Utah at Iowa State

Wyoming at Toledo

Must Win games that will significantly drop prestige if MWC member loses:

Air Force vs Northwestern State

BYU at Utah State

Colorado State at Miami (Ohio), and vs Idaho

New Mexico vs New Mexico State

San Diego State vs Nicholls State, and at New Mexico State

TCU vs Tennessee Tech (?—Rumored 12th game still not official)

Utah vs San Jose State

Wyoming vs Southern Utah

My prediction is that none of the Mountain West schools will finish undefeated this season, either due to a tough out-of-conference loss or a rock-paper-scissors result between TCU-BYU-Utah. However, either TCU or Utah (or both) will truly test the power of the conference’s prestige with a one-loss season, and their final ranking will be more dependent upon where they start in the pre-season rankings. Whether or not the Mountain West makes another BCS appearance will depend upon the other AQ conference champions rankings, and if anyone can knock off Boise State during the regular season.

BYU should finish with a nine- or ten-win season and a place in the top 25 once again. Asking a new QB to win games against Washington and on the road against Florida State, Utah, and TCU is a little more than I can bring myself to do. If they do it, however, we could see the first Mountain West school in the national championship game. Utah could also put themselves in that position, as their schedule will be respectable to both human pollsters and computers alike.

The bottom of the conference looks a lot stronger this season, but I can’t see Air Force replacing so many key offensive linemen and maintaining the fourth spot. The conference really needs San Diego State, New Mexico, and/or Colorado State to make the jump into the eight win territory and count some BCS conference coup along the way.

The single most important game of the season for the Mountain West as a conference will be the Boise State Broncos visiting the Wyoming Cowboys. If the Cowboys can topple the WAC juggernaut it will eliminate them from BCS contention and elevate the Cowboys as a legitimate fourth national power in the MWC.

That is one coup that even Cowboys wouldn’t mind counting.

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It's almost impossible—and it nearly killed two CBS announcers assigned to call the first- round NCAA tournament match-up between the Northern Iowa Panthers and the UNLV Rebels.

With seven seconds remaining on the clock, Farokhmanesh, a senior guard for Northern Iowa, nailed a deep three-point shot to give the Panthers a 69-66 edge over the Rebels.

The game was an intense, back-and-forth defensive battle until the very end. UNLV's full-court-pressure defense broke down in the final seconds of the game, leaving Farokhmanesh open for what would prove to be the game-winning basket.

A local Iowa paper predicted the outcome of the game the morning before tip-off.  "Farokhmanesh might be the man to push the Panthers over their NCAA tournament hump," wrote the Waterloo Courier 's Kelly Beaton.

Prior to the win, the Panthers had lost their last four NCAA tournament games.

UNI head coach Ben Jacobson agreed with the reporter.

"Regardless of what happens in a game," Jacobson told Beaton, "his presence makes us a much more efficient, much more dangerous team."

Farokhmanesh is definitely one of the reasons remaining tournament teams should be worried about the Panthers advancing. Jordan Eglseder and Kwadzo Ahelegbe are a few more reasons for teams to worry.

Ahelegbe contributed 13 points and four assists to the win. Eglseder, who stands 7 feet tall and weighs 290 pounds, scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

With the win, Northern Iowa advances to the second round for the first time in five tries.

Hopefully, the announcers of the Panthers' next game practice up on the name Ali Farokhmanesh.

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We arrived at the practice field around 7:15 pm at night. We stood near some men listening to the South Carolina-Furman baseball game on the radio in a pickup truck. It was a cold and windy night.

The Gamecock warriors were in helmets, shorts, and shirts for the night's practice. We saw coach Ellis Johnson and the linebackers do some drills with the sled and other defensive equipment.

The Carolina secondary did endless repeats of a drill in which a player from the secondary intercepts a pass and the defense forms a wedge block and returns the ball to the end zone.

The defensive unit was not the highlight of the night, but many Gamecock starters were in yellow jerseys. This spring will allow many young defensive players to earn their reputations as the veterans rest for the upcoming year.

We did not see much of the offensive line during the night. I peered across the practice field to see many offensive lineman jumping over an obstacle in a drill. The O-line will need plenty of practice for the Gamecocks to contend in the SEC East during the upcoming football season.

Stephen Garcia and the offense set the tone for Tuesday's practice by hitting passes to wideouts from all over the field.

After two full seasons with the program, Garcia is starting to become more of a team leader on and off the field. He high-fived and encouraged his teammates throughout the practice.

Freshman Connor Shaw also had threw the ball well in his second practice in Columbia. Shaw admits to being "a little nervous..." in his first outing.

Extras

Dungy visits Columbia

Former Colts and Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy visited the Gamecock football team before practice after preaching a Christian-based, motivational sermon to Broad River Correctional complex. Dungy's message to USC included hard work and teamwork.

They're back

QB Armis Hillary was reinstated onto the team after a DUI arrest last week as his legal issues clear up.

WR Alshon Jeffery was welcomed back after his suspension for skipping classes.

Kickoff Coverage

USC special teams ran the whole field in a kickoff drill on Tuesday as Shane Beamer makes an effort to improve the special teams. Last year Carolina allowed three kickoffs to be returned for touchdowns.

Cut the Sacks

Steve Spurrier and offensive coordinator G.A Mangus are looking for Gacrcia and the O-line to cut down on the 37 sacks allowed last year. Mangus texted Garcia over spring break.

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Finding a couple of sleepers late in the draft can make the difference when draft days come around. Keep an eye on these sleepers through the spring and the early parts of fall camps.

2010 Pre-Spring Sleepers: Quarterbacks

2010 Pre-Spring Sleepers: Running Backs

2010 Pre-Spring Sleepers: Wide Receivers

Top 2010 Pre-Spring Sleepers: Tight Ends

Rob Housler – Florida Atlantic (R-Sr)

In 2008, Rob Housler played in thirteen games and during that time he had 32 receptions for 519 yards and four touchdowns. Then he was redshirted in 2009 due to the amount of talent at TE.

Now with the top two TEs lost due to graduation, there are a bunch of receptions for grabs. Since FAU uses their TEs extensively in the passing game, combined with the lack of returning talent at WR, Housler should command a heavy workload in 2010.

Jack Doyle – Western Kentucky (So)

There are very few fantasy bright-spots on the Western Kentucky roster.

Jack Doyle is the lone fantasy prospect for the Hilltoppers. Because of the lack of fantasy talent at TE this year, Doyle will be a quality addition to any fantasy roster.

The largest area that must be resolved for Doyle to reach the next level is his TD opportunities. If he can have more than the one TD he registered in 2009, he will live up to the preseason hype.

Trent Ratterree – Oklahoma (Jr)

The 2009 season showed transition at the QB and TE positions with the losses of Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham. The growing pains should be a thing of the past, and 2010 looks to be a season of growth for the passing game.

Although there are many experienced targets on the outside for QB Landry Jones to throw the ball to, there is still a hole to fill in the middle. The TE position has been a key part of the passing game over the years for the Sooners, and Trent Ratterree looks to be the man that will step up.

Tim Biere – Kansas (Jr)

Tim Biere was a blocking specialist in the Mark Mangino Kansas offense. But now he is only one of two experienced pass catchers returning for the Jayhawks.

Chuck Long takes over as offensive coordinator for 2010. Long was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma from 2002-2005. As mentioned above, Oklahoma has favored the TE in their passing attack.

The table is set with the right type of circumstances for Biere to have a breakout season in 2010.  Now he just has to follow it up on the field. The spring game will be very telling to see if Biere’s role will indeed expand in 2010.

Desmond Parks – Florida (R-Fr)

Tight end Aaron Hernandez was a fantasy beast in 2009. He became the primary red zone passing target for Tim Tebow.

Now Hernandez is off to the NFL and somebody has to step into his role. It will be a wide open race to see who will win the job.

Desmond Parks is a likely candidate, but he will be in a fierce fight to earn the job. Whoever wins the job will have to become a viable red zone target for John Brantley.

The spring game will be very telling as to what shape the redzone offense will take. The answer to that question will shed light on many fantasy questions for the Gators.

Other 2010 Pre-Spring Sleepers To Keep an Eye On

ACC

Richard Gordon – Miami, Fl (Sr)

Big XII

Eric Waters – Missouri (T-Fr)

Big East

Ryan Griffin – Connecticut (R-So)

Big Ten

C.J. Fiedorowicz – Iowa (T-Fr)

Mountain West

Richard Wilson – BYU (R-Fr)

Pac-10

Chris Coyle – Arizona State (R-Fr)

Spencer Ladner - Cal (R-So)

Malachi Lewis – Oregon (Sr)

Brandon Williams – Oregon (JC Transfer)

Levine Toilolo – Stanford (R-Fr)

Joseph Fauria – UCLA (Notre Dame Transfer)

SEC

Ryan Wallace – Kentucky (Colorado Transfer)

Sun Belt

Darian Williams – Florida Atlantic (R-Jr)

Joe Arpasi is the co-owner of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier resource for college fantasy football information. Check us out.

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1999 was also the last time the Stanford Cardinal finished atop the Pacific Ten Conference.

Well, don't look now, but football on the Farm may be headed for its best year this millennium.

Despite losing top offensive weapon Toby Gerhart, most of the pieces from last year's run, which saw them play in their first bowl game since 2001, are still there.

Quarterback Andrew Luck will be back just as explosive as he was last year, only minus the mistakes any freshman is bound to make.

And he is going to have some considerable help around him as well. Ten of the top 12 receivers on the team will be donning Cardinal red again this fall, with Gerhart and tight end Jim Dray being the only exceptions. These two are also the only players who scored touchdowns last season and will not be returning this year.

Rushing stats tell a similar story—aside from you know who, all players who rushed for positive yardage in 2009 will return in 2010.

While Stanford will retain many of its play makers, the same cannot be said for many of the rest of the Pac-10 elite.

Last Friday, Oregon lost two of its most important players on offense, one for the entire year. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who many feel is the reason the Ducks rose to the top of the conference without RB LeGarrette Blount, was suspended the entire season in exchange for a guilty plea to second degree burglary.

In addition, Blount's replacement, 2009 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year LaMichael James, was suspended for at least opening day and quite possibly more of the season after pleading guilty to physically harassing his girlfriend.

Down south, things don't look too much better.

Rival Cal, who is already coming off of one its biggest flops in program history, will fall even harder due to the absence of top play maker Jahvid Best.

USC will be missing the genius of Pete Carrol on the sidelines, as well as six of its starters on offense and four on defense.

Arizona will be fielding only nine of its 22 starters from last season, and one of those nine isn't Rob Gronkowski, a pivotal part of the Wildcat's offense.

This leaves Oregon State as the only real challenge to Stanford's Pac-10 dominance, and without solid quarterbacking I have a feeling it will not happen.

Bottom line: Although Stanford is losing one its greatest players in school history on offense in Toby Gerhart and a key player on defense in Bo McNally, it still retains enough of its talent to win a conference that is experiencing similar talent loss across the board.

Meaning you can bet the farm on the Farm to smell the roses in Pasadena for the first time since the end of the dot-com bubble.

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The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida released a report that stated several basketball powers graduate less than 40 percent of its student-athletes. 

Here are the numbers:

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (29%), Baylor (36%), California (20%), Clemson (37%), Georgia Tech (38%), Kentucky (31%), Louisville (38%), Maryland (8%), Missouri (36%), New Mexico State (36%), Tennessee (30%) and Washington (29%).

Duncan, a former student-athlete himself, said schools that are unable to graduate athletes consistently should be restricted from postseason play.

"That's a low bar," Duncan said. "If you can't graduate two out of five of your student-athletes, how serious are you about the academic part of your mission?"

"Why do we tolerate the bad apples … when the vast majority are doing things well?" he said. "Everybody sees it. It's out in the open. … And somehow things don't change."

That said, the problem starts well before these young men reach the collegiate level. One would think that a student-athlete who was barely recruited and is getting $500 a semester to play 20 minutes a game at Long Beach State would understand that dreams of a pro career are nothing more than just dream.

However, we can't realistically stop kids from with somewhat of a handle and a mid-range jumper to not believe they're going pro when they turn 19.

While society should never attempt to hinder those youthful lofty aspirations, this overblown sense of reality should be quelled with the idea that other goals are attainable.

These young stud athletes don't themselves doing anything else. It's why they blow off class.

It's why they don't think about Plan B. It's why they only care about getting the minimum to be eligible and not achieving. It matters little that they can be achieve in the classroom as well as on the floor.

If major college athletics no longer cultivate this pro sports-or-bust mentality, then maybe tight ends, running backs, point guards and offensive line might take their educational pursuits more seriously rather than just with a grain of salt.

Or maybe if the America's schools system were not axing teachers, cutting programs, closing schools or facing million dollar budget deficits, more athletes would be prepared for higher education.

Let's be real. 

We don't live in a perfect world, and too much money and prestige is at stake for those ideas to manifest themselves in our give it to me now society.

We all have to acknowledge that student-athletes are not student-athletes. They are non-paid entertainers who happen to be enrolled in a university.

Just think about it. Thousands of employees are calling in sick to watch the first round of the NCAA tournament. 

Networks are signing multimillion-dollar deals to broadcast college sports. FBS programs are getting $17 million for just appearing in a bowl game. Coaches are getting paid millions a year to tutor snot-nosed 18-year-old part-time biology students.

Small school basketball programs send their units on month-long road trips to be eaten up by BCS powers with the sole purpose of increasing their athletic budgets.

I have heard the idea thrown around in some circles about pro sports leagues investing in education/athletic academies for talented young athletes when they turn 13 or 14.

Until major college sports are no longer treated as billion dollar industry, we should not expect the student-athletes to conform and get a degree just to make ourselves feel better.

USA Today contributed to this report.

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There is a bit of familiarity between the Terriers and the Badgers, as Wisconsin was a 73-56 loss to Davidson back in the 2008 Sweet Sixteen. The team two years ago for the Badgers featured players like Jason Bohannon, Travon Hughes and Jon Leuer, who are the top three players for the Badgers coming into Friday afternoon's first-round contest. It wouldn't be shocking for head coach Mike Young to glean some advice from Davidson boss Bob McKillop before making the five-and-a-half hour trek to face the Badgers in Jacksonville, Fla.

When the Terriers were 70-43 losers to the Badgers two years ago in the only other meeting between the two schools, Tim Johnson and Noah Dahlman were both freshmen while Junior Salters and Corey Godzinski were sophomores.

In that 27-point setback to the Badgers at the Kohl Center in Madison, the Terriers were led by former guard Drew Gibson, who scored 16 points, while current senior guard Junior Salters was also in double figures with 14 points. Dahlman pulled down a game-high nine rebounds in the loss.

A Look At The Terriers

Wofford enters Friday afternoon's game with the nation's second-longest winning streak, with the Terriers having won 13 straight games, including 19 of its last 20 contests. The Terriers are making their first NCAA tournament appearance in school history and have set a school standard with their 26 victories in the 2009-10 campaign. Wofford punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 56-51 SoCon Tournament Championship win over Appalachian State a little over a week-and-a-half ago.

The Terriers share two common opponents with the Badgers coming into Friday's matchup, having faced Illinois (78-64) and Michigan State (72-60). Though the Terriers are making their first appearance in the college basketball post-season as a Division I member, head coach Mike Young is no stranger to giving big-time opponents headaches when he faces them.

In his eight seasons at the helm in Spartanburg, Young has led the Terriers to victories over: Cincinnati (91-90, 2006), Purdue (69-66, 2006), Auburn (85-78, 2004), South Carolina (68-61, 2009), Virginia Tech (79-77, 2002), Georgia (58-56, 2009) and Air Force (74-61). All those aforementioned victories came on the road except the win over South Carolina earlier this season. The Terriers are 1-6 all-time against Big Ten competition, with the only victory for the Terriers being that win over Purdue in '06.

One of the reasons Wofford has been able to be so successful this season has been their ability to get stops on the defensive end, while also shooting the ball well from the charity stripe (549-of-817, 67.2%) with an aggressive offensive style of play that allows them to get points from the free throw line.

Wofford is led by Southern Conference Player of the Year and tournament Most-Valuable-Performer Noah Dahlman (16.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 58.6 FG%). The 6-6, 215-pound native midwesterner (Braham, Minn.) comes into the NCAA Tournament having scored in double figures in 48-consecutive games.

He is the only Terrier averaging in double figures coming into this matchup with the Badgers. Dahlman is a player that plays bigger than his 6-6, 215-pound size. Dahlman has a blue-collar work-ethic underneath the basket and is a player that can score in a variety of ways. He's a solid jump-shooter, while also being a scrapper down low, possessing the uncanny ability to gather in loose balls and score in the paint. He is a very intelligent player and understands the nuances of his role in the low-post, maximizing his skill set and ability to play bigger than he is in the paint.

Another difference-maker for the Terriers in the paint is 6-foot-8 junior forward Tim Johnson (6.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG). Johnson, like Dahlman, is a strong presence inside the paint for Wofford and is a powerful performer in the paint. The Memphis, Tenn., native has had another strong season on the boards for the Terriers, leading the squad pulling down 7.9 RPG. For what Johnson lacks in height, he makes up for with his gerth and overall physicality in the paint for the Terriers.

Cameron Rundles (6.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG) and Jamar Diggs (9.4 PPG, 2.9 APG) have been significant impact players for the Terriers since transferring into the program a couple of years ago and becoming eligible. Diggs, a 6-2, 180-pound two-guard from Minneapolis is a player that will likely draw the unenviable task of trying to lock down Wisconsin's top performer, in point guard Travon Hughes.

The tough, gritty Diggs is a player that is known for his presence on the defensive end of the floor despite being the team's second-leading scorer. In games in which he has drawn the assignment of marking the opponents' top offensive performer, Diggs has been a defensive enforcer for the Terriers.

In two meetings against Furman this year, Diggs was able to do a solid job of stopping one of the league's top offensive players in Amu Saaka, holding the Paladins top scorer to a combined 15 points in two meetings. Saaka ended the season averaging nearly 16 points per game.

Diggs is a player that can also get the job on the offensive end of the floor and enjoyed his best performance of the 2009-10 season back on Feb. 3 against Elon, scoring 19 points in a 72-56 win. Diggs is an effective outside shooter (22-of-59, 40.1%) and enjoyed his best performance shooting from the outside in Wofford's last loss back on Jan. 15 to College of Charleston, knocking down a season-high four triples.

One of the main reasons the Terriers find themselves making their first-ever appearance in the Division I college basketball post-season is the experience and savvy of their lone senior starter, Junior Salters (7.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG). Salters, a local product who attended nearby Broome High School, has been part of the foundation that this current success the Wofford basketball program is experiencing.

The career 1,000-point scorer is a prolific outside shooter and currently ranks second on the program's all-time ledger in three-point field goals made, with 262 triples over his solid four-year career. Salters enters Friday's matchup with 1,190 career points. While Salters' point production has been down compared to what he did last season (15.0 PPG) as a third-team all-league performer, he has the potential to score in bunches if he has the hot hand. Salters hit double figures in 12 games this season.

Point guard Brad Loesing (6.0 PPG, 3.0 APG) will round out the starters for the Terriers and he has been a significant piece to Wofford's inaugural NCAA Tournament team, helping the Terriers lead the league in assist/turnover ratio (1:1), as well as ranking tenth on the league's assists-per-game ledger (103 assists). The sophomore guard from Cincinnati, OH, is coming off a 2008-09 season in which he was a SoCon All-Freshman Team selection last season and has again been effective manning the point guard position for the Terriers yet again this season.

Loesing has started all 34 games for the Terriers this season and ranked fourth in the league in individual assist/turnover ratio (2.1). In his two seasons as a Terrier, Loesing has started all but one game and has plenty of experience running Mike Young's offense, despite being just a sophomore.

Rundles transferred into Wofford from the University of Montana and, like Diggs, has become a integral piece of Wofford's inaugural NCAA tournament qualification. Rundles is a tremendous athlete and is a player that proved himself prior to transferring to Wofford as the native of Minneapolis garnered Big Sky Freshman of the Year while starring for the Montana Grizzlies.

Rundles is a tremendous athlete and he came up big in Wofford's SoCon title win over Appalachian State, scoring a team-high 20 points and garnered first team all-tournament honors. At times, Rundles has proven to be a good outside shooter and is shooting 38.9-percent (28-of-72) from three-point range this season. Rundles is a physical guard that has no problems mixing things up and is one of the best on the team at drawing contact and getting to the charity stripe.

Rundles is the first player off the bench for Young's Terriers. Rundles, like Diggs and Loesing, is a menace on the defensive end and he completes a backcourt trio on the defensive end of the floor that defends the perimeter as well as any of the 65 teams in the tournament.

Loesing's understudy at the point guard position this season has been Jason Dawson (2.9 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 40 assists, 38 turnovers) and he adds instant energy off of the Terrier bench with his quickness, deft passing and the ability to effectively knock down perimeter shots.

Dawson enjoyed his best performance of the 2009-10 season in Wofford's last loss at College of Charleston (70-68) back on Jan. 22, scoring 16 points, with 12 of those points coming on three-point shots. Dawson has connected on 22-of-59 (37.3 %) from three-point range this season and has dished out 40 assists coming off the bench this season for the Terriers. Dawson could see plenty of action in Wofford's matchup with the Badgers, with his quickness and his ability to perhaps help in guarding Travon Hughes of Wisconsin, who sports NBA quickness at the point for the Badgers.

Two backcourt players that could offer a twist to Friday's matchup with the Badgers coming off the bench for Wofford are senior Corey Godzinski (3.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG) and sophomore Kevin Giltner (3.6 PPG). Both players offer Wofford size in the backcourt, each standing 6-foot-6 and both possess the ability to step out and connect on the perimeter jumper.

Godzinski is a good athlete and has been able to provide the Terriers solid play in limited minutes off the bench this season, and with the addition of Rundles and Diggs, has seen his minutes decrease. Giltner, who in his own right is a good athlete and streaky shooter from the outside (39.3% from three-point range) and has the ability to provide the Terriers some scoring punch off the bench.

Rounding out the real significant performers coming off the bench for the Terriers is junior forward Terry Martin (4.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG). Martin will likely see more action than he usually does off the bench for the Terriers, due in large part to Wisconsin's extremely physical nature in the frontcourt. Martin, a 6-6, 235-pound native of Cincinnati is one of the strongest and most physical players in the frontcourt for Wofford. He is a player, that like his frontcourt teammate Tim Johnson, that relies on his strength and ability to out-muscle taller opponents.

A Look At The Badgers

Wisconsin is a team that has again taken on the tough, defensive mindset of its head coach Bo Ryan (216-81), who's in his ninth year at the helm in Madison. Ryan has led to nine of their 12-straight NCAA tournament appearances (One of just six schools that boast an active streak of 12-consecutive tourney appearances) and has a team loaded with experience and talent.

The Badgers enter the tourney with impressive wins a No. 1 seed Duke (73-69, Dec. 2—ACC/Big Ten Challenge) , a No. 2 seed Ohio State (65-43, Dec. 31), No. 4 seeds Maryland (78-69, Nov. 25) and Purdue (73-66-Jan. 9), a No. 5 seed Michigan State (67-49-Feb. 2) and No. 6-seeded Marquette (72-63, Dec. 12). However, five of those six wins came in Madison at the Kohl Center and the win over Maryland came on a neutral floor.

The Badgers enter the 2010 NCAA tournament with a 5-2 all-time mark against the Southern Conference, with wins over current members Wofford (70-43-2007), Furman (68-60, 2001), UNC Greensboro (85-53, 2005) and Western Carolina (89-49). Both losses have to come against Davidson (73-56, 2008/ 68-63, 1980). The defensive-minded Badgers rank fourth nationally in scoring defense, yielding just 56.2 PPG and have held 13 opponents to 50 or fewer points this season. Under Ryan, the Badgers are 55-1 when holding opponents to 50 or fewer points.

Everything goes through Travon Hughes (15.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.7 APG) for the Badgers. Hughes was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media and was a 2010 Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection. Over his illustrious career for the Badgers, Hughes has started 98 of the 130 games he has played in and has scored in double figures in 66 games in his career, including 26 this season. Hughes is most comparable to a player like Cameron Wells for The Citadel in terms of his point production and his quickness at the point guard position for the Badgers. Hughes scored a season-high 27 points in a 88-84 overtime loss at Wisconsin Green-Bay.

Hughes has a solid supporting cast in the backcourt, led by classmate Jason Bohannon (11.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.2 APG). The 6-2, 195-pound guard was a 2009-10 Third-Team All-Big Ten selection and has played in 133 career games and is tied for fourth along with Hughes with 66-career starts.

Bohannon is the team's most-prolific perimeter shooter, ranking fourth in Badger history in three-point field goals made (210) and is third in the school record books in three-pointers attempted (548). Bohannon has scored in double figures 57 times in his career, including 21 this season. He had a season-high 30 points in an 83-55 win over Indiana back on Feb. 13. He connected on seven three-point field goals in that win over the Hoosiers.

Completing the trio of starting guards in the Wisconsin backcourt will be sophomore Jordan Taylor (10.2 PPG, 3.6 APG, 3.2 RPG). Like Hughes, Taylor possesses good quickness and has an excellent aptitude and understanding of the game, especially Ryan's intricate offense.

Taylor can play either the point guard or the two guard for the Badgers, making him one of the most versatile players on the Wisconsin roster. Taylor is one of the Badgers' most-improved players, as he his points-per-game average has increased by almost nine points in his sophomore season, as opposed to the 1.6 PPG he averaged as a freshman. Hughes recorded a season-high 23 points in a 73-66 win over Purdue back on Jan. 9 at the Kohl Center.

The frontcourt could be a major concern for the smaller Terriers on Friday, and in particular, 6-foot-10 Jon Leuer (14.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.7 APG). Leuer is not just one of those big players that stands there and takes up space and gets rebounds to kick them back out for perimeter shots, as has become the norm for many teams in Division I college basketball these days.

This guy can play and he can shoot. Leuer has played in 87-career games and has started 32 of those contests in his Badger career. Leuer has been limited some this season due to an injury, but returned two games ago and is averaging 16.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 2.5 APG since returning to the starting lineup for the Badgers.

Wisconsin is 16-4 with Leuer in the starting lineup this season. Leuer recorded his season and career highs of 26 points in that overtime road setback at Wisconsin-Green Bay. Leuer has scored in double figures in 33 games in his career, including 18 this season.

Joining Leuer down low and rounding out the starting five for Bo Ryan's Badgers is junior Keaton Nankivil (8.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG). Nankivil, a 6-8, 245-pound is strong in the paint for the Badgers and like Taylor, is another one of the team's most-improved players, improving his points-per-game average from 2.9 PPG last season to 8.6 PPG this season.

Nankivil has started all 31 games for the Badgers this season and is Wisconsin's most physical player in the paint. He shot 52-percent from the field during Big Ten play, which was good enough for sixth in the Big Ten. He scored a season and career-high 28 points in a 60-57 setback at Purdue.

Junior wing guard/forward Tim Jarmusz (2.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG) is one of the top players off the bench for Ryan's Badgers. Jarmusz is averaging 22.4 minutes-per-game this season and has appeared in all 32 games, starting the first 27 games of the campaign for the Badgers. Jarmusz is a three-point shooting specialist, as 76.3-percent (61of 80) of his shots this season have come from three-point range and is connecting on 35.3-percent (41-of-116) of his three-point tries for his career. Jarmusz has not scored in double figures this season, however, came close in the season-opening win over IFPW, finishing with nine points.

Two other impressive players off the Wisconsin bench this season have been Rob Wilson (3.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG) and freshman Ryan Evans (3.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG). Wilson is an extremely good athlete and at 6-4, 200 pounds, is one of the Badgers' most physical backcourt players. Evans, a freshman wing forward/guard from Phoenix also has good athleticism and could cause matchup problems for the Terriers.

Final Analysis

With two teams that play virtually the same style, it's hard to get a good feel for this game. One thing is for sure I think and that is this game should go down to the wire, based upon the simple fact that both teams enjoy the same pace and are both defensive-minded. If the Terriers can effectively control the boards and limit what Bohannon and Hughes do from the perimeter, they have as good a chance at upsetting the Badgers as Davidson had in doing the same thing back in 2008. That being said, I think that the Badgers are a tad better and their physical style will wear down the Terriers, winning a game that could very well come down to the final possession.

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Crist, a 6'4", 235lb true junior with three remaining years of eligibility, will begin this pivotal season recovering from a torn ACL and having only thrown 20 passes at the collegiate level.

He is expected to pick up where Jimmy Clausen left off, completing passes at a high percentage, limiting turnovers, routinely finding Michael Floyd open for electrifying touchdowns, and keeping the scoreboard moving to make up for a still emerging Irish defense.

In other words, he is expected to be a savior.

Is that fair?

Granted there will be focus on first year head coach Brian Kelly and whether his recent successes at Cincinnati and Central Michigan follow him to South Bend. But even the light of Kelly won't diminish the spotlight shining on the young man under center.

Still, Crist has several factors working for him that his predecessor did not. For starters, the Irish have a load of offensive talent returning. A full stable of running backs, a deep pool of receivers, and what should be a quality offensive line will offer the inexperienced Crist much more help than was afforded Clausen.

Crist will also have the benefit of spending two years in the program. He's seen exactly how bright the spotlight can shine.

He also has the benefit of staunch mediocrity. Clausen took over for Brady Quinn following back-to-back BCS bowl appearances and seasons when the Irish were ranked throughout. Crist takes the reigns following 7-6 and 6-6 seasons, wrapping up the worst three-year period in program history.

It seems fitting that at Notre Dame, home of Touchdown Jesus, that in this year of rebirth the pivotal player would be named Crist.

Despite only appearing in 4 games, completing only half of is 20 attempts for 130 yards with a touchdown and an interception, he showed both the foot speed and arm strength to excel in Brian Kelly's spread offense.

All the tools are in place.

Only time will tell if we will anoint him our savior.

Or crucify him.

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Brown did not show up for the start of spring practice today.

There are mixed reports, as is usual, coming out of Knoxville. Some say this is not an official transfer, others say he's still enrolled.

Coach Dooley did not say Brown was no longer welcome. He simply stated that as of now, Brown is not on this team.

This is hardly a surprise.

Two weeks ago I wrote in this very space that Brown was reportedly trying to decide whether to transfer or stay at Tennessee.

I wrote that Brown's Indecision was a "No" decision as far as I am concerned. I am pretty sure that's how most of the Volnation feels now.

The one area where the Vols have plenty of depth is at running back.

Tauren Poole is probably the most talented back on the team. Throw in last year's No. 1 all-purpose RB recruit, David Oku, and this year's prized running back signee, Raijon Neal, one of the highest rated prep RB's in the state of Georgia.

Today's culmination of the Bryce Brown Saga, Rumors, and Innuendo comes two hours before the Vols basketball squad is set to take on San Diego State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

This development is quite interesting because the Lane Kiffin fiasco, which set up this chain of events, occurred roughly 48 hours after Bruce Pearl and the Vols defeated No. 1 Kansas in January.

Hopefully this is the last bit of attention-stealing news the Vols basketball team will face.

At least until next November.

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