This continues our series of daily articles previewing each men's and women's college conference. All the conference previews can be found here. And don't forget to check out our Conference Top 20 College Players To Watch.

Southern

To worry or not to worry? Wofford is the defending Southern Conference champion and has a good core of returning talent. Unfortunately, the program is losing key contributors in an area of strength – defense. One of the two stingiest teams in the conference last year, the departure of all-conference backline players Nick Schuermann and Branson Hyatt could be impactful, as could the loss of goalkeeper Thomas Hunter. Attackers Wilson Hood and Kentrel Owens will be key for a Terrier squad that could be in the midst of an identity change.

It’s a new era for College of Charleston. A roster of predominately freshman and sophomores will take the Cougars into the next phase – whatever that phase may be. All that’s known for sure is the program now has holes with the top offensive producers from 2009 (Matt Morris, Zach Prince) along with other key contributors (John Bello, Steven Nagy) having graduated. Sophomore Francis Twohig and his younger counterparts will need to step up, in a hurry.
 
Elon had as much individual talent as any program in the conference last season, a campaign that ended with a loss to Wofford in the championship. That talent has been cut into but still boasts striker Chris Thomas, who scored 10 goals, along with Brad Franks and goalkeeper Clint Irwin. Losses of first-team players Justin Wyatt, Erfan Imeni and Steven Kinney will be critical, however.

UNC Greensboro has some good young talent to be excited about. A.J. Nelson had a strong freshman season and could blossom into a team leader, as could sophomore Mike Magnotic. The upward mobility of the program depends largely on their growth and improvement.

Player of the Year Charlie Reiter leaves a big hole with his exit. His 12 goals and eight assists will be tough to replace, but Davidson will try with a collective effort. Midfielder Alex Caskey will likely become the team’s top scorer, while sophomore Brian McGue will also be vital.

All conference returner Warren Creavalle and sophomore Mark Gabriel will be crucial for Furman's success this season. The Paladins had a challenge defending opponents in 2009 and could use a stronger effort on the defensive front.

A sophomore trio highlights the future of Appalachian State. Defenders J.J. Elder and Kojo Thompson along with David Dodge will try to grow into major impact players as the team hopes to make a push closer to the top of the conference.

Georgia Southern captured just one win overall in 2009, and would be well served just to record its first conference win in over a year.

CUSA

Once a champ always a champ. Tulsa is primed to defend its conference title with a roster that has many of the key pieces from last year’s squad. Striker Austin Neil was voted the preseason Offensive Player of the Year after a 2009 that featured 13 goals, while the squad also boasts the preseason Defensive Player of the Year in Justin Chavez. Another crown for the Golden Hurricane is highly likely.

Marshall came up just short of a conference crown in 2009, losing to Tulsa in the title game. For The Herd to get over the hump they’ll need to make up for the loss of leading scorer Dustin Dawes. Tom Jackson is a good candidate to pick up the slack – though he’s only a sophomore. Marshall will certainly lean on talented goalkeeper Daniel Withrow, a preseason all-conference team player.

The offensive talent is all there for UAB, one of the most potent squads in the conference last year. Babayele Sodade is a dynamic scorer who will be one of the more dangerous attackers on the field, while Kofi Gyawu is coming off an extremely exciting freshman season in which he scored seven goals in just one start. Midfielder Michal Mravec will also be a key ingredient as the Blazers try to bump the powers off the top.  

Striker Matthew Lodge and defender Brad Walker are two of the studs the Wildcats will be depending on for great things this season. Both have been voted to the preseason all conference squad and have a couple more years to look forward to. Kentucky was one of the top defensive players in the conference in 2009 and will be one of the toughest outs in the CUSA.

Memphis has a couple of rising stars to be excited about in defender Andreas Guenther and striker J.J. Greer. Both are coming off strong freshman campaigns and should bring a glimmer of hope for the future to the Tigers program.

The rest of the conference includes South Carolina, SMU, UCF and FIU(m). Payton Hickey, of SMU, is a tremendous midfielder while UCF’s Kevan George is another offensive threat to keep an eye on.