UAB Blazer Classic Preview

One of the biggest meets of the weekend, which is set to take place this Friday, is the UAB Blazer Classic. In Birmingham, Alabama, we'll get to see a handful of teams -- some of which are amongst the best in the nation -- toe the line for one last regular season race before their conference championships begin.

Here are a few key headlines to watch as we near race day.

Arkansas men vs Ole Miss men: Round Two

One of the first races of the 2020 cross country season was the LSU SEC Preview where we saw the Arkansas men and Ole Miss men go head-to-head in their first battle of the season. Ultimately, the Razorbacks came out on top, but the Ole Miss men looked solid in their own right and have (likely) improved since then.

We didn't see Amon Kemboi toe the line in that race, but it's not totally out of the question for him to be racing on Friday. If that happens, the Arkansas men would have to be considered as the overwhelming favorites. In theory, they would simply have too many weapons for Ole Miss to handle, although the Rebels have seen noticeable progression at the top portion of their lineup.

Waleed Suliman has continued to be a very solid low-stick for the Mississippi men while Mario Garcia Romo has stepped up nicely as well. Sophomore Cole Bullock has also made noticeable improvements, giving the Rebels a very nice 1-2-3 scoring threat.

Whether or not their depth can keep up with Arkansas' depth is a separate question, but the top scorers on both of these teams should keep things competitive.

How will the Arkansas freshmen (women) handle a larger collegiate invitational?

There is admittedly not much to talk about for the Arkansas women. That's what happens when you are just so much better than the rest of the field. Sure, you could argue in favor of Florida State, but we'll get to them in a moment.

It will be interesting to see how Arkansas' younger runners like Taylor Ewert and Corie Smith perform on a stage that is larger (and deeper) than any meet they have raced in so far this season.

Now, admittedly, this race will still be smaller (and less competitive) than what you would typically see at Pre-Nationals or Nuttycombe during a standard year.

Even so, there are a handful of very respectable teams and individuals in this field. Seeing how the Razorback rookies (and their teammates) perform on Friday may give us a better perspective as to just how good this Arkansas team is and how they would (theoretically) stack up against the likes of NC State.

What can we expect from this Ole Miss squad?

The Ole Miss women are a strong team that were overshadowed by a dominant Arkansas squad at the beginning of the season and a respectable Notre Dame group at the Louisville Cross Country Classic.

However, the good news is that they have 2018 individual cross country national qualifier Clio Ozanne-Jaques back in their lineup (who was shaking off some summer rust in Louisville) and the rest of their team looks very solid. The combination of Anna Elkin, Skylar Boogerd and Victoria Simmons held their own at Louisville and their depth is respectable. We also like the fact that many of these women are more experienced after racing at last year's national meet.

They may not have the same firepower that Arkansas does (or even Tennessee), but their top scorers are good enough. If Clio Ozanne-Jaques crosses the line with their top finishers, then they may be able to challenge a Florida State team that hasn't exactly looked super sharp this fall.

Separating the contenders and pretenders in the SEC

Teams from the SEC, both on the men's and women's side, have been very entertaining this season...probably because they're one of the few conferences that are actually racing. However, other than Arkansas and Ole Miss, trying to decipher just how talented some of these teams are has been difficult.

The Kentucky men and women have impressed us so far this fall and their 3rd place finishes at the Louisville Classic the other weekend shouldn't be overshadowed by the squads that placed ahead of them.

Freshman Matt Duvall has looked like a stud on the men's side and his teammates have given him excellent scoring support. As for the women, seeing Jenna Gearing win the Louisville Classic was wildly encouraging. She further solidifies the Wildcats' place near the top of the SEC this season.

Unless one of those teams completely bombs on Friday, it's hard not to think that the Kentucky men and women are the real deal this season.

But what about some of these other programs?

As we saw at Louisville, the Tennessee women have a wicked 1-2 punch, but do they have enough depth to challenge some of the better teams in this field?

The Georgia men took home a convincing win over Florida State and Georgia Tech earlier in the season, but can they prove that their strong performance wasn't just a fluke?

Will the Georgia women field a lineup that includes Nicole Pachuta and/or Ellie Hall? If so, how will that impact their final result?

The Tennessee men were only six points behind Kentucky at the Louisville Classic, but can Alex Crigger rebound well enough to give the Vols the edge this time around?

There are so many questions for so many teams in this field (and not just from the SEC). Hopefully we'll get some additional clarity on Friday.

Conference USA Championship Preview: MTSU vs Charlotte

The Charlotte men have looked very strong this season. Their 2nd place finish at the Louisville Classic was very impressive, especially with Paul Arredondo taking home the individual win over Waleed Suliman. Not only that, but they were without a few key members in that race.

Could they actually be better than their Louisville result suggests?

But then we have Middle Tennessee State, a team that has yet to race this season. Fans of the sport may look at the 2019 NCAA XC Championships results and point to the fact that the Blue Raiders finished dead last in that race.

However, when you look at their 2019 season as a whole, it's fair to say that the MTSU men were better than that. By how much is up for debate.

The Middle Tennessee State men will no longer have the top-tier scoring efforts of Kigen Chemadi nor the backend support of Titus Lagat or Nathan Mack. However, they still have front-runner Jacob Choge and a few supporting scorers who are better than some people may give them credit for.

Ultimately, we're expecting this matchup between Charlotte and Middle Tennessee State to be a close one and the final result could end up being a glimpse of what we should expect to see at the Conference USA Championships later this month.

Figuring out the Florida State women

Truthfully, it feels like the Florida State women haven't fully unleashed their best effort yet this season. In their season opener, they held out a handful of their top scorers from the Mountain Dew Invitational which resulted in the Georgia Tech women earning the overall win. The Seminoles later toed the line for the FSU Invitational and despite winning the meet with relative ease, some of their scorers looked like they were still shaking off some summer rust.

But the UAB Blazer Classic may be a different story for the FSU women come Friday. They'll be facing top-tier competition in Arkansas and may be challenged by the likes of Ole Miss (among others). On paper, they should be (at least) the second-best team in this field.

However, we haven't seen Lauren Ryan compete this season (is she sitting out this fall?) and Maudie Skyring has raced only once this season (as an unattached runner).

It will be super interesting to see how the 'Noles attack this race on Friday as their performance could give us a better idea of what to expect from them at the ACC Championships later this month.

Augusta men vs Alabama-Huntsville men vs Lee (Tenn.) men

There is plenty to talk about in Division One, but you could argue that the best race of the day may be in the men's gold race which will feature top D2 programs such as Augusta, Alabama-Huntsville and Lee (Tenn.).

Those teams are currently ranked at TSR #3, TSR #4 and TSR #5 in our mid-season update. All three teams also earned a spot in our "If Everything Was Normal" preseason rankings.

The Augusta men are a very experienced group and had a ton of postseason success last fall after finishing 9th at the D2 NCAA XC Championships. Jacob Poston looks like a nice front-runner for this team and the depth behind him may be some of the best Division Two.

As for Alabama-Huntsville, they have a very similar lineup structure. They're led by an underrated talent in Ryan Day who also has a handful of strong (and consistent) scoring options behind him.

The Lee Flames may end up having the individual winner in Christian Noble, but it's the rest of their lineup that will decide where they finish in this race. If they can replicate the scoring that they had from 2019, then they could come out on top over Augusta and UAH.

You don't need to follow the D2 scene super closely to enjoy (or appreciate) this three-team matchup set to take place on Friday morning.

Additional Notes

• Keep an eye out for the Georgia Tech women. If Nicole Fegans and Ellen Flood run, then the Yellow Jackets could make things interesting with some of the top teams in this field. They have a more complete lineup than some people realize.
  

• What should we expect from the Florida State men? They had a great season opener, but struggled a bit at the FSU Invitational. Paul Stafford and Gabriel Curtis are a nice 1-2 punch, but can the rest of their lineup support them in the scoring?