as the conference favorite and Alan Williams of UCSB whom Ken Pomeroy said was the most underrated player in the nation last year. Pomeroy had a special blog devoted to following his remarkable season and seemed particularly upset at the lack of recognition for Williams' excellence.

The 49ers return four of their five best from last year's team. Big West is another conference in the West, along with the WCC, which has a chance to prove itself as competitive with the big boys in OOC play. We'll see.

In any case, BYU coaches know about Long Beach, do expect a tough game, and will not overlook them.