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Let's take a look at some spring storylines for selected non-AQ teams.

ARKANSAS STATE

Spring practice start date: March 12

Spring game: April 14

End date: April 16

What to watch:

• Gus Malzahn era begins. Hugh Freeze took Arkansas State to the Sun Belt title in his only year on the job. Now the Gus Malzahn era begins, with promises to continue the high-flying attack that dominated the league last year. Malzahn obviously has made his name as one of the top offensive minds in the game, so it will be interesting to see how he interacts with reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year Ryan Aplin.
• Michael Dyer's eligibility? The former Auburn running back has transferred to Arkansas State, but his eligibility for 2012 is unclear. The school has considered filing a hardship waiver to the NCAA because of an ailing family member. If approved, he would be eligible immediately.
• Big defensive losses. The Red Wolves are losing some of their best players on defense -- Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Brandon Joiner as well as first-team selections Demario Davis, Darryl Feemster and Kelcie McCray. In fact, only 10 starters return to the team, so there will be plenty of position battles this spring.

BOISE STATE

Spring practice start date: March 12

Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• Replacing Kellen Moore. This is not just a local story. It is a national story. Trying to replace the winningest quarterback in NCAA history is going to overshadow anything Boise State does during practice in the spring or fall. There are several contenders: junior Joe Southwick, sophomore Grant Hedrick, redshirt freshman Jimmy Laughrea and true freshman Nick Patti, already enrolled. Southwick has served as the backup to Moore the past two seasons, while Patti is a highly heralded recruit out of Florida with similarities to Moore. You can bet this will not be settled in the spring.
• Youth. Moore is not the only starter who has to be replaced. This will be a relatively inexperienced team when it comes to starts. Several big-time contributors are gone, including running back Doug Martin, left tackle Nate Potter and defensive linemen Shea McClellin, Billy Winn, Tyrone Crawford, Chase Baker, linebacker Byron Hout and safety George Iloka. By some counts, Boise State has only six returning starters for 2012.
• Big East early? This has nothing to do with on-the-field matters, but there remains the possibility that Boise State could jump to the Big East a year early to fill the hole left by West Virginia.

BYU

Spring practice start date: March 5

Spring end date: March 30 (spring game TBA)

What to watch:

• QB depth. Riley Nelson goes into the season as the unquestioned starter after replacing Jake Heaps nearly midway through last season. Nelson's energy and enthusiasm helped the Cougars end with a 10-win season in Year 1 as an independent. This team is now officially his from the start of the season. Now, can he stay healthy? He has gotten injured in 2010 and 2011, and there is not much experience behind him with Heaps having gone to Kansas. Depth must be developed.
• Replacing Matt Reynolds. Reynolds was a rock for the Cougars at left tackle the past several seasons, so his shoes are big ones to fill on the offensive line. It helps that three starters are returning on the line, but Reynolds tied a school record with 52 starts in his BYU career. High school All-American Ryker Mathews would seem to be the favorite to win this spot. He missed last season with a foot injury.
• Eason gone. Perhaps one of the most underrated players on the defense was Corby Eason, who was tied for the team lead with 14 pass breakups. He is gone, and Jordan Johnson will get his chance at cornerback.

HOUSTON

Spring practice start date: March 21

Spring game: April 13

What to watch:

• Bye-bye, Case. Just like Boise State, the Cougars must replace record-setting quarterback Case Keenum, who got a sixth year of eligibility and proceeded to smash a number of NCAA passing marks. Unlike Boise, the Cougars have a quarterback with starting experience. That would be David Piland, who took over in 2010 when Keenum and backup Cotton Turner got hurt. Piland got the luxury of redshirting last season, and he goes into spring as the heir apparent. How much has he improved?
• Tony Levine takes over. Kevin Sumlin is gone, and Levine was promoted to head coach. That should certainly ease the transition, but Levine is going to want to put his own stamp on the program. What changes will we see with the way he runs practice and schemes? This will be a perfect time for Levine to learn with trial and error before spring practice begins.
• Sammy Brown gone. Brown was just as important to the defense as Keenum was to the offense, and his departure is a major hole. The entire linebacker corps has questions, with Marcus McGraw and Phillip Steward also gone. Those three players ranked among the top four in tackles for the season.

NAVY

Spring practice start date: March 19

Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• Miller time. Trey Miller goes into the spring as the starter at quarterback. He did play in several games last season and was pretty inconsistent. But now that he has some playing time under his belt and the full-time starting quarterback job, he can start to take some ownership of this team.
• Get tougher. Coach Ken Niumatalolo wants his players to get tougher, both physically and mentally. Last season was not what anybody at Navy anticipated, and the heartbreaking losses are simply tough to accept. But Niumatalolo is not going with scheme changes in the spring to get his team back to a bowl game. It is all about making sure his players are tough-minded and fighting for one another.
• Discipline. That means playing with much more discipline, and paying attention to detail. When you lose five games by three points or fewer, you start to understand you have to do everything right, even the little things.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Spring practice start date: March 28

Spring game: April 21

What to watch:

• Lynch time. All-everything quarterback Chandler Harnish is gone, leaving the job to his backup for the past two seasons, Jordan Lynch. He is a former safety and, according to the folks who know, plays like one. He also is apparently a better runner than Harnish. Lynch has seen his share of playing time, but how will he fare now that he is in command of the entire offense?
• Offensive line. How do the Huskies replace four seniors with a combined 151 career starts? With Trevor Olson, Joe Pawlak, Scott Wedige and Keith Otis gone, Logan Pegram is the lone returner. The line had much to do with the success of Harnish and the offense last season. They gave up just 12 sacks and ranked No. 12 in the country in rushing offense and No. 11 in total offense.
• Defensive strength. Northern Illinois returns eight starters on defense but also should get a boost from two more players -- 2010 starters Devon Butler at middle linebacker and Tyrone Clark at weakside linebacker. Butler sat out after he was injured in a shooting last April; Clark sat out for undisclosed personal reasons but practiced with the team throughout the year. Butler dressed out for bowl practices, although he didn't do any contact.

SOUTHERN MISS

Spring practice start date: March 5

Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• No Austin Davis. Terrific dual-threat quarterback Austin Davis is gone, leaving a big question mark at the position. Backup Arsenio Favor is expected to get the first-string reps during spring practice, but there definitely will be those watching for incoming freshman Anthony Alford come the fall. New coach Ellis Johnson tried to recruit Alford to South Carolina. Alford also was a baseball player, like Davis.
• Ellis Johnson takes over. Southern Miss has built a winning tradition, and Johnson is taking over the surprise Conference USA champs. But he faces some rebuilding questions both on offense and defense. How does he handle these in his first head-coaching opportunity? Johnson has been a lifelong assistant, and worked under many good head coaches. How he adapts now that he is in charge is definitely something to watch.
• Defense rebuilding. Six key players from the front seven are gone, including Cordarro Law and Ronnie Thornton. There also is a new coaching staff in place for these players to get used to. Remember, some are going on their third defensive coordinator in three years.

The Mountain West and Conference USA have announced plans to form a new athletic association for the 2013-14 season, as a way to ensure their future survival due to heavy losses each league has suffered in realignment.

Presidents and chancellors of the 16 schools that will be a part of the group met in Dallas on Sunday to discuss the details. Those schools: Air Force, UAB, Colorado State, East Carolina, Fresno State, Hawaii, Marshall, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV, Rice, Southern Miss, UTEP, Tulane, Tulsa and Wyoming. With the exception of Hawaii as a football-only member, the participation would involve all sports.

The Mountain West is losing Boise State and San Diego State to the Big East, while Conference USA is losing Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF to the Big East as well. Most interesting in the announcement made Monday were these two points that will likely be included in the future structure of the new association:

• Membership of 18 to 24 universities
• Championship football game format that includes semifinal matchups

Growing from two to eight teams means the new association might have designs on absorbing the WAC, which is struggling to hang on after recent defections to the Mountain West, or possibly going after teams in the Sun Belt. Utah State and San Jose State, currently in the WAC, have been tied to the Mountain West in the past. In fact, Utah State was offered a spot in the Mountain West in 2010 but turned it down.

The championship game format, complete with semifinals, is obviously intriguing simply because that is something most folks have yearned for in college football as a whole. If the league grows to 24 teams, having four teams making it into a "championship round" would seem to increase interest. Especially if the semifinal round is on a home campus.

Now keep in mind regular-season scheduling will be contained to divisions, and those divisions are going to be set based on geography. There is a reason the news release cited this as essential to the new association: "bringing fiscal discipline into athletics and ensuring competitive fairness."

Right now, Conference USA has teams stretching from East Carolina to El Paso. So one would think that it would make more sense to have UTEP in a different division than the Pirates, just like they are now, with road games East contained to one or fewer a year, or perhaps eliminated entirely. If the league gets to 18 teams at a minimum with two nine-team divisions -- think eight regular-season football games contained to that division.

That should help alleviate some of the money that is spent on traveling alone, especially in the nonrevenue sports.

Time to take a look at recruiting needs for some selected non-AQ schools.

Boise State

Running back. With Doug Martin gone, there is no question the Broncos need some quality players at this position to not only play but add depth. This was already one that had depth issues because of injuries this season -- which is why a walk-on running back had the ball late in the game against TCU. Boise State has two commitments from quality prep players in Devan Demas and Jack Fields, both out of Texas.

Linebacker. Three of the four players on the two deep are gone, so this is a definite area where the Broncos have got to get some more players. Two of their more highly rated commitments are linebackers -- Ben Weaver and Andrew Pint.

Secondary. Another problem area for the Broncos in 2011 was in the secondary after injuries also hurt depth. They lose George Iloka, Hunter White, Travis Stanaway and Cedric Febis, plus Jamar Taylor is a rising senior. So you can see why the Broncos have commitments from four defensive backs.

BYU

Quarterback. Jake Heaps' departure all of a sudden hurts depth at the position. Riley Nelson is a senior; James Lark is a senior. There are a few other guys on the roster, but now the commitment of four-star prospect Tanner Mangum is even more important.

Linebacker. Jameson Frazier is gone, and five others on the depth chart will be either juniors or seniors -- including Uona Kaveinga, Kyle Van Noy and Brandon Ogletree. So this is probably a good time to restock the position to start building some depth.

Receiver. Cody Hoffman had a great year, but you still get this nagging feeling that the Cougars really need a game-changer at receiver who can really stretch the field. Some thought Ross Apo might do that but it didn't quite happen in 2012. So I bet BYU fans feel good about some of the receiver/athlete commitments already on board.

East Carolina

Secondary. The Pirates are losing three starters in the secondary and four key backups are juniors. It's huge for this program to get a commitment from four-star safety Lucas Thompson. He should help right away.

Offensive line. No question East Carolina has to keep adding quality players here because depth was lacking this season. Plus, the Pirates lose starter Steven Baker at left tackle, several key backups and four players on the depth chart will be juniors or seniors.

Running back. This is another area where the Pirates have to build some depth. There simply wasn't any once Reggie Bullock got hurt last season. Receiver Torrance Hunt had to fill in while Bullock was out. East Carolina has commitments from four athletes, including two with three-star ratings, so the hope is to try and convert a few of them into quality backs.

Houston

Defensive line: If there is one area that has to get better for the Cougars, it is defense. Certainly strides have been made but they were exposed in the Conference USA championship game. This team has to get better up front, which is why you see five defensive linemen commits. In fact, its best commit is four-star defensive tackle Donald Hopkins.

Offensive line: The Cougars lose starting center Chris Thompson, and seven of their offensive linemen will be juniors or seniors next season. Time to reload.

Receiver/running back: Houston has plenty of guys listed on its roster at these positions, but the Cougars are going to be in need of some athletes to take the place of Tyron Carrier, Patrick Edwards, Justin Johnson and Bryce Beall.

SMU

Offensive line. This is an area that coach June Jones has worked at to create depth, but the Mustangs have to continue to build. They lose six seniors of the 2011 team -- including all five starters.

Defensive back. Of the eight players listed on the depth chart, four seniors are gone -- including starters Chris Banjo and Richard Crawford. The other four will be juniors or seniors.

Receiver. In the offense Jones likes to run, you can't have too many athletes or receivers. Cole Beasley and Terrance Wilkerson are gone, Darius Johnson will be a senior and Jeremy Johnson and Keenan Holman will be juniors. One of the Mustangs' top commitments is athlete Daijuan Stewart.

Southern Miss

Linebacker. Starting linebackers Ronnie Thornton and Jeremy Snowden are gone from the 4-2-5 set the Golden Eagles ran last year. So is backup Tim Green. It's unclear what type of formation Southern Miss will run under its new coaching staff, but stocking up in this area is a good idea.

Defensive line. The Golden Eagles lose Cordarro Law and three other seniors from the two-deep. Of the 10 linemen remaining on the roster, only five are freshmen or sophomores.

Receiver: Three starters were seniors, including Kelvin Bolden and Ryan Balentine. There were only two freshmen on the roster last season so this should be an area that gets addressed.

Let's take a look back at some of the top moments from the non-AQs in 2011, both good and bad.

1. A missed field goal strikes again. Everybody knew the Boise State-TCU game would have major implications in the national picture. No. 5 Boise State came in undefeated, with a 65-game regular-season home winning streak and veteran Kellen Moore leading the way. But the Horned Frogs are never an easy out, as Boise State has learned through the years. Casey Pachall rallied his team from a fourth-quarter deficit with 1:05 to go when he threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Carter. Rather than go for the extra point to tie the game at 35, Gary Patterson went for 2. It was a bold move, but it was one he felt was necessary if he wanted to win in regulation. Pachall converted with a pass to Josh Boyce and TCU went up 36-35. Moore wasn't done. He guided the Broncos into position for the game-winning field goal. But for the second straight year, they missed. This time, it was Dan Goodale's 39-yard kick sailing wide right, denying Boise State a shot at a BCS game. TCU left the Mountain West with its third straight conference title.

2. Houston collapses. All Houston had to do to secure its first BCS berth was beat Southern Miss in the Conference USA title game. The Cougars were the favorite, having gone undefeated in the regular season with Case Keenum behind center. Southern Miss had lost to UAB. So yeah, most everybody expected the Cougars to romp. Instead, the Golden Eagles pulled one of the biggest upsets of the season, shutting down Keenum and winning 49-28 in a game they dominated from start to finish. Keenum threw two interceptions and was harassed all day long. The end result: Houston ended up in the TicketCity Bowl, a far cry from one of the major BCS games. Southern Miss won its first C-USA title game.

3. Records broken. The two best non-AQ players this year ended up breaking two of the most meaningful stats for quarterbacks. Moore ended his career as the NCAA all-time wins leader with 50, passing Colt McCoy of Texas; Keenum ended his career with several NCAA marks -- 19,217 passing yards; 20,114 yards of total offense; 155 passing touchdowns; and 1,546 completions. They both did all they could to lead their teams with maturity and class, and were great representatives for their respective programs.

4. No BCS. For the first time since the BCS expanded to five games, there were no non-AQ teams represented. Much was made about a one-loss No. 7 Boise State team getting passed over for an at-large selection in favor of two teams ranked lower in the BCS standings (Michigan and Virginia Tech). Though four non-AQs finished the season ranked in the AP poll (Boise State, TCU, Houston, Southern Miss), this season will be remembered as one in which there were no undefeated non-AQs for the first time since 2005.

5. Expansion. One of the biggest storylines to eclipse the entire season was expansion, and its impact on the non-AQs. The Mountain West and Conference USA announced they were forming an alliance in the hopes of gaining an automatic bid, and bolstering itself in the event they lost teams. Well, the inevitable happened and they both lost teams. Boise State and San Diego State are leaving the MWC for the Big East, along with UCF, Houston and SMU of C-USA. With TCU going to the Big 12, you can say the non-AQs have been stripped of nearly every single one of their most consistently good teams. There is no word on the future of the alliance between the MWC and C-USA.

6. End of an era. Pat Hill had become an institution at Fresno, guiding the Bulldogs to some of their most important victories in the past 15 years while putting this program on the national map. But this team has slid in recent years and hit rock bottom in 2011 -- going 4-9, tying the mark for most losses in school history. The administration decided it was time for Hill to go and fired him after winning 112 games and going to 11 bowl games in his career there.

7. End of an era, Part II. Many wondered how good TCU would be this season with Andy Dalton headed to the NFL. After a few early-season struggles, the Horned Frogs proved they would be just fine. TCU ended its Mountain West reign with its third straight conference title; 11 victories; and yet another top 15 ranking. In fact, TCU is one of just four schools (Alabama, Boise State and Oregon) to finish in the top 15 of both major polls over the past four seasons. On top of that, TCU and Boise State are the only schools to win at least 11 games each of the past four years.

8. Navy streak ends. For the past eight years, we have come to expect Navy in a bowl game. But it was not meant to be this season. The Midshipmen lost one heartbreaking game after another -- five games by three points or fewer. The last one of those was a 27-24 setback to San Jose State in the second-to-last game of the season. Navy led going into the fourth quarter, but could not hold on. A victory in that game would have ensured a bowl appearance, because Navy finished the season with its 10th straight win over Army.

9. Got any D? The wildest game in college football happened in the MAC this year, between Northern Illinois and Toledo. Now this game is what MAC-tion is all about. The Huskies outlasted the Rockets 63-60 in a game that featured eight lead changes, 1,121 combined yards of offense and a MAC-record 17 touchdowns. Chandler Harnish won the game when he threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Perez Ashford with 19 seconds left. The victory gave Northern Illinois the MAC West title, and allowed the Huskies to make it to the conference title game, where they won their first title since 1983. They also ended up tying the school record with 11 victories.

10. Turn it around. This season, the Sun Belt literally turned itself upside down. Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State and Western Kentucky went a combined 9-27 in 2010. This season, they went 26-12 and each finished with a winning record. Arkansas State won the league and finished 10-3; ULL went 9-4. Both teams made bowl games. Western Kentucky, which went winless in 2009, finished 7-5 but was left out of a bowl.

No. 21 Southern Miss beat Nevada 24-17 in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Saturday night. Here is a quick breakdown of how it happened:

How the game was won: One definitive drive. Incredibly, two of the most potent offenses in the nation slogged through most of this game. Special teams were a mess on both sides -- Nevada had a punt blocked and lost a fumble on a kickoff; Southern Miss lost fumbles on a kickoff and a punt return. Midway through the fourth quarter, each team had more punts than first downs. But finally, the Golden Eagles woke up with seven minutes to play. Austin Davis fired a 43-yard pass to Dominique Sullivan. Davis completed the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Bolden. It was the longest drive of the game for the Golden Eagles.

Turning point: The 43-yard pass to Sullivan might not have gone for a big play had Nevada defensive back Isaiah Frey not gambled. Frey went for the interception and missed, allowing Sullivan to race 20 more yards.

Player of the game: Southern Miss defensive end Cordarro Law. After Nevada gashed Southern Miss on the ground in the first half, Law helped his teammates put an end to that. He had a huge impact in the second half, and ended the game with seven tackles (three for loss) and two sacks.

Second guessing: Nevada had a chance to answer the go-ahead Southern Miss score. On fourth-and-1 from midfield with 4:01 to go, coach Chris Ault called a running play between the tackles. The Wolf Pack had early success running in that direction, but they had been stymied the entire second half. Lampford Mark was tackled for no gain, and that did it for Nevada. After Mark had 162 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, he had 22 after the break.

What it means for Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles won a school-record 12 games to cap the best season in school history. But now they have to move on without coach Larry Fedora and record-setting quarterback Davis. Fedora moves on to North Carolina, while Davis will try for a shot in the NFL. Both were instrumental in this team's success this season.

What it means for Nevada: The Wolf Pack played their final game in the WAC, as they head to the Mountain West in 2012. They are now 0-4 in their past four appearances in Aloha Stadium and continue to have key breakdowns on defense late in games. In its past three defeats, Nevada has either been tied or had a lead in the fourth quarter, and lost. Cody Fajardo was benched in the second half in favor of Tyler Lantrip because he was ineffective, so the Wolf Pack are going to need much more consistency out of him if he is to lead this team going forward.

You saw the preview and prediction. Now here are three keys for Nevada and Southern Miss heading into the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Saturday night at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Nevada (7-5)

1. Block Jamie Collins and Cordarro Law. For the Wolf Pack to have any success with their Pistol offense, they are going to have to take stock of these two players, who have been terrific at making plays behind the line of scrimmage. Southern Miss ranks No. 20 in rush defense, and Collins and Law are a big reason for that. Collins, who plays the hybrid end/linebacker role, really does a nice job shutting down the perimeter. He has 94 tackles this season, with a team-leading 19.5 tackles for loss (tied for No. 10 nationally) and 6.5 sacks. Law has 7.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles.

2. Consistent defense. One of the biggest reasons Nevada struggled late in the season was because of inconsistent play on defense, especially in the secondary. This group will be facing one of the most balanced teams it has played this season, so it has to be ready for equal doses of runs and passes, and has to be on the lookout for Austin Davis scrambling out of the pocket, too. It is a cliche to say Nevada has to play assignment-sound, but it totally fits the bill here.

3. Rishard Matthews advantage. Matthews is the best, most consistent player the Wolf Pack have on offense, so it will be critical to get the ball to him in what appears to be a huge matchup advantage. Matthews leads the team with 91 receptions for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns. He most likely will be paired against Deron Wilson, and has a huge size advantage on the cornerback (4 inches, 40 pounds).

Southern Miss (10-2)

1. Big plays in the pass game. Davis has been terrific this season in leading Southern Miss, and he will have an opportunity to take advantage of the biggest area of weakness Nevada has on defense -- the secondary. Ryan Balentine and Kelvin Bolden each have more than 600 yards receiving and have been the most consistent threats in the pass game. The Golden Eagles also are effective at getting the ball to Tracy Lampley out of the backfield.

2. Block Brett Roy. No question Nevada will try to get Davis off his rhythm by getting after him. Roy, a first-team WAC defensive tackle, had 10 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss, and is the best player on the Wolf Pack front. Nevada has been solid at generating a pass rush this season, but the big problem facing Nevada is Davis' escapability and a solid offensive line that has only allowed 15 sacks all season.

3. Make Cody Fajardo win it. Fajardo has shown flashes this season, but this defense has been excellent at putting major pressure on quarterbacks and forcing mistakes. Just ask Case Keenum, who had his worst game of the season against Southern Miss. Dan Disch has done a great job installing his 4-2-5 scheme, and Southern Miss has set a new FBS record with eight interception returns for touchdowns. You can bet this group will be hoping for a few more against the redshirt freshman quarterback.

Nevada (7-5) takes on No. 21 Southern Miss (11-2) in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Saturday night in Honolulu. The Wolf Pack are quite familiar with their surroundings in Aloha Stadium, as they are making their fourth straight trip to the islands for a game. They are 0-3 in their past three appearances (two losses to Hawaii in regular-season play, one loss to SMU in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl). Meanwhile, Southern Miss stunned Houston in the Conference USA championship game and is making its 10th straight bowl appearance. That is tied with Boise State for the longest active streak among non-AQ schools.

Who to watch: Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis. What Davis has accomplished in his Southern Miss career truly is remarkable. He walked onto the team with no guarantee of getting playing time, but became a four-year starter and broke all of Brett Favre's passing records. Davis now has career marks of 10,727 passing yards, 81 touchdown passes, a 61.6 completion percentage, and 12,082 total offensive yards. His impressive career earned him the Burlsworth Trophy, given annually to the best player in the nation who began his career as a walk-on. He can run, too, and was second on the team with 101 carries.

What to watch: How Cody Fajardo leads Nevada. The Wolf Pack have been an incredibly inconsistent team this season. They had a heck of a nonconference schedule and changed quarterbacks, deciding to go with the redshirt freshman. He has made plays, completing 71.4 percent of his passes, but he also has taken his share of lumps and has been called out for not fighting through injuries. Nevada was in position to win the WAC but lost at home to Louisiana Tech, ending the season with losses in two of its final three games. In fact, Nevada is one of four teams in the postseason that did not beat a bowl-eligible team all year.

Why to watch: This is the last game for Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora, who was hired to be the head coach at North Carolina. Fedora led this team to its first 10-win regular season since 1952 -- only the third time the mark has been reached in school history. The Golden Eagles also reappeared in the national polls for the first time since 2004, and won their first C-USA division title since 2006. This is a coach who elevated the program, and allowing him to coach one final game is a nice tribute.

Prediction: Southern Miss 35, Nevada 20. The Golden Eagles have the superior offense and defense, and truly are one of the better teams in the country this season. They will prove it in Hawaii.

Alabama fans can breathe easier for now.

Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Southern Miss head coaching job.

Smart's name has been thrown around a lot this offseason in connection with several vacancies, but the Southern Miss job is the only one he's interviewed for. Smart met with Southern Miss officials this week and was thought to be the favorite, but he decided that it wasn't the time to make a move.

One of the top defensive coordinators in the country, Smart won the Broyles Award in 2009 as the top assistant coach in college football. He came to Alabama in 2007 with Nick Saban and has been the Crimson Tide's defensive coordinator for the past four seasons.

There were reports that Smart was in play for both the Ole Miss and Texas A&M head coaching jobs, but he never interviewed at either place.

While Smart is out of the picture at Southern Miss, another top SEC defensive coordinator, South Carolina's Ellis Johnson, remains in the mix. Johnson interviewed with Southern Miss officials on Thursday.

SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES

Record: 11-2, 6-2 C-USA

You gave Southern Miss a chance in the Conference USA championship game, right? Nobody outside Hattiesburg did. But the Golden Eagles pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season, beating No. 6 Houston 49-28 to win its fifth league championship but first C-USA title game. It was an impressive defensive performance, one that featured the team's eighth interception return of the season to set a FBS record.

The win gave Southern Miss a school record 11 wins. The school had only two 10-win seasons over its first 100 years since the program began. This also is the program's 18th straight winning season, the fourth longest streak in the FBS behind Florida State, Florida and Virginia Tech. What is hard to believe is this team could have been undefeated, if not for losses against one team that finished .500 and another that had a losing record.

Offensive MVP: Austin Davis, QB. Davis has set just about every career quarterback record in school history and passed single-season marks against Houston for touchdown passes (28) and passing yards (3,331). It was the third time in his career Davis threw four touchdown passes in a game. He also added 332 yards rushing on the season and three touchdowns on the ground as Southern Miss went over 6,000 yards of total offense for the first time in school history.

Defensive MVP: Cordarro Law, LB. Law had 17.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 7.5 sacks for the Golden Eagles, and he was unstoppable against Houston, with 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and a hurry. Defensive back Marquese Wheaton deserves mention as well after registering three touchdowns on the season off two interceptions and one blocked field goal return.

Turning point: A 48-28 win over East Carolina. The victory was the seventh in a row for the Golden Eagles after they dropped an early game against Marshall, and essentially allowed them to take control of the East Division. This game also featured two interceptions returned for a touchdown. Jamie Collins returned one 97 yards for a score, and Deron Wilson had one that went 79 yards as the Golden Eagles used their opportunistic defense to help them win.

What’s next: Southern Miss will head to its 10th straight bowl game, playing Nevada in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. But the Golden Eagles may have to start looking for a new coach. Larry Fedora is reportedly the choice at North Carolina after four seasons at Southern Miss. They will also lose Davis and Law, the backbone of their team this season, so there will be plenty of changes for 2012.

Let's take a look back at the week that was in the non-AQs:

And then there were none. For the first time since the BCS expanded to five games beginning in the 2006 season, there are no non-AQs represented in BCS games. The shocker of the weekend, of course, was Houston losing to Southern Miss 49-28. The Cougars were the best hope for the non-AQs to get an automatic spot into the BCS for the sixth straight season. All they had to do was win the Conference USA championship game. But Southern Miss came to play with a defense that wreaked havoc for most of the afternoon. The Golden Eagles had six tackles for loss, two interceptions, eight pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries. One of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown -- the eighth of the season to set a new FBS record. Tracey Lampley had 240 all-purpose yards as Southern Miss set championship game records for points scored and touchdowns (seven). Heading into the game, most would have guessed it would be Houston setting the records. But the Cougars were held to season lows in scoring and total offense. The loss opened the door for perhaps TCU to sneak in as an automatic qualifier. All the Horned Frogs had to do was move up two spots from No. 18 to No. 16 in the final BCS standings. But they did not move at all, ending up at 18. Boise State, the top-ranked of the non-AQs at No. 7, was disqualified from automatic selection because it failed to win its conference.

But what feels so inexcusable to Boise State and non-AQ fans is the fact that the Broncos were passed over for an-at large berth into the Sugar Bowl by both Michigan and Virginia Tech, ranked lower than them and with more losses than them. Virginia Tech is most galling, considering the Hokies got blown out in two games against Clemson, lost the ACC championship game and have not beaten anybody ranked in the Top 25 this season. So what if the Hokies travel well? That should not be the reason one team gets picked over another just as deserving. The bottom line is this: No one-loss team from the non-AQs has ever been taken as an at-large team. Boise State has now been passed over four times for BCS games as a top-10 team. That includes 2008, when the Broncos went undefeated. Now you know why they want to join the Big East. That conference's representative in the BCS, West Virginia, went 9-3.

MAC comeback. Usually it is Northern Illinois on the losing end of heartbreakers in the MAC title game. So maybe it was about time for the Huskies to feel a little bit of love. If you turned your TV set away from the game after Ohio took a 20-0 lead Friday night, you were probably not alone. Northern Illinois appeared lifeless, was mistake prone, with three first-half turnovers. Quarterback Chandler Harnish had 13 yards rushing and 35 passing yards at halftime. But it was Ohio's turn to make mistakes in the second half, with three interceptions that allowed Northern Illinois to come back and win. Ohio had just 70 total yards after halftime with 31 on the ground and 39 passing. Mathew Sims kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give Northern Illinois a 23-20 win and cap its largest comeback in modern-day history. Harnish finished the game with 250 yards passing and three touchdowns, and help avenge a heartbreaking, last-minute loss to Miami (Ohio) in last year's MAC game.

Coaching carousel. Fresno State fired longtime coach Pat Hill after the Bulldogs went 4-9, tying for the most losses in school history. Hill was at the school for 15 seasons and certainly put this program on the national map. But the Bulldogs slipped in recent years, and in the end he simply did not win enough games at the end of his career. Colorado State also fired coach Steve Fairchild after a third straight 3-9 season. UAB hired Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee to replace Neil Callaway. FAU hired Carl Pelini, Nebraska defensive coordinator and brother of Huskers head coach Bo Pelini, to take over for the retired Howard Schnellenberger. Also, according to reports, Ole Miss will hire Arkansas State coach Hugh Freeze after one season on the job with the Red Wolves, and Tulane will hire Saints assistant Curtis Johnson. Hawaii coach Greg McMackin met with the school's chancellor and athletic director on Sunday, and a decision on his future could come soon. The Warriors went a disappointing 6-7 this season after being the preseason choice to win the WAC.

Coach Larry Fedora talks about Southern Miss' big win over Houston in the Conference USA title game.

Houston was so close to making history.

All the Cougars had to do was beat Southern Miss in the Conference USA championship game to clinch a spot in their first BCS game.

So close.

No. 24 Southern Miss completely dominated No. 6 Houston and Heisman trophy candidate Case Keenum, burying the Cougars 49-28 behind the strength of their aggressive, physical, opportunistic defense. The victory gives the Golden Eagles (11-2) their first win in the C-USA title game.

Now the BCS is thrown into flux, as the Cougars (12-1) are out of the mix after a season full of records. That's a $17 million loss for Conference USA.

Keenum came back for his sixth season to make history, and he did that as the NCAA record holder for passing, touchdowns and total offense. He led the Cougars to a school-record 12 wins, too. But nobody in Houston cares much about the record books right now. Houston needed this win in the worst way, but Larry Fedora outcoached Kevin Sumlin in the biggest game in Houston history.

From the start, the Cougars looked off-kilter because Southern Miss applied heavy pressure and simply dominated the Houston offensive line. Keenum never got comfortable, never got in a good rhythm, and that was a big reason the Cougars could never claw back after going down 14-0 early.

They managed to tie it in the second quarter at 14, but Southern Miss answered right back when Austin Davis threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Sullivan on the next drive. That was as close as the Cougars got. Hard as it might be to believe, Houston never led in this game.

Keenum, who came into this season with just three interceptions, threw two in this game. One was in the end zone to kill a drive. The other was returned for a touchdown, giving Southern Miss an FBS-record eight interceptions returned for a score this season.

What is most impressive about this Southern Miss D is this: First-year coordinator Dan Disch installed a completely new 4-2-5 scheme when he arrived on campus. Generally it takes about a year for a team to really take to a new style of play. But not this unit. Earlier this week, Fedora said his players bought into the scheme immediately.

"We knew in making that change that there wouldn't be time for a learning curve so we told the kids, 'There is not time for a learning curve, you’re going to have to spend whatever free time you have learning this system as quickly as possible.' They all bought in. They were excited about it and they learned it very quickly. You have to give credit to Dan Disch and the defensive staff for making things simple."

Cordarro Law, who has been outstanding all year, was a particular source of trouble for Houston. He was simply unblockable. The No. 1 offense in the nation was held to season lows in points and total offense (428) -- 185 yards below its season average. Keenum was 41-of-67 for 373 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, as his Heisman hopes took a serious hit.

The Cougars had made improvements on defense, but Southern Miss racked up 207 yards on the ground. The Golden Eagles' Davis, who has been so solid for this team, threw four touchdown passes.

With the loss, the door now opens for TCU to potentially join the BCS party for a third straight season. No. 18 TCU has to move into the top 16 in the final BCS standings and finish ranked ahead of the Big East champion, and the Horned Frogs will get an automatic berth. Non-AQ teams are eligible for an automatic berth if they win their conference. Boise State will be ranked higher if it closes its season with a win over New Mexico, but it is disqualified from getting an AQ spot because it lost the Mountain West title to TCU.

For Houston, the what-if game is one that will now be played.

Houston is on the verge of becoming the fifth non-AQ program to make it to a BCS bowl game.

And just like every other program that has come before the Cougars, there are some who wonder why an undefeated non-AQ has nary a chance at the BCS national title game. If No. 6 Houston beats No. 24 Southern Miss in the Conference USA championship game Saturday to improve to 13-0, nobody will argue the Cougars deserve to play for it all.

That is how it went with Utah. Boise State. Hawaii. TCU. Houston coach Kevin Sumlin is not complaining about the potential situation facing his team. He is just happy to be along for the ride.

"We set out to win a conference championship, and as I said before, we've talked as a team if you win, you won't be ignored," Sumlin said Tuesday on a conference call. "We really have very little to complain about in my view. Eight weeks ago, we weren't even ranked. To go from that to sixth in the BCS is an accomplishment within itself, so as a non-AQ school you can't have it both ways. People want to talk about our schedule, want to talk about all kinds of other things. You can't be a non-AQ school and play an AQ schedule. It doesn't work that way. We understand where we are, we have a schedule before the year -- we can't change that. We're going to try to win the game Saturday and see what happens."

Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora has the opposite view.

"Your players don’t have an opportunity to play for a championship," he said. "It's the only NCAA sport that is not equal for everybody. Not everybody has a chance to play for the national championship and that's just the way it is. Whether you like it or not, that's the system we have set up right now. Hopefully those things will change in the near future."

Sumlin added that he likes the bowl system, but also feels there is some merit to a playoff that features just a handful of teams.

That discussion becomes irrelevant if Houston loses to Southern Miss, a team that won 10 games -- including a victory at Virginia early in the season. The Golden Eagles feature one of the best quarterbacks in C-USA in Austin Davis, who needs 77 yards to break his own record for single-season passing. Davis, like Houston quarterback Case Keenum, has broken every school career passing record.

He has helped lead an offense that has lost two running backs to injury early in the season and has played many young receivers. For Fedora, seeing Davis manage so many newcomers has been impressive.

"He's really concentrated on helping the younger guys on the field," Fedora said. "We play a lot of players on offense ... he's been dealing with a different running back in almost every game, and we've played a lot of wide receivers and some of them very young. He's done a tremendous job of bringing those players along and raising their game."

So there is no doubt all eyes are going to be on the quarterbacks in this one. Keenum, who broke three NCAA passing records this year, needs 274 yards passing to become the first player in NCAA history with three 5,000-yard passing seasons in a career. What might be even more impressive about the season Keenum has put together is this stat -- he has 43 touchdown passes and a career-low three interceptions.

Should he have another exceptional game, he may end up writing his ticket to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

"What's your definition of the Heisman?" Sumlin said. "People have talked about the best player on the best team, pro prospects. To me, it's the most valuable player for a team, and from his numbers, how he's operated this year, I don't see how he wouldn't be in New York."

» BCS standings reaction: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC | Non-AQ

For the first time all season, Houston is the top non-AQ team in the BCS standings.

The Cougars (12-0) moved up to No. 6 in the latest standings, and would get an automatic spot into a BCS game if they beat Southern Miss (10-2) in the Conference USA championship game on Saturday. The Golden Eagles moved back into the BCS standings at No. 24.

Boise State (10-1) dropped one spot to No. 7 and still has a shot at an at-large berth. It helps that the SEC and Big 12 have more than two teams ranked in the top 14, because there is a two-team limit per conference for BCS games.

So what are the chances for the Broncos? They appear to be slim.

There may only be one open at-large spot. Stanford is at No. 4 in the latest standings. If that holds, the Cardinal automatically get an at-large berth. If Houston wins, the Cougars get one. If Alabama finishes No. 2, it would also get one.

That leaves one opening. Michigan, at No. 16, has an opportunity to move into the top 14 because several teams ahead play in conference championship games this weekend -- No. 14 Georgia against No. 1 LSU in the SEC championship game; No. 13 Michigan State against No. 15 Wisconsin in the Big Ten.

Boise State would need Michigan to stay out of the top 14 in order to boost its chances at an at-large spot. Then there is the potential for a Big 12 team to make it as well, between No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 11 Kansas State. Much of that depends on the outcome of the Sooners-Cowboys game on Saturday.

The Broncos finish the season against New Mexico on Saturday.

Here are the non-AQ players of the week, as selected by each conference.

C-USA

Offense: Charles Sims, RB, Houston. Sims rushed for a career-high 207 yards on only 10 carries with two touchdowns to lead Houston to a 73-17 win at Tulane. He had 252 all-purpose yards in the game.

Defense: Shawn Jackson, LB, Tulsa. Jackson had nine total tackles, including eight solos and three tackles for loss, and added one pass breakup in a 59-17 win against Marshall.

Special Teams: Danny Hrapmann, K, Southern Miss. Hrapmann tied his own school and Conference USA records by making five field goals in a 30-29 win against UCF.

Independent

Offense: Tommy Rees, QB, Notre Dame. Rees set a season high for completions with 30 in a 45-21 win against Maryland. Rees completed 30-of-38 pass attempts for 296 yards and two touchdowns, his 18th and 19th passing touchdowns of the season.

Co-Defense: Thomas Holloway, DB, Army. Jabaree Tuani, DE, Navy. Holloway set a career high with 14 tackles in a 27-12 loss to Rutgers. He also got his first career interception. Tuani had four tackles and a sack in a win against SMU.

Special teams: David Ruffer, PK, Notre Dame. Ruffer made a career-long 52-yard field goal against Maryland.

MAC

East Division

Offense: Matt Brown, RB, Temple. Brown made his first start of the season and rushed 24 times for 123 yards and a touchdown in a 24-21 win against Miami (Ohio).

Defense: Roosevelt Nix, DT, Kent State. Nix tied a career-high with six tackles in a 35-3 win against Akron. Nix helped his defense hold Akron to just 58 yards rushing on 27 attempts.

Special Teams: Paul Hershey, P, Ohio. Hershey had five punts for 205 yards, including a 51-yard punt in a win over Central Michigan. He had four go inside the 20.

West Division

Co-Offense: Alex Carder, QB, Jordan White, WR, Western Michigan. Carder threw for a program record 548 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for another in a 66-63 loss at Toledo. The yardage total ranks second all-time in MAC history and his passing TD total is tied for the most in conference history. White had 238 yards receiving and became the school leader in career receiving yards leader (3,678), single-season receptions (111) and single-season receiving yards (1,402).

Defense: Brad Ohrman, DL, Eastern Michigan. Ohrman had eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack in a 30-17 victory over Buffalo.

Special Teams: John Potter, K, Western Michigan. Potter made a career high nine extra points at Toledo. Potter became the MAC's record holder for consecutive PATs made with 114.

Mountain West

Offense: Casey Pachall, QB, TCU. Pachall went 24-of-37 for a career-high 473 yards and five touchdowns in a 36-35 win at Boise State. The five touchdown passes tied a TCU single-game record, while his 473 yards marked the second-highest single-game total in school history.

Co-Defense: Carmen Messina, LB, New Mexico. Nat Berhe, DB, San Diego State. Messina had his fifth straight double-digit tackle performance with 14 stops in a 21-14 victory against UNLV -- the first of the season for the Lobos. He also forced a fumble. Berhe tied a team-high with six tackles, forced a fumble and also had an interception in San Diego State’s 18-15 win at Colorado State.

Special teams: Anson Kelton, P, TCU. Kelton averaged 45.8 yards on four punts in a 36-35 win at Boise State.

Sun Belt

Offense: Derek Thompson, QB, North Texas. Thompson set a North Texas single-game record by completing 82 percent of his passes – going 31-of-38 -- to lead North Texas to its first win ever at Troy. He completed 17 consecutive passes in the game and threw for 331 yards.

Defense: Brandon Joiner, DL, Arkansas State. Joiner tied a school and conference record with four sacks, and he also tied his career high with a team-best eight tackles in a 30-21 victory against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Special teams: T.Y. Hilton, KR, FIU. Hilton returned a punt 97 yards for touchdown in a win over FAU. The punt return is the longest in FIU history.

WAC

Offense: Cody Fajardo, QB, Nevada. Fajardo accounted for 371 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-28 win against Hawaii. He completed 25-of-36 passes for 290 yards and a career-high three touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed 19 times for 81 yards including a 25-yard touchdown run in the second half.

Defense: IK Enemkpali, DE, Louisiana Tech. Had six tackles, including 3.5 for a loss of 18 yards, in the 27-7 win at Mississippi. Enemkpali had a sack for a loss of seven yards and also forced a fumble.

Special teams: Taveon Rogers, KR, New Mexico State. Rogers returned eight kickoffs for a career-best 246 yards -- including a 99-yard return for a touchdown -- in a 48-45 win against Fresno State. He had a school-record 412 all-purpose yards in the game.