CONFERENCE PLAY IS BACK!

The college basketball conference season is under way, lets take a look at the front-runners and make sense of each BCS conference.

ACC:
Front-Runner: North Carolina
Surprise Team: Miami
Biggest Disappointment: Maryland
Must See Game: Duke at North Carolina February 6th, North Carolina at Duke March 8th
Outlook: Clemson gave UNC a big scare last night is their overtime loss. They look very good at home but it remains to be seen how they play on the road. Duke has rebounded well since their loss to Pittsburgh but their inside game remains as their Achilles heal. North Carolina State has been up and down but still remains as a tough game any night. UNC and Duke seem to be the top teams however Boston College, Wake Forest, Clemson, NCST, Miami, and Florida State seem to be jockeying for position for the upper tier and middle tier of the ACC.

Big Ten:
Front-Runners: Indiana and Michigan State
Surprise Team: Penn State
Biggest Disappointment: Michigan
Must See Game: Mich. State at Indiana February 16th, Indiana at Mich. State March 2nd
Outlook: Indiana stud G Eric Gordon has been banged up in recent weeks but is returning to form at a crucial time. Gordon, DJ White, and Jordan Crawford will be needed if Indiana expects to win the Big Ten. Michigan State is also hitting stride and will test the Hoosiers. Every game will be tough especially for young teams like Ohio State and Purdue. New coaches Tubby Smith and John Beilein are not winning yet but if their teams buy into their systems then a late season upset will not be out of the question.

Big Twelve:
Front-Runners: Kansas and Texas
Surprise Team: Baylor
Biggest Disappointment: Oklahoma State
Must See Game: Kansas at Texas February 11th
Outlook: Kansas has been relatively quiet despite their undefeated record. Bill Self has developed a team that is both deep, talented, and experienced. They have three quality ball handlers and a surplus of big men to grab rebounds and score in the post. Texas has a very finesse attack and has been scoring points at a torrid pace. Texas A&M is 14-1 and should not be overlooked either because they have quality pieces in Josh Carter, Joe Jones, and DeAndre Jordan. Oklahoma and Baylor should be able to snag an upset win on their home court but in the end, Kansas and Texas will be battling for number one in the Big 12.

Big East:
Front-Runner: Georgetown
Surprise Team: West Virginia
Biggest Disappointment: Louisville
Must See Games: G'town at Notre Dame January 19th, Marquette at Syracuse March 8th
Outlook: Georgetown and Louisville were voted co favorites but Rick Pitino's squad has imploded because of injuries, pouting, and bad play. If hey can get the Cardinals back on track than they should be successful. Marquette is hitting stride right now as well as Villanova. Syracuse and Pittsburgh have been battling injuries but have the coaches to still make them dangerous. Notre Dame is also playing well and should challenge teams like Marquette and Georgetown for first place.

Pac-10:
Front-Runner: UCLA
Surprise Team: Arizona State
Biggest Disappointment: Southern Cal
Must See Game: Wash State at UCLA January 12th, UCLA at Wash State February 7th
Outlook: UCLA and Washington State are both in the top ten but UCLA's athleticism and overall talent gives them the early nod as favorites. Oregon, California, and Arizona remain always dangerous while Arizona State will be a tough out in the desert. USC has a great player in freshman OJ Mayo but they still need time to become a cohesive unit. The Pac 10 could be the best and deepest conference in basketball.

SEC:
Front-Runner: Tennessee
Surprise Team: Vanderbilt
Biggest Disappointment: Kentucky
Must See Games: Vanderbilt at Tenn. January 17th, Tenn. at Vanderbilt February 16th
Outlook: Bruce Pearl's Volunteers are running through a great non-conference slate but still have a big game vs Memphis looming on the schedule. Vanderbilt has shocked many with their undefeated start behind Shan Foster and AJ Ogilvy. Florida, Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss all have teams that are young and/or inexperienced. They will be tough at home but easier on the road. The SEC West is wide open and Arkansas, Ole Miss, or Alabama could take it but to win the SEC tournament, all roads lead to Tennessee and their frenetic style.