Conference call.

West Virginia

The Mountaineers' 21-18 victory last week against Virginia Tech, their first over a ranked team since 1998, has them one win from finishing second in the Big East. Not bad for a team that was seventh a year ago.

West Virginia's formula--a tough tailback duo and stifling run defense--is relatively simple, but few have been able to stop it, allowing the team to improve from 3-8 last season to 8-3. Avon Cobourne, the league's all-time leading rusher, has run for 1,489 yards this season. Backup Quincy Wilson has had at least 90 yards in five games. Sophomore quarterback Rasheed Marshall has 11 rushing touchdowns.

But the ground game, which ranks No. 2 in the nation with 292 yards a game, is just part of the turnaround under second year coach Rich Rodriguez. New defensive co-coordinators Jeff Casteel and Todd Graham installed a 3-3 stack defense, which has bolstered a run defense on a team that was tops in the nation vs. the pass last year.

One line on the stat sheet says the most about West Virginia's move from 1-6 in the league in 2001 to 5-1 entering Saturday's game at Pittsburgh: turnover margin. Through efficient offense and opportunistic defense, the Mountaineers have gone from minus-8 to plus-17 in one season.

California

The Pac-10 is full of comeback stories, from USC returning league power to Los Angeles to, Oregon State rebounding from a dismal 2001.