This continues our series of daily articles previewing each men's and women's college conference. All the conference previews can be found here.

Today we evaluate the Patriot and Metro Atlantic men’s conferences, in which the field is wide open and the conference titles are up for grabs.

Patriot League

Defending champ Bucknell dominated the Patriot League in 2009 (17-6 overall). The Bisons lose All-American Conor O’Brien and fellow senior standout Pat Selwood, but players like midfielder Ross Liberati, defender Andrew Powell and goalkeeper Tommy Caso are primed for expanded roles.

After a strong 2009 campaign, Lehigh coach Dean Koski is in the unenviable position of finding a replacement for four all-conference seniors, Adam Gazda, Adam Welch, Jesse Schram and James Graf. Expect the Mountain Hawks to take a step back.

American reached the conference final in 2009, and senior forward Mike Worden and midfielders Nick Kapus and Danny Shannon will look to lead to Eagles to even loftier heights in 2010.

The loss of 2009 Goalkeeper of the Year Philip Nelson hurts Lafayette, and the supporting cast of standout senior forward B.J. Glenn is untested. The Leopards enter 2010 with talent and uncertainty in equal measure.

Holy Cross played its best at the biggest moments in 2009, getting four of its six total wins within conference play. But behind all-conference forward Kyle Miller, the roster is thin. Coach Ted Priestly will again need his team to over-achieve.

Failing to capitalize a star-studded roster, Colgate underperformed in 2009. With a new generation of stars ready to make their mark, senior defender Jeff Leach and sophomore midfielder Mike Reidy will try to lead the Raiders to the promised land in 2010.

It’s hard to find positives for the cellar-dwelling squads of Navy and Army (who went a combined 2-12 in 2009 conference play). New Army coach Russell Payne will look to freshmen such as midfielders Jake Szabo and Jordan Reese to inject some life in his flailing squad.

Metro Atlantic Conference

After a stellar run to the NCAA Tournament, Loyola (MD) will need to fill the void left by departing seniors Tennant McVea and Jamie Darvill. But Loyola(m)’s roster is deep and confident after the playoff run, with seniors Mike Deasel, Phil Bannister, and Danny Ankrah leading the way.

Regular season champs in 2009 (14-2-3 overall), Iona(m) returns a slew of veteran standouts in 2010, including Roberto Hernandez, Alvaro Torrecilla, Mario Rios and Mario Di Miceli. Their rare combination of talent and experience makes them even more dangerous in 2010.

Fairfield returns a trio of all-conference seniors after a third-place finish in the 2009 regular season. Defender Jack Cleverley, midfielder Matthew Uy and forward Erik Ilisije give the Stags a lineup as talented from top to bottom as any in the conference.

Niagara coach Dermot McGrane managed to get his team to the MAAC championship despite a 7-10-3 overall record in 2009, and he will again need to squeeze the most out of his roster in 2010. The Purple Eagles lack star-power to support midfielder Levi Tesch, but should not be overlooked.

Midfielder Krystian Witkowski and forward Joe Touloumis headline a Marist team that struggled to separate itself from the pack in 2009. Their defense (23 goals allowed) was solid, but Witkowski and Tououmis will need help on offense for Marist to win big.

Siena(m) will depend on 2009 MAAC Rookie of the Year Emery Welshman and junior defender Nick Viaggio to pull the team out of mediocrity (8-8-3 in 2009). If coach Gareth Elliott can galvanize their supporting cast, the Saints could surprise people in 2010.

After Canisius’ demoralizing 5-12-2 campaign in 2009, things only got worse with the graduation of legendary forward Alan McGreal. Canisius’ 2010 outlook is bleak, with no clear candidate to step up and fill the leadership void.

Rider and St. Peter's(m) will need to narrow an appalling goal differential (35-71 goals for-against in 2009) if they want success in 2010. Neither team is without talent, but will need their senior leaders (Rider’s Andrew Cotes and St. Peters' Lebogang Pila) to raise their teammates’ level of play.

There were few bright spots in Manhattan’s 2009 season, and a 1-17-1 record and 10-45 goal differential puts the Jaspers in full rebuilding mode in 2010. First year coach Ashley Hammond faces the tall task of transforming Manhattan’s losing culture, and it won’t happen overnight.