I tend to make a fair number of predictions here on the blog, and from time to time I like to see how I'm doing. (I fancy myself as better than a weather man, if nothing else.)  At the start of the college season last fall, I tried to foresee what would take place in several of the higher profile conferences. I figured I'd go back and try to see how I did ... you know just to keep myself honest.

Today we'll look at my predictions for women's golf. Next week I'll do the same on the men's side. Anything in italic shows where my keen powers of perception worked; anything with a line through it is where it rained when it was supposed to be sunny.

ACC
Predicted champion: Duke
Predicted player of the year: Amanda Blumenherst, Duke
Predicted freshman of the year: Natalie Sheary, Wake Forest
NCAA Regional bound: Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Florida State, Virginia (missed N.C. State)
Team on the rise: Wake Forest (2006-07 wins/top-fives: 0/3; 2007-08: 1/5)
Biggest question mark: Virginia (Finished so-so year with near upset of Duke at ACCs)
Wouldn't surprise me to see: Florida State junior Caroline Westrup actually outplay Duke's Amanda Blumenherst and claim ACC player of the year honors. (Blumenherst's stroke average: 70.67; Westrup's: 73.22)
Would shock me to see: Duke not win its 13th straight conference championship.

SEC
Predicted champion: Auburn (Florida)
Predicted player of the year: Stacy Lewis, Arkansas
Predicted freshman of the year: Cydney Clanton, Auburn
NCAA Regional bound: Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina (missed: LSU)
Team on the rise: Tennessee (2006-07 wins/top-fives: 1/8; 2007-08: 0/3)
Biggest question mark: Georgia (Won home event but started with just one top-five finish in first seven tournaments)
Wouldn't be surprised to see: Georgia junior Mallory Hetzel become the conference's most improved player in 2007-08. (2006-07 Golfstat ranking: 122; 2007-08: 130)
Would be shocked to see: Vanderbilt junior Jacqui Concolino not finish among the top 10 players in birdies by season's end. (Actually finished third on her own team)

BIG 12
Predicted champion: Oklahoma State
Predicted player of the year: Pernilla Lindberg, Oklahoma State
Predicted freshman of the year: Sarah Zwartynski, Texas A&M (Jaclyn Sweeney, Oklahoma State)
NCAA Regional bound: Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas, Baylor, Nebraska (missed: Missouri, Texas Tech and Oklahoma)
Team on the rise: Texas (Qualified for regionals after missing NCAA postseason last year)
Biggest question mark: Texas A&M (Only two top-five finishes before the month of April)
Wouldn't surprise me to see: Aggie sophomore Danielle McVeigh make the loss of graduating senior Ashley Knoll a little less difficult to overcome. (McVeigh has posted a 76.23 stroke average this season with no top-10s)
Would shock me to see: In a thin freshman class in the conference, any first-year player vying for national freshman of the year honors. (Jaclyn Sweeney's Big 12 individual title is good, but national freshman of the year is still a long shot for the OSU golfer)

PAC-10
Predicted champion: Arizona State (Southern California)
Predicted player of the year: Alison Walshe, Arizona (Tiffany Joh, UCLA)
Predicted freshman of the year: Maria Jose Uribe, UCLA (Lizette Sales, Southern California)
NCAA Regional bound: Arizona State, UCLA, Southern California, Arizona, Stanford, California (missed: Washington and Oregon)
Team on the rise: Southern California (Won first conference title since 1989)
Biggest question mark: Stanford (Still made it to the regionals, despite only one top-four finish at the Cardinal's home tournament)
Wouldn't be surprised to see: If the top three teams at the 2008 NCAA Championship are from the Pac-10. (TBD)
Would be shocked to see: Fewer than four players receive first-team All-American honors. (TBD, although UCLA's Tiffany Joh and Arizona's Alison Walshe seem like locks so I'm likely half way there.)

BIG TEN
Predicted champion: Purdue
Predicted player of the year: Maria Hernandez, Purdue
Predicted freshman of the year: Maude-Aimee LeBlanc, Purdue
NCAA Regional bound: Purdue, Michigan State, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State
Team on the rise: Indiana (Has a win this year, but didn't make the jump up the rankings I figured after last year's NCAA appearance.)
Biggest question mark: Ohio State (Only two top-fives until recording three this month.)
Wouldn't be surprised to see: Any, or all, of the starting five at Purdue be named first-team All-Big Ten honorees. (Only Stephanie Oukeo was missing from the all-Big Ten team; Hernandez, LeBlanc, Christel Boeljon and Junthima Gulyamamitta getting picked.)
Would be shocked to see: More than five teams make regionals. (Only four got bids.)

MOUNTAIN WEST
Predicted champion: New Mexico
Predicted player of the year: Mikaela Backstedt, New Mexico (Jodi Ewart, New Mexico; Valentine Derrey, TCU)
Predicted freshman of the year: Alejandra Guacaneme, UNLV (Therese Koelbaek, UNLV)
NCAA Regional bound: New Mexico, UNLV, BYU, TCU
Team on the rise: UNLV (Received regional bid but went winless in 2007-08)
Biggest question mark: BYU (Three victories and a runner-up finish in their last four starts.)
Wouldn't be surprised to see: UNLV's Tanya Choate, a senior transfer from Division II Drury University, make a run at D-I All-American honors. (Choate has had a 79.2 average and no finish better than T-20.)
Would be shocked to see: Any one be able to replace the dependable Rachel Newren, BYU's unsung senior leader a year ago. (Juli Wightman-Erekson has been a solid senior for the Cougars, leading them to NCAA regionals.)

CONFERENCE USA
Predicted champion: SMU (Tulsa)
Predicted player of the year: Michaela Cavener, Tulsa (Abby Bools, East Carolina)
Predicted freshman of the year: Katie Detlefsen, Central Florida (Amber Lipman, East Carolina)
NCAA Regional bound: SMU, Central Florida (missed: East Carolina)
Team on the rise: Central Florida (Only one top-five finish this season and no wins, despite getting a regional bid.)
Biggest question mark: Tulsa (Won the conference title ... not a lot of questions there)
Wouldn't be surprised to see: Central Florida sneak away with the conference crown despite SMU being the more talented team on paper. (UCF finished in fourth place at conference.)
Would be shocked to see: Kevin Williams return to East Carolina, where he started the women's program in 2000, end with a conference title in 2007-08, thanks to the transfer of the Pirates best player, Lene Krog. (Got this right, but East Carolina has had tremendous season despite off-season changes.)

WCC
Predicted champion: Pepperdine
Predicted player of the year: Taylore Karle, Pepperdine (shared with Leanne Bowditch, Pepperdine)
Predicted freshman of the year: Taylore Karle, Pepperdine
NCAA Regional bound: Pepperdine, San Francisco
Team on the rise: San Francisco (Failed to qualify for NCAA regionals
Biggest question mark: Gonzaga (Ranked No. 161 in Golfstat)
Wouldn't be surprised to see: San Francisco senior Jessica Potter make a good run at ending a six-year streak of WCC medalists coming from Pepperdine. (Potter finished in third place ... but 12 strokes out of first.)
Would be shocked to see: Any team other than Pepperdine win the team title for a seventh straight year. (See above.)

OVERALL SCORE:
Conference champs: 5 out of 8
POYs: 5 of 8
FOYs: 4 of 8
NCAA regional teams: 34 correct; 8 that I failed to pick; 3 that I picked that failed to get a bid

51 conference titles. Just let that sink in a minute.

I know there are some who think I speak too kindly about the Oklahoma State men's golf program, but facts are facts.

And 51 conference titles (in 62 years no less) is an amazing accomplishment.

The Cowboys' 20-stroke victory over Texas at the Big 12 Championship last weekend was impressive not so much as a singular feat but in its inherent repetitiveness. From afar it appears that you actually have to work pretty hard to mess things up with the OSU program. Indeed, I respect coach Mike McGraw an awful lot, but I'm not so sure I couldn't actually win some hardware if given the helm in Stillwater for a while.

OK, it doesn't hurt to have Rickie Fowler playing for you, his impressive final-round 68 and nine-under 279 total giving him the individual title at Whispering Pines GC in Trinity, Texas by four strokes over teammate Kevin Tway.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma State women's squad didn't play too shabby either this past weekend when the Cowgirls won their Big 12 title by a conference-record 27 strokes over Texas A&M. The results from OSU's Karsten Creek GC were the reverse of the last two seasons and gave coach Laura Matthews her first conference title. Best of all was watching freshman Jaclyn Sweeney, added to the roster in January, shine as she claimed medalist honors with a nine-over 225.
Photo above of the two teams at the Stillwater airport courtesy of the OSU Sports Information Department.

Conference season is starting to wrap up, but not before Cleveland State claimed the Horizon League title this afternoon, earning their second NCAA postseason berth in school history. The Vikings beat Detroit-Mercy by a stroke, aided by a birdie from Patrick Elber on the 18th and an unfortunate bogey by UDM's David Byrne on the finishing hole.

Here's the updated conference chart. The Pac-10 and WAC men's titles will be handed out tomorrow with USC and New Mexico State looking to hold on to their leads.

Hot off the press--the women's teams that just got their invitations within the last hour to golf's big dance:

Duke, UCLA and Southern California, the top three teams in the latest Golf World/NGCA coaches’ poll, earned the three top seeds as the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Committee announced Monday the 63 teams and nine individuals to play in the three regional tournaments May 8-10. The Blue Devils are attempting to claim a record fourth-straight national championship and their fifth in seven years.
The low eight teams from each regional and low two individuals not on those teams advance to the 27th NCAA Championship at the University of New Mexico GC in Albuquerque, May 20-23.

East Regional
University of Georgia GC
Athens, Ga.
Teams (by seed)
Duke, Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Wake Forest, Tennessee, Virginia, New Mexico, Vanderbilt, Louisville, South Carolina, Furman, East Carolina, Georgia State, Central Florida, Missouri, Indiana, UNC Wilmington, Jacksonville State, Charleston Southern, Jackson State
Individuals
Dori Carter, Mississippi
Emma Degroot, Chattanooga
Paula Hurtado, Florida International

Central Regional
University of Texas GC
Austin, Texas
Teams (by seed)
UCLA, Purdue, Alabama, Denver, Kent State, Pepperdine, LSU, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Texas, TCU, Florida State, North Carolina State, East Tennessee State, Texas Tech, Washington, Nebraska, Harvard, Texas State, Illinois State, Fairleigh Dickinson
Individuals
Steffi Kirchmayr, College of Charleston
Sara Wikstrom, UALR
Araceli Felgueroso, Coastal Carolina

West Regional
Lincoln Hills GC
Lincoln, Calif.
Teams (by seed)
Southern California, Arizona State, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma State, California, Michigan State, Stanford, BYU, Tulsa, North Carolina, Ohio State, San Jose State, Oklahoma, Oregon, UNLV, UC Davis, UC Irvine, Fresno State, Oral Roberts, Portland State
Individuals
Mallory Blackwelder, Kentucky
Danielle Cvitanov, San Francisco
Emily Powers, Kansas

Add another first-time conference champion to the list of winners in the postseason with the Colorado State men's team winning its first Mountain West Conference title yesterday. The Rams came back from an eight-stroke deficit to defeat TCU by four strokes. Three CSU sophomores-Riley Arp (second), Dustin Morris (T-5) and Bryce Hanstad (10th) all had top-10 finishes.

Here's the updated conference champion chart:

Here is a look at this weekend's conference championships. Meanwhile, the teams selected for the Division I women's regionals will be announced Monday, April 28.

MEN
Mountain West
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Arizona National GC
Tucson
April 24-26
Field: Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, UNLV, Utah, Wyoming
Defending champion: BYU (six-under 846) by one stroke over UNLV; Robby Ormand, TCU (six-under 207) beat San Diego State's Adam Porzak in a playoff
Skinny: Likely to be a two-team battle between San Diego State and UNLV. The Rebels have a better track record in the postseason, but you get the feeling Aaron Goldberg and company are ready to break through for the Aztecs.

Big Ten
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Forest Akers GC
East Lansing, Mich.
April 25-27
Field: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Defending champion: Michigan State and Minnesota (56-over 1,192); Pariya Junhasavasdikul, Purdue (one-over 285) by eight strokes over Minnesota's Bronson LaCassie
Skinny: The Spartans have the home-course advantage and have finished second in three of their last four tournaments. Biggest challenge will come from Indiana, where junior Jorge Campillo has won his last two starts.

Big 12
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Whispering Pines GC
Trinity, Texas
April 25-27
Field: Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Defending champion: Oklahoma State (26-over 866) by seven strokes over Texas A&M; Pablo Martin, Oklahoma State (one-over 211) by three strokes over Oklahoma State's Ryan Posey
Skinny: Texas A&M is playing solid this spring, with the return of Bronson Burgoon and coach J.T. Higgins helping the team relax a bit more. The pain of missing the NCAA Championship last year is a pretty good motivation for this squad. Of course, there is some team, rhymes with Roklahoma State, that is likely to have a say in this too.

MAAC
Disney's Magnolia GC
Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
April 25-27
Field: Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Loyola (Md.), Manhattan, Niagara, Rider, Siena, St. Peter's
Defending champion: Siena (31-over 895) by eight strokes over Loyola (Md.); Will Shriver, Loyola (Md.) (two-under 214) in a playoff over Siena's Bryan Bigley
Skinny: Loyola is the class of the conference and should easily secure the automatic bid here.

Patriot League
Saucon Valley GC
Bethlehem, Pa.
April 26-27
Field: Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Navy
Defending champion: Bucknell (43-over 883) by three strokes over Navy; Matt Czarnecki, Holy Cross (two-over 212) by one stroke over Navy's Chris Renninger
Skinny: No team in the field is ranked better than No. 201 in the most recent Golfstat rankings. Navy has that top ranking but in all honesty, this one is really anyone's to win (and anyone's guess as to who will come through).

WOMEN
Big Ten
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Penn State University GC
State College, Pa.
April 25-27
Field: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Defending champion: Michigan State (36-over 1,188) by 13 strokes over Purdue; Rachel Meikle, Michigan State (four-under 284) by nine strokes over Purdue's Christel Boeljon
Skinny: Purdue has plenty of momentum on its side and the best depth of any time in the conference. Michigan State will put up a fight to defend its title, but the Lady Boilermakers will prevail.

Big 12
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Karsten Creek GC
Stillwater, Okla.
April 25-27
Field: Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Defending champion: Texas A&M (47-over 911) by five strokes over Oklahoma State; Amanda Costner, Kansas (five-over 221) by three strokes over Texas A&M's Ashley Knoll
Skinny: No team in college golf might have a bigger home course advantage than the Cowgirls at Karsten Creek. Add to that the fact that OSU has really separated itself from the rest of the conference bigwigs (specifically two-time defending champion Texas A&M) and there's no reason to think anyone else is the favorite.

Mid-American
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Brickyard Crossings
Indianapolis
April 25-27
Field: Ball State, Bowling Green State, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
Defending champion: Kent State (51-over 1,203) by 49 strokes over Eastern Michigan; Kira Meixner, Kent State (seven-over 295) by four over Kent State's Tara Delaney
Skinny: The Golden Flashes are going for one for the other thumb, hoping to win a 10th straight MAC title. Unless they only play with four players, there's absolutely no reason to think they won't do it. The only question, really, is which Kent State player will take home medalist honors.

Northeast
Lake Jovita G&CC
Dade City, Fla.
April 25-27
Field: Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU-Brooklyn, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (N.Y.), St. Francis (Pa.), Wagner
Defending champion: St. Francis (Pa.) (153-over 1,005) by 19 strokes over Central Connecticut State; Samantha Milosh, St. Francis (Pa.) (21-over 234) by nine strokes over Monmouth's Rylee Plitz
Skinny: Maybe you haven't heard of St. Francis (Pa.)'s Samantha Milosh, but the senior from Aliquippa, Pa., is clearly the best golfer in the conference and potentially could single-handedly help the Red Flash defend their team title.

THE FAB FIVE
My look at the top five teams in the country right now
MEN
1. Alabama (Last week: 1)
Five seasons in the making, coach Jay Seawell has the Crimson Tide ready for the NCAA postseason as the favorites to claim the national championship. The final-round performance at SECs from the entire team, but especially Michael Thompson (65), gives Alabama not just its first conference title in 29 years but a world of confidence.
Next event: NCAA Regionals, Site TBD, May 15-17

2. USC (2)
Amazingly, the Trojans might be an even hotter team than Alabama, having won three of their last four events, including a 13-stroke triumph over host Stanford last weekend at the U.S. Intercollegiate. Getting Tom Glissmeyer playing well again (T-2) makes USC the front-runner at next week's Pac-10 tournament.
Next event: Pac-10 Championship, The Meadows Club, Fairfax, Calif., April 28-30

3. UCLA (3)
The unique play-six, count-five format at the Pac-10s, not to mention the event being 72 holes, might be to the Bruins advantage considering the team's depth.
Next event: Pac-10 Championship, The Meadows Club, Fairfax, Calif., April 28-30

4. Oklahoma State (4)
More plaudits this week for super frosh Rickie Fowler, who was named to the U.S. Palmer Cup team and is a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award.
Next event: Big 12 Championship, Whispering Pines GC, Trinity, Texas, April 25-27

5. Florida State (NR)
All year long I've been telling you that playing on tough courses might be hurting the Seminoles' scoring average but helping their mental toughness quotient. After seeing FSU capture its first-ever ACC title last weekend, I've got only one other thing to say: I told you so!
Next event: NCAA Regionals, Site TBD, May 15-17

WOMEN
1. Duke (1)
Blue Devil detractors will harp on how the Dukies barely won the ACC title, coming back on the 54th hole for their 13th straight conference title. Bottom line: Duke got it done, as did now three-time ACC medalist Amanda Blumenherst. Until they actually lose, it's hard to knock Duke out of the top spot.
Next event: NCAA Regionals, Site TBD, May 8-10

2. USC (3)
The Trojans didn't just win the Pac-10 title, they dominated the tournament, winning by 26 strokes and ending a 19-year conference victory drought. Paola Moreno, Pac-10 medalist, finally looks like she's back to her first-team All-American form from a year ago. All five starters finished in the top eight at Palos Verdes.
Next event: NCAA Regionals, Site TBD, May 8-10

3. Florida (2)
The Gators' SEC win last week, ending their own 13-year conference title drought, was among the most convincing of all the major conference triumphs (men's or women's).
Next event: NCAA Regionals, Site TBD, May 8-10

4. UCLA (4)
Before suggesting that having Maiya Tanaka in the No. 5 spot rather than Ryann O'Toole cost the Bruins at the Pac-10 Championship, consider that Tanaka's score counted in the second and third rounds. Final-round 300 at Palos Verdes is a wake-up call for UCLA.
Next event: NCAA Regionals, Site TBD, May 8-10

5. Purdue (NR)
The Lady Boilermakers have a two-tournament win streak heading into Big Tens. Maria Hernandez and Christel Boeljon provide a solid nucleus and freshmen Junthima Gulyanamitta and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc have come on to give Purdue depth.
Next event: Big Ten Championship, Penn State University GC, State College, Pa., April 25-27

STAT OF THE WEEK
1 stroke
Margin of victory that Jamestown (N.D.) College's Jessica Johnson won last week's Bismarck State College Invitational at Hawktree GC in Bismarck, N.D., after the freshman from Roseau, Minn., made a hole-in-one on the final hole of the tournament.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
1.) Do you remember the last time the winners of the men's and women's NCAA D-I Championships came from the same school? It was 1990 and Arizona State was the school. I bring it up because Southern California has a great chance to achieve the feat this year. The two teams are playing better than at any time this season. Of course, both will have serious challenges come nationals (Duke on the women's side, Alabama on the men's), but this is the best chance we've seen in recent years of the twin titles coming true.

2.) It's going to come down to the NCAA Championships not just to obviously crown the top teams in the country, but also the national players of the year. The women's race is still down to Amanda Blumenherst and Stacy Lewis, but I believe the men's award has three viable candidates still in the hunt: Rickie Fowler at Oklahoma State, Michael Thompson at Alabama and Webb Simpson at Wake Forest. A possible fourth could be Rory Hie or Jamie Lovemark of Southern California if one of them wins the Pac-10 title. Long story short: There's still a lot of golf left this season.

More fun and games from the conference championships. A few quick hits to mull:

* Forget the .500 rule--the Coastal Carolina men, who took a 41-80 record into this week's BIg South Championship have got their NCAA regional berth after winning their fifth straight conference title. The Chanticleers posted the best round of the tournament at The Patriot GC in Ninety-Six, S.C., Tuesday (even-par 288) to defeat Charleston Southern by 16 strokes (10-over 874). Coastal freshman David Dannelly, who has just two top-10 finishes all season, claimed medalist honors with a two-under 214. He's the eighth player in school history to win the Big South individual title.

Meanwhile, don't be surprised if the Chanticleers advance through regionals to the NCAA Championship. Their record doesn't reflect the team's talent.

* The Marquette men won not just their first Big East golf title but the first Big East Conference crown in any sport. The Golden Eagles beat defending champion Louisville by two strokes at Traditions GC in Hebron, Ky. Seemingly out of nowhere, senior Ted Gray claimed medalist honors, his first individual victory, with a five-under 211 total after back-to-back 68s.

"It took almost four total years for me to win an event, but the team victory is even better," Gray said. "It was one of the most nerve-racking rounds I have ever played. But you can't let any of that effect you. I tried to just stick to my game and hit some decent shots, nothing too aggressive. Coach [Tim Grogan] explained to me that I had a good cushion coming in to today."

* Could the Chattanooga men be even more of a sleeper pick than they currently are? The Mocs won the Southern Conference title by eight strokes over Charleston while their top player, Jonathan Hodge, posted the worst scores of the weekend despite finishing just T-14.

U.S. Palmer Cup team coach Conrad Ray won't have to search long or hard for a twosome capable of leading the charge when the annual matches are held in June at Scotland's Glasgow GC. Not with the star tandem from the victorious American side at last September's Walker Cup, Oklahoma State's Rickie Fowler and Florida's Billy Horschel—among the eight players named to the U.S. team last week. The duo won both of their foursomes matches at Royal County Down and helped set a spirited tone for the U.S. side.

Joining them on the eight-man Palmer Cup team that will face its collegiate counterparts from Europe, June 26-27, are UCLA's Kevin Chappell, Louisville's Derek Fathauer, San Diego State's Aaron Goldberg, Georgia Tech's Chesson Hadley, Georgia's Adam Mitchell and Alabama's Michael Thompson. In addition to his Walker Cup experience, Horschel is the lone player to have competed in the Palmer Cup, going 4-0 en route to a convincing 18-6 victory last June at Caves Valley GC outside Baltimore.

Ray, who coached Stanford to the NCAA title last year, still will have some work on his hands, however, considering the event’s history. Only once has the U.S. won on the road, claiming the matches at Ireland’s Doonbeg GC in 2002. (Their overall record is 6-4-1.)

Being picked for the U.S. side was a much appreciated gift for Thompson, who got the news April 16, his 23rd birthday. Having been among the odd men out for last year’s U.S. Walker Cup team, the U.S. Amateur runner-up doesn’t consider it a consolation prize.

"As it continues to grow in prestige, being picked for this team is something a lot of people have as a goal,” Thompson said a few weeks ago. "To represent your country is just such a great honor, and it will be a special way to end my amateur career." Thompson will play in the U.S. Open two weeks earlier and anticipated turning professional afterward had he not made the Palmer Cup team.

I hate it when my colleagues in the media make bombastic statements along the lines of "such and such was the greatest game ever played" or "University of X is the best squad every assembled." The problem with such hyperbole is too little perspective and too much self-awareness usually being applied.

With that, however, I'm going to talk out of the other side of my iBook G4 and say I think the last few days have been the most exciting weekend of college golf ... ever. (OK, at least since I started covering the beat in the late 1990s.)

* At the women's ACC Championship at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., top-ranked Duke extended its consecutive conference titles streak to 13 ⿿ albeit barely! A clutch final-hole birdie by Blue Devil Alison Whitaker followed by junior Amanda Blumenherst saving par on the 53rd and 54th holes, and the Dukies beat Virginia by one stroke. Blumenherst's exploits also seal her ACC record third straight individual title when Florida State’s Caroline Westrup three-putts the final two holes.

* At the men's SEC Championship at Frederica GC in St. Simons Island, Ga., top-ranked Alabama ended 29 years of conference championship futility with a eight-stroke triumph over South Carolina. Michael Thompson's final-round 65 pushed him to the individual title, his first victory in his two years in Tuscaloosa; any whispers that his bid for national player of the year was tarnished because he hadn’t won yet can now be silenced.

Most impressive for the Crimson Tide was the eight under they shot the final day on the final four holes, a contrast to a year ago when that same stretch cost the team a potential title. "It feels fantastic," said Alabama coach Jay Seawell shortly after the win. "It feels just like I thought it would. Unbelievable. I'm really proud of the guys. It was a tight day. The last four holes—we've talked about it—last year our last four holes were kind of our demise here. And this year the four holes were the difference. I am proud of them for how they played. Nobody hands you an SEC Championship. You've got to win it and the guys won it today. I'm really proud of them."

* At the women's SEC Championship at Tennessee National GC in Loudon, Tenn., Florida earned a ninth conference title but its first since 1995. The Gators left little room for surprises with a tournament best four-under 284 Sunday to cruise to a 17-shot triumph (10-over 874) over Arkansas. Similarly methodical was Lady Razorback senior Stacy Lewis, claiming the individual title with a final-round 72 and  a two-under 214. It was her second SEC tourney title and sixth victory of the 2007-08 season (I’m still not sure if she or Blumenherst is POY.)

* At the men's ACC Championship at Old North State Club in New London, N.C., Florida State earned its first title since joining the conference in 1992, passing Duke on the last day and handling a two-hour-plus rain delay. Three FSU players—Jonas Blixt, Matt Savage and Drew Kittleson—finished top-10, while Wake Forest’s Webb Simpson won the individual title with a ACC record score of 14-under 202.

* At the men's Colonial Athletic Association Championship at Golden Horseshoe GC in Williamsburg, Va., Georgia State took care of business by claiming the title by 25 strokes, securing the automatic bid to the NCAA regionals ... the only way it was going to play in the postseason because of the .500 rule. Senior Joel Sjoholm's 12-under 201 (including a 65 in the first round) won him medalist honors by six strokes.

* At the women's Ivy League Championship at Atlantic City CC in Northfield, N.J., Harvard won its first conference title while Princeton's Susannah Aboff shot an Ivy League record 65 in the first round and won medalist honors by 11 strokes.

* At the U.S. Intercollegiate at Stanford GC in Palo Alto, Calif., the USC men cruised to the team title, the Trojans' third win in fourth events. Sophomore Rory Hie won his second tournament of the season and shot a USC-record 62 for the second time this season.

* At the Ping Cougar Classic at Riverside CC in Provo, Utah, Boise State senior Troy Merritt won his fourth straight individual title (eight-under 208) and sixth of the 2007-08 season, best in men's college golf ... as is his 69.2 stroke average.

As I was saying, a pretty impressive three days of golf, don't you think!

OK, updated conference championship summary below.

OK ... here's a preview of this weekend's conference championships plus an overall look at the championship season below (click on icon to enlarge).

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN
ACC Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Old North State Club
New London, N.C.
April 18-20
Field (record): Boston College (47-65), Clemson (88-39), Duke (75-37), Florida State (93-33), Georgia Tech (83-36), Maryland (66-64), North Carolina (76-46), N.C. State (57-60), Virginia (47-50), Virginia Tech (92-34), Wake Forest (82-44)
Defending champion: Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech (tie at 10-under 854); Jonas Blixt, Florida State (eight-under 208) by one stroke over Georgia Tech's Cameron Tringale
Skinny: Could this be Florida State's time to show it's a true top-10 program? I think so. Most of the other top programs in the conference (Georgia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest, North Carolina) have been pretty erratic. Virginia Tech had a very good fall but has cooled off this spring. Duke is a sleeper, but I like the Seminoles chances, particular with Blixt having had success at the course. All the tough courses FSU has had to play will benefit them this week.

Colonial Athletic Association Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Golden Horseshoe GC (Gold Course, Par 71, 6,738 yards)
Williamsburg, Va.
April 18-20
Field: Delaware (55-76), Drexel (52-58), George Mason (18-123), Georgia State (43-79), Hofstra (34-41), James Madison (63-63), Old Dominion (72-62), Towson (38-99), UNC Wilmington (50-85), VCU (63-53), William & Mary (47-70)
Defending champion: Old Dominion (19-over 859) by four strokes over Georgia State; John Murphy, Old Dominion (even-par 210)
Skinny: With the simple fact that Georgia State must win to get into the NCAA postseason because of the .500 rule and their 43-79 record, the Panthers will play inspired golf and take the conference title. A year ago GSU played to relaxed and they got upset. But this week, as coach Matt Clark told me, is all business.

SEC Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Frederica GC (Par 72, 7,331 yards)
St. Simons Island, Ga.
April 18-20
Field: Alabama (107-13), Arkansas (79-31), Auburn (90-36), Florida (92-40), Georgia (100-21), Kentucky (83-65), LSU (83-52), Mississippi (109-31), Mississippi State (88-46), South Carolina (104-41), Tennessee (102-33), Vanderbilt (68-68)
Defending champion: Tennessee (29-over 869) by two strokes over Alabama; Patton Kizzire, Auburn (one-over 211)
Skinny: The deepest conference in the country also proves to be the toughest one to make a call as to who will come out on top. Serious, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee all have the talent to win, with South Carolina, Auburn and Mississippi also able to take the title if everything fall perfectly into place. My pick is the Crimson Tide ... the memory of the two-shot loss last year will help inspire them, plus I just think they've got the best squad, 1 to 5.

Ivy League Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Galloway National
Galloway, N.J.
April 19-20
Field: Brown (17-73), Columbia (40-49), Cornell (73-16), Dartmouth (56-33), Harvard (54-34), Penn (47-24), Princeton (41-49), Yale (51-48)
Defending champion: Penn (52-over 904) by 10 strokes over Brown; Chris Condello, Columbia (seven-over 220) by one stroke over Brown's Larry Haertel and Penn's Chance Pipitone
Skinny: There's no clear-cut favorite, with Penn, Yale and Columbia looking like they'll be fighting it out for the top prize. I'm going with the Bulldogs, but won't be better my second home at Bandon Dunes on it.

WOMEN
Mountain West Conference Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
University of New Mexico GC (Championship Course, Par 73, 6,167 yards)
Albuquerque
April 17-19
Field: BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, UNLV, Wyoming
Defending champion: TCU (51-over 903) by one stroke over BYU; Jodi Ewart, New Mexico (seven-over 220) by one stroke over TCU's Valentine Derrey
Skinny: The Lobos are playing at home and have had the most impressive win of any conference school when they claimed the Betsy Rawls Collegiate title last month. It's too much to ask TCU and BYU to overtake New Mexico in Albuquerque. (Plus, they already have a nine-stroke edge after Day 1.)

ACC Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
LPGA International (Legends Course, Par 72, 6,315 yards)
Daytona Beach, Fla.
April 18-20
Field: Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia, Wake Forest
Defending champion: Duke (nine-over 873) by 35 strokes over Wake Forest; Amanda Blumenherst, Duke (four-under 212) by three strokes over Florida State's Caroline Westrup
Skinny: Not much to say other than Duke wins, again. This was, after all, where they won their third-straight NCAA title last May. The only questions are by how many (guess: 21 strokes) and whether Blumenherst wins her third individual title (yes on that, too).

Colonial Athletic Association Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Golden Horseshoe GC (Green Course)
Williamsburg, Va.
April 18-20
Field: Dayton, Georgia State, Hofstra, James Madison, Old Dominion, Richmond, Towson, UNC Wilmington, William & Mary, Xavier
Defending champion: UNC Wilmington (46-over 910) by 17 strokes over Georgia State; Ashley Tait, UNC Wilmington, (six-over 222) by four strokes over UNC Wilmington's Carmen Perez-Narbon and Georgia State's Joanna Klatten
Skinny: Georgia State is coming on strong with a win at their home event March 30 and a second-place finish at the Canes & Cardinal Classic last week. They'll be challenged by UNC Wilmington, but the Panthers will prevail.

SEC Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Tennessee National (Par 72, 6,310 yards)
Loudon, Tenn.
April 18-20
Field: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Defending champion: Georgia (one-over 865) by 16 over Florida; Taylor Leon, Georgia (eight-under 208) by four over Georgia's Garrett Phillips and Tennessee's Marci Turner
Skinny: I'm a believer in the Gators, with Jill Briles-Hinton as my national coach of the year. They haven't won a SEC title since 1995, but that streak ends this weekend.

Ivy League Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Atlantic City CC
Northfield, N.J.
April 19-20
Field: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale
Defending champion: Columbia (69-over 933) by 10 strokes over Princeton; Sara Ovadia, Columbia (10-over 226) by four strokes over Columbia's Stevy Loy
Skinny: Princeton traditionally has been the head of the class in the Ivys, and I think they return to the top of the league this weekend in their home state. Just not enough fire power at Columbia, first-time conference champions a year ago, for the repeat.