This week's syllabus: Oct. 8-14

__THE FAB FIVE

My look at the top five teams in the country right now

MEN

__[#image: /photos/55ad70c5add713143b422100]|||Thumbnail image for Oklahoma-state-logo-latest.jpg|||__1. Oklahoma State __(Last week: 1)

You get the feeling some of the best golf you'll see all season in the college ranks could be found by watching the qualifiers coach Mike McGraw runs at Karsten Creek GC. The good news for Cowboys fans worried about potential complacency is that given the guys on the roster, motivation shouldn't be an issue.

Next event: Isleworth Collegiate Invitational, Isleworth CC, Windermere, Fla., Oct. 25-27

It will be interesting to see who steps up to be the Sun Devils' No. 1 starter. Seemingly anyone on their roster has the talent to do it. My guess is it will be Scott Pinckney. Headline writers can only hope it's not Tristen Bierenbroodspot.

Next event: Isleworth Collegiate Invitational, Isleworth CC, Windermere, Fla., Oct. 25-27

With their six-stroke victory this week at the Windon Memorial, the Fighting Illini have now won nine times in their last 16 tournament starts. Hard to believe, then that the highest ranked Illinois player in the Golfstat ranking is Scott Langley at No. 70. That's a stat that's going to change very shortly.

Next event: Isleworth Collegiate Invitational, Isleworth CC, Windermere, Fla., Oct. 25-27

Never mind for a minute how good a golf team the Huskies are. There is no team that's more connected with its fan base. Washington has not one but two blogs that follow the team (my personal preference is huskygolf.blogspot.com) as well as Twitter and Facebook pages. Of course, in the land of Microsoft, hard not to think the Huskies would be tech savvy.

Next event: Idaho Vandal, Idaho CC, Moscow, Idaho, Oct. 11-12

5. Florida State (NR)

Seath Lauer and Brooks Koepka come through big in the win at the Gary Koch last weekend. Once Drew Kittleson comes around, we might have a new frontrunner for best team in the ACC.

Next event: Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate, Old Overton CC, Birmingham, Ala., Oct. 12-13

__WOMEN

__[#image: /photos/55ad70c5add713143b42210f]|||Thumbnail image for Arizona State logo 2008-09.gif|||1. Arizona State (1)

If the Sun Devils learned anything from their fourth-place finish at the Mason Rudolph it's that nobody is going to just hand over another NCAA title to them. Says here the loss was a good thing in the long run for a squad that's a fair bit younger than the one that won the national championship last May.

Next event: Stanford Intercollegiate, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., Oct. 16-18

Sure, Jennifer Song didn't make a bogey in her two rounds at the Mason Rudolph. But did you know she also didn't miss a fairway, didn't miss a green in regulation on a par 3 and averaged 26.5 putts per round. No one is expecting her to keep this up, but it makes her next start at Stanford that much more interesting to follow.

Next event: Stanford Intercollegiate, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., Oct. 16-18

Hard to imagine the Boilermakers could be a better team with the best player in school history (Maria Hernandez) no longer on the roster. Still, the Boilermakers haven't missed a beat, winning a second straight tournament (Windy City Collegiate), with Maude-Aimee Leblanc taking medalist honors for a second straight time. Maybe you don't replace a Hernandez, but you do move on.

Next event: NCAA Fall Preview, CC of Landfall, Wilmington, N.C. Oct. 23-25

Should the Bruins feel slighted by the fact they're not in the top-25 in the Golfstat team ranking? Perhaps, but something tells me the oversight will be righted after the Stanford event. Don't sleep on the folks from Westwood.

Next event: Stanford Intercollegiate, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., Oct. 16-18

Win streak ends with a third at the Edean Ihlanfeldt, but two wins in the first two events still carries a lot of weight. The Wave will truly be tested when they tee it up at Landfall at the end of the month.

Next event: NCAA Fall Preview, CC of Landfall, Wilmington, N.C. Oct. 23-25

__STAT OF THE WEEK

__25-0

Head-to-head record of the Division II Rollins women's golf team versus Division I schools during the 2009-10 season. With a win at the Nittany Lion Women's Invitational, the Lady Tars have two victories in two starts, both comprised almost entirely of D-I programs.

__WHAT TO WATCH FOR

__[#image: /photos/55ad70c6add713143b42211f]|||Dustin Garza.jpg|||

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TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS

Men__

__The Brickyard Collegiate

__   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)

The Brickyard at Riverside, Macon, Ga. (Par 72, 7,128 yards)

Oct. 10-12

Host: Mercer

Field: Augusta State, Chattanooga, Charlotte, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Mercer, Michigan, Mississippi, North Florida, Penn State, VCU, Virginia Tech

Defending champion: Georgia (19-over 859) by five strokes over Georgia Tech; Georgia Tech's Cameron Tringale (one-over 211) by one stroke over Virginia Tech's Drew Weaver

Skinny: If Georgia is to sweep the first three playings of the event, the Bulldogs are going to have to step up after a T-10 and T-8 finish at the Carpet Capital and Olympia Fields tournaments to start the 2009-10 season.

__D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate

__Weibring GC at Illinois State, Normal, Ill. (Par 70, 6,681 yards)

Oct. 11-12

Host: Illinois State

Field: Bradley, Butler, Creighton, Detroit, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State, Loyola (Ill.), Loyola (Md.), UMKC, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville, Western Illinois

Defending champion: Illinois (nine-under 831) by 18 strokes over Illinois State; Illinois' Scott Langley (nine-under 201) by three strokes over Illinois State's Kyle Bragg

Skinny: The facility was renamed after Weibring, an Illinois State alumnus, in 2007 recognizing his renovation work on the course that took place earlier in the decade.

__The Prestige at PGA West

__   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)

PGA West Stadium Course, La Quinta, Calif.

Oct. 11-13

Host: Stanford

Field: UCF, Hawaii, Long Beach State, Notre Dame, Pepperdine, San Diego, Stanford, TCU, UC Davis, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, Washington

Defending champion: TCU (three-under 861) by 10 strokes over UC Davis; TCU's Johan de Beer and UC Davis' Nate Pistacchio (six-under 210)

Skinny: From the better late than never department: the UCLA men make this event their fall debut.

__The Firestone Invitational

__   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)

Firestone GC (North), Akron, Ohio

Oct. 12-13

Host: Akron

Field: Eastern Michigan, Kansas State, Kentucky, Marquette, Maryland, Michigan State, Pacific, Rhode Island, St. Mary's, Toledo, Western Carolina

Defending champion: New event

Skinny: The tournament is the first Akron has hosted under coach Nick Goetze and the first for the school since the spring of 2007.

__Alister MacKenzie Invitational

__Meadow Club, Fairfax, Calif. (Par 71, 6,686 yards)

Oct. 12-13

Host: California

Field: California, Colorado, Colorado State, Fresno State, Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Oregon State, San Diego State, San Francisco, San Jose State, UC Irvine, Washington State, Wisconsin

Defending champion: Not held in 2008

Skinny: Event resumes after one-year hiatus. Just once in its six-year history has a school outside of California claimed the team title (Oregon State, 2004).

__Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate

__Old Overton GC, Birmingham, Ala. (Par 71, 6,936 yards)

Oct. 12-13

Host: Alabama

Field: UAB, Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, East Tennessee, Georgia State, Louisville, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, SMU, Texas UNLV

Defending champion: Alabama (10-udner 830) by six strokes over Auburn; SMU's Kelly Kraft (six-under 204) by one stroke over UNLV's Eddie Olson and Auburn's Glenn Northcutt

Skinny: The Crimson Tide are trying to equal Clemson's mark of four straight JPNI titles (1997-2000). Past individual winners of the event include David Toms (LSU, 1988), Tiger Woods (Stanford, 1994), Rory Sabbatini (Arizona, 1997), D.J. Trahan (Clemson, 2001) and Hunter Mahan (Oklahoma State, 2001)

__WOMEN

Lady Tar Heel Invitational

__   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)

UNC Finley GC, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Oct. 9-11

Host: North Carolina

Field: Alabama, Auburn, Denver, Duke, East Carolina, Florida State, Kent State, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, N.C. State, UNC Wilmington, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest

Defending champion: Wake Forest (12-over 876) by 12 strokes over North Carolina; UNC's Catherine O'Donnell, Wake's Natalie Sheary and Wake's Jean Chua (even-par 216)

Skinny: The Tar Heels have been almost too gracious hosts in the 33-year history of the event. UNC has won the title only five times, the last coming in 1992.