Another week, another fistful of talking points from the wide world of men’s Division I college soccer. This week, we dissect the struggles of a national title contender, a few dark horses galloping onto the scene and an up-and-coming goal wizard from a small program you need to know.

Old Dominion, New Hope

If you gave the preseason Conference USA rankings a once-over, you probably noticed a few teams before your eyes rolled over Old Dominion. Charlotte has a Hermann Trophy candidate and is coming off an NCAA tourney appearance. New Mexico is just two years removed from a College Cup. Kentucky has arguably the nation’s best goalkeeper. All those things helped conspire to put those three teams in the top three of the preseason CUSA poll, and even UAB earned a first place vote from the league’s coaches. ODU? The only team ranked in the top five to not earn a single one.