Conference call. (College football: insider).

Bud Foster, Virginia Tech

Bud Foster became one of the best defensive coordinators and assistant coaches in the country because of calculated, concise moves. Why should he approach his career choices any differently now?

Foster, in his seventh season directing Virginia Tech's defense, is one of the nation's most respected--and feared--assistants. Four years ago, he turned down an offer to be Steve Spurrier's defensive coordinator at Florida. Two years ago, Foster told Virginia officials he wasn't interested in their head coaching job because, as much as anything, it would have him recruiting against Tech. Even when Rickey Bustle, Tech's other highly respected coordinator, left after last season to accept the head coaching job at Louisiana-Lafayette, Foster didn't budge.

Foster's defensive units play with attitude, disguise coverages and use multiple movements at the line of scrimmage for sudden and swift action. That sounds an awful lot like Foster's coaching career. You don't know when he'll leave, but when he does, it will be the right move, and he'll make an impact. Having worked as the top assistant for Frank Beamer, one of the nation's top coaches, should help make any transition easier for Foster.

Chris Peterson, Boise State

A year ago, quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie helped Boise State derail Fresno State's BCS run. This season, he's out with a broken ankle, but unknown backup B.J. Rhode is putting up huge numbers in Boise State's wide-open offense. The common denominator: rising coordinator Chris Peterson.

A former wide receivers coach at Oregon, Peterson arrived in Boise last year and tweaked the offense of former coach Dirk Koetter, putting more of an emphasis on balance with the running game. In the process, Peterson made an All-American candidate out of Dinwiddie, who passed for 29 touchdowns and nearly 3,100 yards. And Rhode, whose previous job was kick holder, now leads all WAC passers with a 152.62 quarterback rating.