The NCAA's most geographically diverse conference also had a performance gap, with five Western Athletic Conference teams earning at least seven victories and five programs with no more than four victories.

With only two guaranteed postseason berths, there were more winners than prizes. WAC commissioner Karl Benson said he will try to secure bowl berths in the Central time zone next year, as well as bring back a bowl to Hawaii in 2003.

Big East's best

MVP Carr Ginger or Mary Ann? The California star (Fresno State quarterback David Carr) or the quarterback next door (Louisiana Tech's Luke McCown)? McCown led Louisiana Tech, in its first year of league membership, to the regular-season title. But while McCown has been good, Carr has been better. Against the likes of Colorado, Colorado State, Wisconsin and, yes, Louisiana Tech, Carr has passed for 3,876 yards and 36 touchdowns. He has been intercepted seven times in 450 pass attempts. The edge goes to Carr. Coach of the Year At the beginning of the regular season and by the end of it, Fresno State was the WAC's dominant team. Pat Hill had the Bulldogs playing well, despite the scrutiny of the national spotlight and burden of carrying the WAC banner. Biggest Surprise Blame the messenger. At the WAC Media Preview in July, Louisiana Tech was predicted to finish ninth in the 10-team WAC, according to a media poll. Instead, the Bulldogs went 7-1 to win the conference title. The Bulldogs also extended Auburn into overtime before losing -- a week after the Tigers defeated Florida. Biggest Disappointment The hot-button topic at the same WAC Media Preview was that Fresno State and Texas-El Paso, predicted to finish 1-2, would not meet this season. The protests ended in October, when the Miners began a seven-game slide, losing by an average score of 47.1 to 19.

But those concerns matter little to a conference that suffered the defection of eight members in 1999 and Texas Christian this year.

The league -- with two Bulldogs (Fresno State and Louisiana Tech) and two head coaches named Hill (San Jose State's Fitz Hill and FSU's Pat Hill) -- crafted a new identity. Led by Fresno State's highly publicized campaign for a Bowl Championship Series berth, "we've re-established ourselves as a football and basketball league," Benson said. "We're just as good, if not better, than we were in 1998."

Boise State
Unlike Louisiana Tech, the Broncos were expected to have a stronger debut, largely in part to their victory over Texas-El Paso in last year's Humanitarian Bowl. The Broncos, who play well at home, had significant road victories at Fresno State and Hawaii. The two non-conference losses were to Washington State and South Carolina.

MVP: Brock Forsey, who split time with David Mikell, rushed for 1,207 yards and 13 touchdowns ? a considerable amount on a team that throws first.

Biggest disappointment: First-year starter Ryan Dinwiddie has the talent (WAC-high 164.7 pass-efficiency rating) and personality to be one of the league's marquee players. But his image was smudged when he received a one-game suspension last week after he was found unconscious in the driver's seat with the car's engine running. The suspension has been lifted, coach Dan Hawkins said.

Did you know: The blue artificial turf will be replaced next year with FieldTurf, a synthetic turf that has grass-like blades. Boise State officials convinced the manufacturers to make the FieldTurf in blue.

Fresno State
A 6-0 start, including victories over five teams still in bowl contention, helped the Bulldogs earn a No. 8 national ranking and consideration for a Bowl Championship Series berth. Even after consecutive losses to Boise State and Hawaii, the Bulldogs are in position to win a school-record 11 regular-season games.

MVP: Each week, school officials mail postcards listing David Carr's achievements. Soon, even even the stamps will be obliterated by Carr's records.

Biggest disappointment: The Bulldogs' biggest regret is not winning the WAC title, one of their preseason goals.

Did you know: The Bulldogs have denied six consecutive fake field goal or punt attempts over the last two seasons, preventing either a first down or touchdown.

Hawaii
Things appeared bleak when the Warriors lost two of their first three games. Then quarterback Tim Chang, who was leading the nation in total offense at the time, suffered a wrist injury. But senior Nick "Rolo" Rolovich, who was expected to redshirt this season, came in and guided the Warriors to victories in seven of the next eight games. In the last two games, he threw for 500 and 505 yards. His favorite target has been Ashley Lelie, who caught nine passes for a WAC-record 285 yards and three touchdowns against Air Force last week.

MVP: After every home game, the fans chant "Rolo! Rolo!" The coaches even munch on Rolo candy. Who are we to argue?

Biggest disappointment: A year ago, a winning record would have earned the Warriors a berth in the Aloha Bowl or Oahu Bowl. But the Oahu Bowl now is in Seattle, the Aloha Bowl is in hibernation and the Warriors are out in the cold.

Did you know: Seven defensive starters are playing with shoulder injuries; in the offseason, 10 players are scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery.

Louisiana Tech
Little was expected of the Bulldogs in their first season in the WAC. They were 3-8 as an independent in 2000, turning the ball over 42 times. But coach Jack Bicknell implemented a running attack to complement the spread passing attack. Joe Smith rushed for 874 yards, an average of 5.1 yards per carry, and quarterback Luke McCown threw for 3,337 yards in 11 games. By winning the WAC's regular-season title, the Bulldogs have qualified for their first postseason bowl since ascending to Division I-A in 1989.

MVP: Injuries forced McCown to abandon his redshirt plans and play as a true freshman against Tulsa in the fifth game of the 2000 season. Since then, he has started 18 consecutive games, throwing for nearly 6,000 yards and 50 touchdowns.

Biggest disappointment: Sure, it was Mission: Improbable. But the Bulldogs had hoped that an upset of Auburn ? they lost in overtime ? could have helped their national reputation.

Nevada
Nevada made some improvements in their second year of rebuilding. The biggest was establishing a running attack. Last year, the Wolf Pack were last in the WAC and 112th nationally in rushing. This season, thanks to redshirt freshman Chance Kretschmer, they averaged 206 rushing yards yards per game, second in the WAC.

MVP: Kretschmer started the season fourth on the depth chart at running back. He also was a non-scholarship player. He did not start the first two games. Today, he is the nation's leading rusher, averaging 157.45 yards per game. He has 15 touchdowns, including 10 in the last three games. Kretschmer, who grew up in a Nevada town with one stoplight, now is on scholarship.

Biggest disappointment: Quarterback David Neill never got to match the success he had in his first two seasons, when the Wolf Pack played in the Big West. Slowed by injuries, he finished with 1,918 passing yards this year.

Did you know: Kretschmer set the NCAA record for most carries (302) by a freshman in a season. The other Nevada backs combined for 172 carries.

Rice
The Owls had a strong start, winning six of their first seven, including three of four on the road, but could not overcome numerous injuries down the stretch. They also were not helped by a schedule in which they played consecutive road games at Louisiana Tech and Fresno State. Still, this was the Owls' best season since going 9-2 in 1953.

MVP: During the offseason, the Owls custom fit their offense to the multi-dimensional skills of Jeremy Hurd. But Hurd suffered a season-ending injury in training camp, forcing the Owls to turn to Kyle Herm. Herm averaged 74.8 rushing yards per game and helped the Owls lead the league in rushing (281.2 yards per game), good behavior (41.4 penalty yards per game) and time of possession (32.49 minutes per game).

Biggest disappointment: The Owls, who have not played in a bowl since Roger Maris hit 61 homers, probably wouldn't have been considered if it had won nine games. This team needs serious P.R. help.

San Jose State
On Oct. 13, the Spartans became the last Division I-A team to play a home game. Eight of the Spartans' 12 games were played on the road, including five of eight WAC games. Edell Shepherd gave the Spartans a boost with 76 receptions, an average of 18.3 yards per catch, and Jarmar Julien filled in at both running back positions. By the halfway point, the Spartans were adjusting to first-year coach Fitz Hill's offensive schemes.

MVP: Offensive lineman Chris Fe'esago provided stability for an offense that suffered numerous injuries. Fe'esago started the season at left guard and will finish it at left tackle. The Spartans have allowed eight sacks in 11 games.

Biggest disappointment: Deonce Whitaker, who led the nation in yards-per-carry last season, earned his bachelor's degree in August, enabling him to return for a fourth season. But the extra studies limited his conditioning program, and a subsequent knee injury kept him from playing a complete game after Oct. 13. He has 447 rushing yards this season.

Did you know: Fitz Hill became the third consecutive coach to open with an 0-5 record in his first season at San Jose State.

SMU
Despite a .500 conference record, this was an uneven season for the Mustangs, who struggled with injuries and turnovers. They lost 18 fumbles and were intercepted 11 times. They ended up using three running backs, with ShanDarrick Charles, who played in nine games, providing the most yards (87.0 rushing yards per game). The Mustangs won their last two games, but it wasn't enough to save coach Mike Cavan, who will be released at the end of the season.

MVP: Linebacker Vic Viloria overcame a variety of injuries to average nine tackles per game.

Biggest disappointment: With more than two dozen seniors and a state-of-the-art 2-year-old stadium, more was expected from the team and its fans.

Did you know: The Mustangs have committed seven turnovers in their four victories and 22 turnovers in their six losses. They have relinquished seven defensive touchdowns this season.

Tulsa
It started with running back Eric Richardson's neck injured. Then quarterback Josh Blankenship lost his aim. When defensive playmakers Keithan McCorry and Chad Smith suffered injuries, the Hurricane began to spiral. Tulsa did not win again after shutting out Division I-AA Indiana State in the opener.

MVP: Donald Shoals was a double threat as a receiver (75 catches for 908 yards) and returner. To ease an ankle injury, he was not used as a punt returner against San Jose State. Instead, he came in and blocked a Spartan punt.

Biggest disappointment: Blankenship, a prized recruit two years ago, played erratically and eventually ceded the starting job to Tyler Gooch. This week, Blankenship, who has two years to play one season, announced he is transferring from Tulsa.

Did you know: Tulsa was one of two schools (UTEP was the other) not to win a road game this season.

UTEP
The Miners had high aspirations entering the season. But soon it became apparent it would be difficult to overcome the departures of quarterback Rocky Perez, tight end Brian Natkin and four defensive starters. When two key defensive linemen suffered preseason injuries, the Miners struggled in adapting to new defensive coordinator Bob Wagner's multiple-blitz schemes. The Miners' victories were over 1-10 Tulsa and Division I-AA Texas Southern.

MVP: Redshirt freshman linebacker Robert Rodriguez, a converted running back, led the WAC with an average of 11.2 tackles per game.

Biggest disappointment: Fifth-year quarterback Wesley Phillips finally won the starting job, but then struggled. He was replaced by redshirt freshman Jon Schaper, only to regain the job when Schaper suffered a season-ending injury.

Did you know: The Miners ended each of the last 15 seasons with a loss.

Stephen Tsai covers the WAC for the Honolulu Advertiser.