Every year it seems like the pressure is ratcheted up on the top teams from the nonautomatic qualifying conferences, but the stakes have never been as high as they are going into the 2010 season.

This past season, for the first time, two nonautomatic qualifying schools played in a BCS bowl -- albeit against each other -- laying the foundation for what could be the most pivotal season in the leveling of the playing field between the haves and have-nots.

Boise State, which has finished the past two regular seasons undefeated and is 26-1 overall in that span, likely will start the season ranked in the top three nationally, placing the Broncos higher in the national standings than any non-AQ has ever started. Should the Broncos continue their trend of undefeated campaigns, they could be the first non-AQ team to play for a BCS national championship.

Brian Losness/US PresswireBoise State returns much of its team from last season's undefeated run, including QB Kellen Moore.

But we're getting way ahead of ourselves.

As we've seen in the past, non-AQ teams often sneak into the BCS standings to make things interesting. TCU, which returns most of its Fiesta Bowl team, will start the year in the top 10, and BYU, Utah and Houston all have the schedules and players to keep the race close.

While the landscape of college football is changing, so is the profile of the nonautomatic qualifying team. This spring showed us the depth the top teams in the nonautomatic qualifying conferences truly have. Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore struggled this spring, but freshman backup Joe Southwick showed he could be just as capable in the pocket.

Utah was looking for a go-to receiver this spring and found an unlikely candidate in walk-on Griffin McNabb. BYU's quarterbacking competition took center stage this spring, but it's the running back quandary that will be the focus in the fall. Freshman Joshua Quezada gave Cougars fans encouragement that losing Harvey Unga might not be such a tough hit.

And the defenses of teams such as Nevada and Houston, which have taken much of the criticism for the teams' failures in the past, spent the last few months showing the country that they're not going to be what's holding their teams back.

Boise State, TCU, BYU and Utah might get the bulk of the national attention, but there are several teams across the nonautomatic qualifying conferences that deserve to be noticed. I've profiled 12 of those teams here, and each will either win or be in the race for its conference title. Some rely on their offense, others their defense, but the one common trait among all 12 is that they've consistently gone out and shown they can compete with any team on any stage. And with several high-profile games on this year's docket, the non-AQs will once again make the college football season very interesting.

1. The top remains unchanged: Boise State and TCU finished this past season as the top two nonautomatic qualifying teams, and that's probably how they'll open the 2010 season. Both teams had little to replace this spring and found some extra depth that will help this season. Boise State will be the team to beat in the fall, and if the Broncos get past Virginia Tech on Sept. 6, they might be the team to beat in the national title game.

2. Nevada is trying to be a dual threat: Nevada had the most dynamic running game in the country last season, but it wasn't enough to get a win over Boise State, something the team aspires to every season. The Wolf Pack know they need to get a consistent passing game in place if they want to challenge the Broncos, and with a talented crop of receivers available, diversifying the offense is possible.

Boyd Ivey/Icon SMIRiley Nelson is competing for BYU's starting QB job.

3. Settling on a quarterback: Five of the 12 non-AQ teams profiled haven't named a starting quarterback heading into fall camp. The most publicized of those races is the one at BYU among Riley Nelson, Jake Heaps and James Lark, but the races at Troy, East Carolina, Northern Illinois and Fresno State are equally as intriguing, especially since most of the challengers are either walk-ons or freshmen.

4. Running back depth everywhere: The one thing none of the non-AQ teams profiled is lacking is a group of quality running backs. Some teams went into the spring with running back questions and came out with more running backs than they knew what to do with. The non-AQ teams are often among the leaders in rushing offense, and this batch of teams could all be hovering at the top.

5. Injuries make things interesting: While all of the non-AQ teams profiled should be at the top of their respective conferences, several of them have injury concerns that could be a big deal in the fall. Utah and Northern Illinois both have injured quarterbacks, while Boise State and BYU have concerns on the offensive line.

The 12 teams profiled from the nonautomatic qualifying conferences all are expected to be at the top of their respective conferences. Here's a look at some of the superlatives for those teams:

Best position battle: The BYU quarterback battle probably is the most watched, not only among the non-AQs, but also around the country. The competition likely will come down to last season's backup, Riley Nelson, and highly-touted true freshman Jake Heaps, and will determine whether the Cougars can make yet another appearance in the Top 25.

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Brad Schloss/Icon SMIFresno State's Robbie Rouse will try and fill the sizable shoes left by Ryan Mathews.

Best recovery from injury: Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler Harnish was supposed to miss spring ball because of knee surgery, which prompted coach Jerry Kill to reopen the quarterbacking competition. But Harnish made a miraculous recovery, didn't have surgery and participated in the back half of spring drills, including the spring game, in which he threw for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

Biggest surprise: One of the biggest surprises of the spring was the way Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore struggled. Moore has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in country throughout his short career, so his faltering during spring ball was a bit of a surprise. The Boise State coaches didn't seem too worried, though, and were fairly confident the issue wouldn't slip into fall camp.

Biggest drama: This honor belongs to BYU running back Harvey Unga, who voluntarily withdrew from school after violating the honor code. About a week later, coach Bronco Mendenhall told media that Unga wanted back in, but now his fate rests with the BYU Honor Code Office, which could decide his infraction was enough to warrant expulsion.

Biggest surprise: Fresno State went into this spring looking for a replacement for All-American running back Ryan Mathews and found an unexpected leader in sophomore Robbie Rouse. Rouse, who rushed for 479 yards and four touchdowns last year, spent the offseason adding bulk to become an every-down back.

Best newcomer: Other than some of the young quarterbacks who have emerged this spring, Utah receiver Griffin McNabb could have the biggest impact among these 12 teams in 2010. McNabb, a walk-on, had five catches for 100 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown reception, during the Utes' spring game.