They're mad down in the heart of Louisiana, upset over a lack of respect.

The Western Athletic Conference media, in all its wisdom, picked defending champion Louisiana Tech to finish second.

"Yeah, it bothers us,'' said running back Joe Smith. "It just motivates us to do even better."

	Luke McCown threw for 448 yards in La. Tech's opening win.

Before the Bulldogs get too upset, they should remember that they were picked to finish only one spot out of the cellar last year and that preseason favorite Fresno State finished second.

"We proved last year the polls don't matter," said Tech quarterback Luke McCown.

Respect is a touchy subject in the WAC, which has fought for it for a long time. Finally the league feels its got some continuity -- it's got the same lineup of teams for consecutive years for the first time since 1999 -- and the increased exposure necessary to move toward being a Bowl Championship Series player.

While the Southwest Conference, Big Eight and Big West have all ceased to exist in the last decade, the WAC has survived significant membership turnover -- nine teams have left, three joined just in the last three seasons -- to celebrate its 41th birthday. At league media days in Boise last month, Commissioner Karl Benson said the league is healthier, citing of a nine-game television package with ESPN and sister station ESPN2 and more bowl ties.

Last year five WAC teams were bowl eligible but only two got bowl invitations. Continuing the approach of creating its own opportunities, the WAC has expanded to three bowls -- Humanitarian, Silicon Valley Classic and Hawai'I, all of which are played at WAC stadiums. There is also a tie-in with the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., which will chose between a Mid-America Conference and WAC team.

Game of the Year
Boise State and Louisiana Tech, Nov. 16. A year ago Tech jumped to a 38-21 lead with less than seven minutes left in the third quarter and had to hold on for a 48-42 game in which quarterbacks Ryan Dinwiddie and Luke McCown combined for 815 yards and seven touchdowns. This year's rematch, set for Nov. 16 at Bronco Stadium, features the two teams picked to finish 1-2 in the WAC preseason media poll.

Offensive Player of the Year
Luke McCown, Louisiana Tech. A year ago the Bulldog junior passed for 3,665 yards and 29 touchdowns but still labored in the shadow of Fresno State star and No. 1 NFL Draft pick David Carr. Though he lost receivers John Simon and Delwyn Daigre, McCown will have Eric Franklin and D.J. Curry as experienced targets. Running back Chance Kretschmer of Nevada, whose nation-leading 1,732 yards broke Marshall Faulk's WAC freshman record, is a close second.

Defensive Player of the Year
Quintin Mikell, Boise State. The hard-hitting free safety was named Big West Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2000. After reestablishing his reputation in a new conference last year -- 87 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and seven tackles for loss and first-team honors -- the 5-foot-10, 206 pound senior is a key figure in the hopes of the league-favorite Broncos

Mark Wangrin covers college football for the San Antonio Express-News.