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BYU beat Tulsa 24-21 in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on Friday afternoon. Here is a quick analysis:

How the game was won: You have to love the moxie of quarterback Riley Nelson. Trailing 21-17 with 4:18 to go, Nelson engineered a terrific game-winning drive, converting once on fourth down and once on third down with big-time runs. Facing second-and-goal from the Tulsa 8 with the clock ticking down, Nelson pulled out the ol' fake spike attempt and found Cody Hoffman for a 2-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone with 11 seconds left. BYU has now rallied for victory in five of its 10 wins this season.

Turning point: Tulsa got a major break with six minutes to go, leading 21-17. Pinned deep in its own territory and forced to punt, BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy got flagged for running into the punter. But Tulsa could not take advantage of the break, and went three-and-out to give BYU the ball back. The Cougars then went on their game-winning drive.

Stat of the game: BYU won its third straight bowl game for the first time in school history.

Player of the game: BYU receiver Cody Hoffman. Hoffman had eight catches for 122 yards and tied a career high with three touchdown receptions. He broke the 100-yard mark in three of his final four games.

Unsung hero of the game: BYU offensive tackle Matt Reynolds. BYU was able to close to 14-10 right before halftime thanks in part to Reynolds, who delivered a hit with his helmet off as Nelson scrambled away from the pressure. That hit allowed Nelson to find Hoffman in the end zone with 12 seconds to go before the break.

What it means for Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane close the season on a disappointing note, having squandered several opportunities to put this game away. They were simply too inconsistent on offense and defense. A big play would be followed by a letdown play. G.J. Kinne threw three TD passes in the final game of his career, but he was just 17-of-31 for 210 yards. He leaves behind big shoes to fill.

What it means for BYU: The Cougars won 10 games -- their fifth 10-win season in the past six years. That has to be considered a major success in Year 1 as an independent. Nelson returns next season, and BYU has to hope for a little bit more consistency out of him. He was not very good for most of the first half, and threw two interceptions. He actually had a third called back because of a Tulsa penalty. Many of the skill players also return, so hopes will be high for 2012 once again.

Record performance: Tulsa cornerback Dexter McCoil had two interceptions to tie the school record for career interceptions with 13.

You saw the preview and prediction. Now here are three keys for BYU and Tulsa in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on Friday.

BYU (9-3)

1. Slow down G.J. Kinne. There is no question that Kinne is the most valuable player on the Tulsa offense because he can do a variety of things. Kinne leads the team with an average of 273.4 yards of total offense per game and is always a threat to run out of the backfield. What should help BYU is practicing against its own running quarterback in Riley Nelson. But Kinne has a much better arm and is much more experienced, so BYU has to contain him if it has any shot at winning the game. The only true rushing quarterback BYU has faced this season was Chuckie Keeton at Utah State, and he had 22 yards on six carries.

2. Stop the run. Tulsa averages more than 200 yards on the ground per game, so making sure the Golden Hurricane are not running at will and chewing up clock will be a huge part of this game. Kinne certainly can win contests with his arm, but it puts an incredible amount of strain and pressure on any quarterback when his offense becomes one-dimensional. Tulsa does well with play-action passes, so stopping the run means taking away those calls as well.

3. Keep Nelson healthy. BYU goes into this game with no experience behind Nelson, so it is going to be extremely important to protect the starting quarterback. Nelson can run, and he is not afraid to give up his body -- that already led to one injury this season in which he missed several games. Jake Heaps, who was demoted and would have served as the backup, left the team when he decided to transfer. So that leaves James Lark behind Nelson. Lark has attempted only 10 passes in his career.

Tulsa (8-4)

1. Run it. Just as BYU has to make an effort to stop the run, Tulsa is going to try to run the football effectively. The Golden Hurricane failed to rush for more than 100 yards just once all season -- against North Texas. They also have rushed for 200 or more yards five times this season. Like BYU, Tulsa does not rely on one primary back -- Ja'Terian Douglas and Trey Watts have each run for more than 800 yards this season, and they are vastly different runners.

2. Force third-and-long. Third-down defense is going to be important for Tulsa in this game. BYU ranks No. 3 in the nation in third-down conversions at 52.94 percent. Tulsa has not been the best in this category, ranking No. 83 in third-down defense while allowing opponents to convert 42.7 percent of the time. Coach Bill Blankenship knows his team has to limit the big plays and force BYU into uncomfortable passing situations, because that is not an area of strength for the Cougars.

3. Limit the mistakes. Neither team has been great in turnover margin. In fact, both teams are in negative territory here. But both coaches realize this is an important aspect to this game because one turnover could really change the outcome. After leading the nation in interceptions a year ago with 24, that number has dropped to 16 for Tulsa, so it will be important to get to Nelson and force him into mistakes.

BYU (9-3) takes on Tulsa (8-4) in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on Friday at noon in Dallas. Here is a quick preview:

WHO TO WATCH: Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne. What Kinne has been able to do with the Golden Hurricane is pretty remarkable, when you consider he has played for three different offensive coordinators. This season, Kinne became the third Tulsa quarterback to go over 9,000 yards passing in a career. He now has 9,258 career passing yards, ranking third on the school's all-time list. Kinne also has thrown 78 touchdown passes and ranks second in school history. He is five behind Paul Smith, so catching up with a huge game against BYU is not out of the realm of possibility. Kinne can run, too -- he is the only quarterback in school history to pass for more than 6,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards.

WHAT TO WATCH: Tulsa run game versus BYU run defense. Both teams rank in the top 25 in the nation in their respective categories of run offense and run defense. The Golden Hurricane have two backs that have gone for more than 800 yards -- in addition to Kinne racking up more than 400. Ja'Terian Douglas, Trey Watts and Kinne have more combined rushing yards than BYU's entire team. Seeing Douglas and Watts emerge has been huge for the Golden Hurricane -- Kinne led the team in rushing the past two seasons. BYU has been solid against the run this season, allowing only three 100-yard rushers. BYU does have a size advantage on its defensive line and rotates in plenty of players. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy has been the best player on the defense, leading the team with 10 tackles for loss and five sacks. He has come up big in run support and has defended the pass as well, so he is a definite player Tulsa must watch.

WHY TO WATCH: BYU has been one of the most consistent programs in the nation, save for last season. A victory would give the Cougars their fifth 10-win season in the past six years. It will also be the 16th 10-win season in school history, which ranks 13th among all current FBS teams, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Given that success, BYU has never won three bowl games in a row. The Cougars go into this game having won two straight bowls.

PREDICTION: BYU 30, Tulsa 27. These teams are about as evenly matched as you can get, with quarterbacks who like to run, a backfield that isn't reliant on one player and linebackers who are capable of making plays. Kinne has an edge on Riley Nelson, but BYU has the edge on defense and up front -- and that will be enough to lead BYU to the victory.

Here is what I will be watching from the non-AQ teams once bowl season begins:

1. Last hurrah for Kellen Moore. Boise State closes out the season in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas next week against Arizona State, bringing to a close the final chapter for Moore, the best player in school history. Moore already holds the NCAA record for career victories. Another win will mean he and his senior class will set the school mark for most victories by a group with 50. What Moore has achieved is simply remarkable — four-year starter, 3,000-yard passing seasons in each of his four seasons and only once did he throw double-digit interceptions (his freshman year, 10). He led this team to four top-10 finishes in the BCS standings, one BCS appearance and one undefeated season. His critics will point out that the strength of schedule has not been impossible, but it is hard to knock what this young man has accomplished with his consistency, his football IQ and his ability to will his team to victory. Boise State has lost three games in his time as a starter, and all three were by a field goal or less. Moore has elevated this program, and whoever replaces him will have an enormous legacy to match.

2. TCU says goodbye. It has been a nice run for the Horned Frogs in the Mountain West, but now it is time for them to say goodbye and move on to their new home in the Big 12. They closed out the conference season with their third straight league title, thanks to a huge win at Boise State, and now have a chance to post 11 wins for the seventh time in the past 10 years. A victory also would be career win No. 109 for coach Gary Patterson, which would tie him with Dutch Meyer as the all-time winningest coach in school history. Meyer was 109-79-13 from 1934 to '52, including national championships in 1935 and 1938.

3. How does Houston respond? One of the biggest questions in all of bowl season is what we will see out of Houston. This is a team that fell one win short of making a BCS game. Now the Cougars are relegated to the TicketCity Bowl against Penn State and will be without coach Kevin Sumlin, who accepted a job to coach Texas A&M. It is hard to know exactly what to expect out of Houston for several reasons. Its performance in the Conference USA championship game against Southern Miss was the worst of the season, it has to fight the distraction of losing its coach and it has to fight the feeling of playing in a lesser bowl game after working so hard to try to bust into the BCS. It will be up to senior quarterback Case Keenum to get his teammates prepared to play and motivated to find a little extra to get them up for this game.

4. Anything to prove? There are four bowl games out of 35 that pit non-AQ teams against those from automatic qualifying conferences: Boise State-Arizona State in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, Western Michigan-Purdue in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, SMU-Pitt in the BBVA Compass Bowl, and Houston-Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl. Bowl season is always a great time for the non-AQs to prove themselves against teams from the bigger conferences, but without a big BCS matchup this season, these matchups fall a little flat. Is anybody going to take notice if the non-AQs go 4-0 with wins over Arizona State (6-6), Pitt (6-6) and Purdue (6-6)?

5. My favorite matchup: BYU vs. Tulsa, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Both teams have had solid seasons. BYU in Year 1 as an independent has a chance for another 10-win season; Tulsa survived a brutal nonconference stretch to open the season to make it back to a bowl game. Starting quarterbacks Riley Nelson and G.J. Kinne can run, and both have good skill position players around them. Tulsa linebacker Curnelius Arnick and BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy have put together great seasons and are fun to watch. When you start to parse the numbers, their wins have not come against the toughest competition. Of BYU's nine wins, only one has come against a bowl team. Of Tulsa's eight wins, only two have come against bowl teams.

You probably could have predicted the stakes in the regular-season final between Tulsa and Houston before the season started.

Tulsa finished 2010 ranked in the Top 25, and returned veteran quarterback G.J. Kinne along with a host of starters. Houston got a sixth year of eligibility for Case Keenum, one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NCAA history. Most everybody expected they would be battling it out for the top spot in the West Division of Conference USA.

That is exactly how everything has played out. No. 8 Houston and Tulsa head into their critical game Friday with undefeated marks in league play. The winner hosts the C-USA title game Dec. 3 against the champion from the East.

"We said probably as early as last spring that the way the schedule played out, we should be playing Houston for the division title," Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship said. "We’ve been talking about that for a long time. From that standpoint, they had it planted in their brain that we’re not going to be done with this until the Friday after Thanksgiving."

This is not only a critical game for conference title hopes, but for BCS hopes as well. If Houston (11-0, 7-0) loses, the Cougars will not get an automatic spot into the BCS. Tulsa has played three teams ranked in the Top 10 already this season (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Boise State), and have a long history with Houston, so they know exactly what they are in for Friday.

Much has been made of Houston this season because the Cougars are putting together such a fantastic year. But what Tulsa has done deserves praise as well. The Golden Hurricane went into the season with a new head coach in Blankenship, after Todd Graham left for Pitt. They also had to deal with the loss of all-purpose superstar Damaris Johnson, arrested just before the start of the season on embezzlement charges.

Put that together with the back-breaking nonconference schedule, and Tulsa began the year 1-3. But this is a team that did not break. Tulsa (8-3, 7-0) has won its conference games this season by an average of 25.7 points, has the No. 1 rushing offense in the league and the No. 2 total offense.

You can probably guess which team has the No. 1 offense. Keenum has been outstanding in his return from a torn ACL, and is a huge reason why the Cougars are in this position. Houston has posted over 500 yards of total offense in eight straight games, and is averaging 53.1 points. The NCAA record for average points scored per game is 56, set by Army in 1944.

Consider this stat: Houston has scored 302 points the last five weeks. That's more than 64 teams have scored all season. Keenum leads the nation with 4,269 yards passing and has gotten more Heisman buzz as the year has gone on. If the Cougars win out, there is a very good chance he will get an invite to the Heisman ceremony in New York.

But before any of that, the Cougars must focus in on their big game Friday, a game that could get them a school-record 12th victory.

"Every week there seems to be something out there that hasn't been done that our guys look at and say, 'Let's do that,'" Houston coach Kevin Sumlin said. "I think it's important for our team. ... We talk about making history and quite frankly there's things that we're trying to accomplish that 20 years from now, when you bring your kid in here you can say, 'This is what your dad did.'"

Helmet stickers soon to follow...

No. 1 Oklahoma 47, Tulsa 14: Hard to ask for much more from the title contenders and current No. 1. Tulsa was handcuffed by the loss of Damaris Johnson, but this was still a 10-win team from last year with a big playmaker at quarterback in G.J. Kinne. And yet, Oklahoma dominated. The Sooners ran for 246 yard, led by walk-on Dominique Whaley, who scored four times and had 131 yards on 18 carries. Whaley was a spring-game star, but he's taken his act to the fall, and further crowds Oklahoma's loaded backfield. Great news for Sooners' fans. Kenny Stills sat with a one-game suspension, but the passing game did what it does. Landry Jones racked up 375 yards on 35-of-47 passing, hitting Ryan Broyles 14 times (one short of Broyles' school record) for 158 yards and a touchdown. But the best stat for the Sooners? No sacks in all that chucking. A-plus performance for the Sooners in Week 1.

Texas Tech 50, Texas State 10: Awful, awful start for the Red Raiders, who trailed 10-0 late in the first quarter after a turnover set up the Bobcats. Tech trailed 10-9 at the half, but usually, if you can outscore an opponent 41-0 in the second half, you'll do OK. The Red Raiders got it rolling against their FCS opponents. And those replacements at the skill positions? No worries. Each was as advertised. Seth Doege threw for 326 yards and three scores. Darrin Moore caught 12 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown. Eric Stephens rolled for 118 yards on 21 carries. The competition wasn't much, but at least Tech knows it can execute.

Oklahoma State 61, Louisiana-Lafayette 34: Predictable and safe. Oklahoma State's Saturday night went as planned, and Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden did exactly what they usually did, save Blackmon scoring a touchdown, ending his 12-game streak of a score and 100 yards. He did catch eight passes for 144 yards to lead his team. Weeden threw for 388 yards and three scores, but had three picks, including one returned for a touchdown. That's may be a bit of a red flag, but this early in the season, not a huge cause for concern. The Cowboys ran up a nice 24-point second quarter and made life easy for themselves.

Kansas 42, McNeese State 24: There we go, Jayhawks. I wanted to see if they could put a big number on the board against anyone, and Kansas proved it could. As they should, the Jayhawks relied heavily on the running game, throwing just 10 passes to 55 rushes, but they rolled up 301 yards rushing on the night. Very nice, Kansas. Safe to say the Jayhawks have played themselves out of the No. 10 spot in the Big 12 power rankings for the first time in awhile. James Sims and Darrian Miller combined for 167 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries. Jordan Webb threw three touchdown passes and no picks.

Here are ten things I'm keeping an eye on in Week 1 of Big 12 football.

1. Garrett Gilbert. Everything else aside, Gilbert is ultimately the one guy who will decide how far Texas gets this season. Or, at least whoever Texas' quarterback is by midseason. Gilbert needs to play well to a) make sure he's that guy and b) help Texas rebound from last year's debacle.

2. Does Baylor have a second go-to receiver? Josh Gordon is a huge loss. Everything pointed to a breakout year for the big receiver, but who's going to emerge as Robert Griffin III's other top target. Baylor has talent at the position, but it's going to help if one receiver makes his presence clear. Terrance Williams? Tevin Reese? Lanear Sampson? Bueller?

3. Oklahoma's safeties. Javon Harris and Aaron Colvin have a ton of potential, but they've got a tough test in Week 1. Last year, Oklahoma broke in two brand new corners against Utah State and nearly was upset on its home field. G.J. Kinne is a stud, and with both of last year's safeties in the NFL, are Harris and Colvin up for the task?

4. Weeden2Blackmon. Here's the deal: This game won't be close. But I love watching these two play. And they're going to be putting up some big highlights for the first time in eight months. Football! Finally!

5. James Franklin's arm. We've seen Franklin run plenty as a freshman playing behind Blaine Gabbert. But Missouri will go about as far as Franklin's arm will take them. His teammates have been impressed with what he's down through the air in the offseason. Will he validate them in the opener?

6. Steele Jantz's legs. Nobody outside Ames has really seen Jantz, a transfer from a California junior college, do much. But he won the starting job over the more experienced Jerome Tiller (before he was ruled academically ineligible for the season) and has Cyclones fans excited. Is he the dynamic playmaker Iowa State's offense has been missing?

7. Kansas State's running backs. Bill Snyder called it the closest competition on the team. The WIldcats have three co-starters, and third on the list is the Big 12 transfer with the most hype: Bryce Brown. Will he establish himself as the clear replacement for Daniel Thomas, who led the Big 12 in rushing the past two seasons?

8. Kansas' point total. Kansas simply needs to show it can execute. It did it against New Mexico State last year and briefly against Colorado, but this is largely the same team from last year, with a handful of new faces added. How much better is the offense? Good enough to compete in the Big 12? Because the Jayhawks weren't close in 2010.

9. Texas A&M's linebackers. Most of the attention is paid to quarterback Kyle Padron, but the Mustangs' 230-pound, rumbling running back Zach Line is no joke, either. He had at least 94 yards rushing in six of the past seven games in 2010, and the Aggies have a big hole at middle linebacker that Jonathan Stewart will try to fill.

10. Texas Tech's playcalling. Tommy Tuberville wants a new commitment to the running game, but where will that show up? The Red Raiders have what I think will be a good QB, but lots of unanswered questions at receiver next to a deep stable of running backs and a good offensive line. I'm also excited to see what freshman tight end Jace Amaro can do.

Oh, yes. It is game week.

Today is Monday, which means we'll kick off our weekly power rankings and continue doing so each week throughout the season.

1. Oklahoma: The Sooners are clearly the class of the Big 12 but will have to start proving it early with a hyped trip to Tallahassee to face a Florida State team that yours truly thinks is a bit overrated. Saturday, though? Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles will open the season at home against an underrated Tulsa team that won more games in 2010 than Florida State but will travel to Norman perhaps without its top playmaker, Damaris Johnson. G.J. Kinne is great, but he'll have to be spectacular for the Golden Hurricane to be a serious threat.

2. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys gave college football fans a treat with the return of Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon, who will kick off their encore seasons against Louisiana-Lafayette, a team that spawned Weeden's trust in Blackmon originally last season. The opener should be a snoozer, but next week's rematch of the Alamo Bowl against Arizona could produce big fireworks on a Thursday night national broadcast.

3. Texas A&M: This is an absolute coin flip. Until the teams meet on Sept. 24, I'll probably flip OSU and A&M depending on who was more impressive the previous week. The Aggies will have the best chance to impress with a Sunday nighter against an underrated SMU team coming to Kyle Field with a crowd that could get a huge boost from the prospect of a future in the SEC, which might be announced later this week.

4. Missouri: We'll get our first real look at James Franklin when the Tigers suit up against Miami (Ohio). After struggling early in spring camp during his competition with Tyler Gabbert, Franklin has only gotten better. This week will be big for the Tigers' offensive line, which has to find a suitable replacement for stalwart left tackle Elvis Fisher, a 40-game starter who will miss the season with a torn patellar tendon. The Tigers' first big test is just six days from Saturday, when they travel to Tempe, Ariz.,to play Arizona State.

5. Baylor: Baylor's new-look defense will get a pretty good test from TCU. The Bears are the Big 12's lone team matched up with a ranked opponent in Week 1. A win against the defending Rose Bowl champs with the nation's eyes watching a Friday night ESPN broadcast could be a big coming-out party for Art Briles and Robert Griffin III on a national scale.

6. Texas: obody knows what to expect from the Longhorns, but we might find out who'll be starting at quarterback for the Horns later today. The defense, which has led the Big 12 in total defense the past four seasons, should still be stout in spite of a young secondary, but an amorphous offseason depth chart will take shape this week.

7. Texas Tech: There are a lot of new faces on the field for the Red Raiders, but Year 2 under Tommy Tuberville will probably get off to a yawn-worthy start with FCS Texas State heading to Lubbock for the opener. Tech is a bit of a wild card that might be as good as the league's fourth-best team. This is probably as low on the power rankings as you'll see the Red Raiders all season.

8. Kansas State: The Wildcats caught a break with Arthur Brown and Bryce Brown being given limited immunity by the NCAA and avoiding eligbility issues from the mess at Miami, but we'll finally get a chance to see K-State's hyped transfers take the field. Arthur Brown emerged as one of the defense's top playmakers during the spring, but what will Bryce Brown have to offer? And has Collin Klein improved enough as a passer to help the Wildcats claw into the next tier of Big 12 teams?

9. Iowa State: The Cyclones might be better than this, but they're going to have to prove it. No one above them in the power rankings finished with a worse record last season. The Big 12 had only one team (Kansas) that finished with a record worse than 5-7. New quarterback Steele Jantz, replacing three-year starter Austen Arnaud, should be fun to watch.

10. Kansas: Improvement is the name of the game for the Jayhawks, who dropped a game to an FCS team in Week 1 last year. It's doubtful we'll see a repeat against McNeese State this time around, but how much better will Kansas be? We'll get a better sense when the Jayhawks tangle with an underrated Northern Illinois team in Week 2 and ACC foe Georgia Tech the next week.

G.J. Kinne was the star college quarterback with what appeared to be a bright future -- until gunfire turned his world upside down, sending him reeling into a chaotic world of pain and confusion. What happened? E:60's Lisa Salters tells us.

The Pac-12 is popularly known as the conference of quarterbacks, mostly because it has better quarterbacks than everyone else, at least in terms of NFL potential.

That is again the case in 2011. The conference boasts Stanford’s Andrew Luck, USC’s Matt Barkley and Arizona’s Nick Foles, who each could become first-round NFL draft picks next spring. Then there’s Oregon’s Darron Thomas, who beat out Barkley and Foles for second-team All-Conference honors in 2010, and talented youngsters such as Washington State’s Jeff Tuel, Oregon State’s Ryan Katz and Utah’s Jordan Wynn.

Oh, but across the country in Conference USA, there’s a crew of quarterbacks that offers something that bests the Pac-12 signal-callers: huge numbers. Four Conference USA passers threw for more than 3,000 yards; just two did in the old Pac-10. Also, three threw 31 or more touchdown passes versus just one in the Pac-10 -- Luck with 32.

And that doesn’t even include the return of Houston’s Case Keenum, who passed for over 5,000 yards in both 2008 and 2009 and 44 touchdowns each season. Keenum was lost for the 2010 season in Game 3 after suffering a knee injury at UCLA.

So while the Pac-12 may think of itself as the conference of quarterbacks, Conference USA might be able to counter as the conference of passers.

Sounds like a blog debate! Bring on Andrea Adelson!

Ted Miller: Andrea, you have me and many of my Pac-12 blog readers at a loss. You know all about the Pac-12 quarterbacks because they are on TV all the time.

While most are familiar with Keenum’s eye-popping numbers for the Cougars, some of these other names draw blanks. Educate our poorly informed West Coast brains, please!

Andrea Adelson: Yes, Ted, there is a reason C-USA has a Wild, Wild West Division. It is there you will find some of the most prolific passers in the nation -- Keenum, G.J. Kinne of Tulsa, and Kyle Padron of SMU.

Keenum was just picked as the C-USA preseason offensive player of the year for obvious reasons. Your Pac-12 brethren only got a small glimpse of what he could do last season against UCLA -- the game in which he tore his ACL and was lost for the season. Keenum got a sixth season and has a slew of NCAA records he is chasing down -- total offense, passing yards, touchdowns, pass attempts and completions. He is in an offensive system that suits his strengths, and he really came onto the scene in 2008 under a certain coach named Dana Holgorsen.

With Keenum out last season, Kinne picked up the torch and was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Year. Kinne actually began his career at Texas before transferring to the Golden Hurricane. Last season he truly blossomed, but he is a different style quarterback than Keenum and Padron. Kinne can run -- he led the team in passing (3,650 yards) and rushing (561). It should come as no surprise that Padron is a gunslinger -- he plays for June Jones after all. And Jones is a master of the run 'n' shoot. But there are quarterbacks in the East who aren't slouches, either. Dominique Davis transferred from Boston College to East Carolina and flourished last season, leading the nation in passing. Austin Davis, one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the nation can run and pass, too. We all know the Big 12 is known for its passers, but C-USA equaled that conference with three players ranked in the top 11 in the nation in yards passing with Davis, Padron and Kinne. The Pac-12 might have the most "quarterback ready" players, but C-USA has guys who know how to put the ball in the air, that is for sure. And who doesn't love offensive fireworks?

Ted Miller: Andrea, those are impressive -- and sometimes HUGE -- numbers. Keenum got knocked out against UCLA, so the Bruins didn’t really get a full taste of him, which they figure to on Sept. 3 in Houston. But that’s the only time Pac-12 fans will get to see any of these guys. In the Pac-12, I’d rate Luck No. 1, Barkley No. 2, Foles No. 3 and Thomas No. 4 in terms of NFL prospects. Luck and Thomas are both outstanding athletes who are capable running the ball. Most folks don’t realize that Luck rushed for 453 yards last year. Barkley and Foles are prototypical drop-back passers.

So how do you see your guys' NFL prospects stacking up?

Andrea Adelson: None of these guys are first-round prospects, but that does not make them any less impressive as college quarterbacks. All of them are going to carry the "system quarterback" label with them when their careers end. Keenum already gets that when his name comes up in Heisman chatter. Interestingly, he is after the NCAA career passing mark of Timmy Chang -- coached at Hawaii by June Jones. And Jones has a guy in Padron who can sling it, too. Davis is in a system that Ruffin McNeill picked up from his "Air Raid" days at Texas Tech -- a school that has produced prolific passers such as Graham Harrell and Kliff Kingsbury but nobody who tore it up in the NFL. If you want to rank them as college quarterbacks, then Keenum deserves to be in the conversation as one of the best playing today. He is, after all, one of only two players in Division I history to have thrown for over 5,000 yards more than once.

Ted Miller: That’s the rub, I think, Andrea. While the Pac-12 prides itself on producing NFL quarterbacks, I think we can all appreciate guys who produce thrilling performances in the college game, the game by the way we love most, apologies to the NFL.

So as excited as I am to see Luck this year -- and others -- I also am eager to see what a healthy Keenum does in Round 2 with UCLA. And perhaps we on the West Coast need to branch out a bit in our quarterback appreciation and catch a few Conference USA games this season.

We do, you know, like our passing out West.

On paper, Tulsa should have its best team in years when the 2011 season begins. But the Golden Hurricane also face what could be the most difficult nonconference schedule in the nation -- a difficult challenge the team is trying to embrace.

Tulsa opens the season at Oklahoma on Sept. 3 against a team many are predicting as preseason No. 1. After a conference game at Tulane, Tulsa hosts Oklahoma State on Sept. 17, then travels to Boise State on Sept. 24. The Cowboys and Broncos are also expected to be top-10 teams.

The Golden Hurricane finished last season ranked in the Top 25 and return 19 starters, so they should be able to hold their own. But can they survive under the weight of such a grueling schedule, one made in large part because of the large guarantee paydays involved?

"We have a veteran ballclub that’s been in hostile environments and played a tough schedule before," coach Bill Blankenship said. "These are guys that have been successful at Notre Dame and at Houston in Hawaii, places on the road where it’s not easy to win, so I don’t think these are guys that will blink. I think we’ve got to matchup talent wise and all those other things, but in terms of having the self confidence, that’s what this group brings to the table. There’s no shortcut to experience."

Tulsa began last season 4-3, including an embarrassing 65-28 loss to Oklahoma State. But a 28-27 win over Notre Dame began building major momentum, and the team closed the season with seven straight wins. That loss to the Cowboys is one that no doubt is serving as motivation. Tulsa was a radically different team at the end of the year than it was when it lost that game.

The difficulty of the schedule is serving as motivation as well.

"We want to be like TCU and Boise State," quarterback G.J. Kinne said. "We want to be there like them, and we have the schedule to do it. We win those games and win our conference and go undefeated in conference, we'll definitely be there. In the back of your mind, you win those games you know you have a chance to play for a BCS game."

The conference schedule is also difficult. Tulsa has only five days between a home game against division rival SMU and a road game at UCF on a Thursday night. But on the bright side, the Golden Hurricane play SMU and Houston at home, the two teams it is expected to contend with in C-USA West.

"We recognize the challenge that we’re going to be faced, with but I like the fact that I’m getting to go through this schedule with guys who have played," Blankenship said. "It would be murder’s row if this was a new, young ballclub, but the fact that we’ve been in the battles -- its’ still going to be an uphill fight but it’s not anything we’re going to blink at."

As for how this schedule might affect one of the most talented teams the school has had, Blankenship said, "There is some pressure that goes with it, but to me that’s the fun part of this game. You want to be in a situation where you have an opportunity to excel. The thing our guys know is the opportunity is there for them, so it’s not going to be something where we sit around and say if we had this schedule. We get to go play it."

If you thought Tulsa blitzed through teams on offense last season, wait until you see what the Golden Hurricane have in store for 2011.

They want to go even faster, employing more no huddle while also allowing veteran starting quarterback G.J. Kinne to make his own audibles at the line of scrimmage. Those are just a few changes fans might notice now that Tulsa is under new leadership in coach Bill Blankenship and offensive coordinator Greg Peterson.

Blankenship, a former quarterback himself, felt it was time to give Kinne more freedom, especially since the quarterback will be going into his third year as a starter.

"I don’t think you can put a measure on experience and the fact that he has that," Blankenship said. "Now we need to capitalize on it. That’s what I’m trying to do -- get him into a position where he sees the defense he can react and get us in the best situation. He’s got weapons out there, we can teach him in such a way that he’ll play at an even higher level."

While some of the offensive philosophy has changed now that Kinne is playing for his fourth offensive coordinator in college, much of it remains the same. Kinne is just excited to be able to have the opportunity to do more for his team.

"I feel like it's a tremendous honor for Coach Blankenship to trust me his first year out the gate as a head coach," Kinne said in a phone interview. "I am going to work hard enough to make those audibles. It's something in years past, I felt I could do but haven't been given the reins. I'm very happy about this opportunity."

Among other changes you will see: Kinne will line up under center more than he has in the past; Tulsa is going to try to run between the tackles more, especially with all five starting linemen returning; and the hope is to have more play-action, in addition to the spread it has predominantly played in the past. It will be interesting to see how Kinne makes the transition in several of these areas. He estimated he lined up under center about 10 percent of the time last season. The last time he was under center more often was middle school.

He spent the spring working on the exchange with center. Getting a solid running game going between the tackles also will take some pressure of him. Kinne led the team in rushing last season with his designed runs. He still will run the ball. But Blankenship wants to establish a ground game with his running backs. Trey Watts, JaTerian Douglas and Alex Singleton are going to be counted on to shoulder more of the load, but everything begins with Kinne -- the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.

To that end, Kinne has to develop chemistry with some new faces. Ultra-talented Damaris Johnson returns as his go-to receiver, and Thomas Roberson is back as well. But Kinne loses two reliable receivers in Trae Johnson and Jameel Owens, leaving opportunities for other players to step up. Jordan James and Bryan Burnham had good springs. Incoming freshman Keyarris Garrett could also contribute. Garrett played high school outside Kinne's hometown, so the quarterback is excited about the possibilities.

"We just have a lot of leadership right now, a lot of confidence going into this summer," Kinne said. "Everyone knows how good we can be. From here on out it's going to be about how hard we work."

Tulsa has gotten a lot of buzz this offseason as a potential BCS buster, even with one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country. The Golden Hurricane ended last season with seven straight wins -- that included four games in which they scored 50-plus points. Tulsa ended the season with the No. 5 total offense in the nation, No. 6 scoring offense and a No. 24 ranking in the final AP poll. With 18 starters returning, expectations are high for at least a Conference USA championship.

Why they have a shot: The Golden Hurricane return two of the best players in C-USA in quarterback G.J. Kinne and all-purpose man Damaris Johnson. Kinne is on his third new offensive coordinator at Tulsa, but hopefully there will be an easy transition because of the familiarity new coach Bill Blankenship has with him and what he can do. Johnson already owns the NCAA record for career all-purpose yards and has the potential to get to 10,000. The defense got better as the season went on, with freshmen Marco Nelson, Shawn Jackson and Cody Wilson stepping up in a big way. Linebacker Curnelius Arnick should have a breakout season. The nonconference schedule is incredibly difficult, but if the Golden Hurricane manage to win all their games, they would have an excellent shot at getting into a BCS game, especially since one of those wins will be against Boise State.

Why they won't make it: See above, brutal nonconference schedule. The Golden Hurricane open the season at Oklahoma, then travel to Tulane before playing Oklahoma State at home and Boise State on the road. That means Tulsa has to play three teams projected to be in the Top 10. Of course, SEC fans are reading this thinking their teams have to do that every year. If you are good enough, you win every game. Aside from the nonconference schedule, Tulsa also must travel to play C-USA champ UCF. SMU and Houston come to Tulsa, so that could make the difference for a division title.

Previously profiled:

Houston

SMU

Southern Miss

We just had a poll on defensive player of the year for the non-AQs. Now we end the day with a poll asking you, "Who is going to be the offensive player of the non-AQs in 2011?"

Two of the players I selected are my players to watch in my spring wrap: Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore and San Diego State running back Ronnie Hillman. I have also included on this list Chandler Harnish of Northern Illinois, Bryant Moniz of Hawaii and G.J. Kinne of Tulsa.

Harnish had an outstanding junior season after many wondered whether or not he would be completely healthy for 2010. He ended up starting every game but one last season and threw for 2,530 yards, 21 touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 836 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. With Chad Spann gone, the Huskies could rely more on him -- especially with a deep and talented receiving group.

Kinne is playing for his third offensive coordinator in three years at Tulsa. He flourished last season en route to Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year honors, leading the team in passing (3,650 yards) and rushing (561 yards). Moniz threw for 5,040 yards -- tops in the NCAA last season -- though he does lose his two leading receivers. Hillman led all freshmen with 1,532 yards rushing and could be even better in 2011.

But it is a no-brainer to pick Moore once again as the non-AQ offensive player of the year. Do we sound like a broken record yet?

I featured three non-AQ players to watch in one of my spring wrap videos: Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, San Diego State running back Ronnie Hillman and BYU quarterback Jake Heaps.

But there are plenty other non-AQ players to watch. Here is a brief list of other players I think could have big seasons in 2011:

Tank Carder, LB, TCU. He should be a first-team All-American this season as one of the top linebackers in the nation.

Tyrone Crawford, DE, Boise State. Crawford had a good season in 2010 as a reserve, but he is poised for a breakout season, leaving many confident he will step right in for the departed Ryan Winterswyk at defensive end.

Dominique Davis, QB, East Carolina. Davis won the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year award in 2010 after setting school single-season records in touchdown passes (36), attempts (552), completions (358) and passing yards (3,699). He loses his top playmaker in Dwayne Harris, but he will be expected to carry the team once again while the defense undergoes a makeover.

Chandler Harnish, QB, Northern Illinois. He can run, and he can throw, and chances are he is going to be the preseason pick for MAC Offensive Player of the Year. How he does in Dave Doeren's system will be fun to watch.

Logan Harrell, DT, Fresno State. Harrell had 10.5 sacks last season as the Bulldogs really improved their pass rush. With Chris Carter gone, can Harrell duplicate the same results in 2011?

Tim Jefferson, QB, Air Force. There are some who think Air Force could be a dark horse in the Mountain West because of Jefferson, perhaps the most improved player in the Mountain West last season.

Case Keenum, QB, Houston. Could another 5,000-yard season be in the works for Keenum? The big question is how he looks one season removed from ACL surgery. Some quarterbacks have a harder time with their mobility. It took two seasons for Tom Brady to get back to his former self.

G.J. Kinne, QB, Tulsa. You have read ad nauseum on here that he has his third offensive coordinator in three seasons with the Golden Hurricane. But 2010 was his best season yet, and coach Bill Blankenship was promoted from assistant to head coach and knows what works well for Kinne.

Bobby Rainey, RB, Western Kentucky. Rainey led all rushers in the country with 340 carries and ranked No. 4 among running backs with 1,649 yards. Can he do that agian?