Title up for grabs

Finally, it's showtime. The final rankings are in, the conference champs have been crowned and the 48 teams that make up the NCAA tournament are set to kick off, beginning later today with sixteen first round games. We've got a lot to discuss, so let's get to it.

First off, those championships mean nothing now. Sure, for the minnows, a title books your ticket to the dance. But when a national contender like Maryland is knocked off before reaching the ACC final (yes, we know the Atlantic Coast has the top rep in the college game - we'll get into that later) and still snares the top seed, it proves our point. Not that there's anything wrong with that. We've been telling you since August that the Terps have but one goal this year: to break their College Cup duck and finally win it all after three straight trips to the final four.

But a favorable seeding doesn't guarantee a cakewalk matchup. Barring an upset, Maryland will meet Brown in the second round after its first round bye. Brown went 10-4-2 and barely missed out on an automatic bid, but the Bears finished their season by winning seven of their last ten and broke into the NSCAA/adidas rankings late last month. Still, if the Terps can't beat them (or Brown's first-round foe Rhode Island) they don't deserve a national title.

The potential for big second round upsets doesn't end with Maryland-Brown. Think UCLA wants to play Southern Methodist in a knockout match? The Mustangs got off to a slow start this season but began to figure it out near the end. Don't let the fact that SMU dropped its Conference USA quarterfinal to a good Tulsa team (5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw) fool you. If SMU builds some momentum in getting past San Francisco, look out Bruins.

Duke could face Creighton if the Blue Jays take care of business against Lafayette. Even though the Blue Devils should fear no one after knocking off Maryland in the ACC semis, this would be a tough test for the Blue Devils. Maybe it's pride, maybe it's lore, but whatever the reason, traditionally successful programs like SMU and Creighton are just tough to beat in the tournament.

Lastly, two-time defending champion Indiana will have a tough time with Notre Dame if the Irish get past Western Illinois. Indiana could be vulnerable having just lost to Penn State for the second time this season, this time in the Big Ten decider. Meanwhile, Bobby Clark's side is another that briefly flirted with national recognition and influential ND captain Greg Dalby was just named a Hermann semifinalist.

But before we get to round two, there are some intriguing first round games to keep an eye on. Pay particular attention to UCSB versus San Diego State and Seton Hall against Hartwick. All four of squads made cameos in the national rankings and of course Santa Barbara was last year's runner-up. Lightning probably won't strike twice, but if any of these teams gets rolling, a Cinderella run like UCSB's isn't out of the question.

We told you that Akron would be this year's New Mexico and we were right: The once-beaten Zips come in as a number nine. However, it could have been worse for the former number one as they barely squeaked by Buffalo on PKs in the Mid-American Conference final. Despite their seed, the Zips have a favorable second round draw: they'll face either West Virginia or Robert Morris on Nov. 22nd.

One out-of-nowhere upset prediction: Hofstra over North Carolina. Yes, we know UNC has been in the top ten virtually all season and lost the ACC final on penalties. But every time we've seen the Tar Heels this year we've come away unimpressed. In short, we think UNC is a very beatable team. Colonial Athletic Association champs Hofstra finished ranked thirteenth but still come in under the radar. It's just a hunch, but someone's going to beat the Chapel Hill crew, and perhaps Hofstra can pull it off.

Speaking of the marquee ACC, what a boring final between the Heels and archrival Duke. Yes, it was marginally better than their regular season snoozer a couple weeks back, but not by much. The two teams managed a combined twelve shots this time, but you always felt that neither was going to tickle the twine until the deciding spot kicks. There's been a big deal made about the ACC and Big East's heavy representation in the tourney, but it's worth noting that the two leagues generally regarded as college soccer's elite have combined to win just three of the past ten NCAA championships. (UNC won it all in 2001, while UConn (2000) and St. John's (1996) did the deed for the Big East during that span)

We already mentioned that Penn State knocked off Indiana to win the Big Ten, but lets go a little deeper. We told you PSU was the real deal earlier this year back when the Nittany Lions had a losing record. But Penn State (12-6-2) beat IU in Bloomington on the way to the conference tournament's number one seed and overcame the Hoosiers again in the final, proving that the first win was no fluke. But that's history now, and the Lions will have to be at their best with either Hartwick or the Hall up next. We're rooting for the plucky upstarts from Happy Valley to play into December.

The fifteen MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalists have been announced, with Maryland's Jason Garey and Matt Groenwald of St. John's on the list again this year. Of the fifteen, nine are underclassmen, and our favorites are Seton Hall's U.S. U-20 standout Sacha Kljestan and Santa Clara's Moroccan midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy, although neither will win it this time. These two are perhaps the most highly skilled players in college soccer, but if they don't jump to the pros, both juniors will have a chance to take home the hardware next year. So too will Indiana's Jacob Peterson (also a junior) and UCLA's super soph Marvell Wynne, although he's as good as gone come January. This year, Maryland goal-getter Garey will take home the Hermann.

Tube Time: Hope you enjoyed last weekend's televised conference final fest. Unfortunately, the big tournament doesn't get much exposure until the College Cup semis are shown on ESPN 2. Still, there's a chance some of the late round pre-cup matchups could be shown by CSTV or regional outlets. As always, check your local listings.

Final note: Congratulations to New Mexico, who finished first in the final rankings. It helps that the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation picks its winner using the league table and not via playoffs, but it's just desserts for a team that never got the respect it earned in 2004. The NCAA also gave the Lobos a number two seed this time around, although the argument that the Lobos schedule is weak is still a valid one. Now, New Mexico has no excuses. We'll see if they can leave their mark this year.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer columnist for ESPN The Magazine and ESPNsoccernet.