ESPN College Sports

It might not feel like it, but the women's college soccer season hits the halfway point this week. The catch is that only four teams will finish the race.

While this past weekend brought Senior Day ceremonies at a few schools with road-heavy schedules down the stretch, whichever four teams end up traveling to Cary, N.C., for the College Cup the first weekend of December are only halfway home. So what have we seen from the first half of someone's championship season?

ACC

Championship race: Brett Favre is a Jet and the Tampa Bay Rays are in the playoffs, but the ACC is still chasing North Carolina. It's nice to know some things never change. Florida State and Virginia currently lead the race for second and third place (Virginia having already defeated Florida State this season), but Duke remains firmly in the hunt.

First-half MVP: Casey Nogueira has been an enigma on the field in her still relatively young tenure at North Carolina, but with 13 goals in 14 games this season, the junior deserves any and all accolades coming her way.

Surprise team: Virginia Tech continues to make the difficult climb out of the conference's middle class, and even after taking its lumps against North Carolina on Sunday, it is 2-2-2 with three of its four remaining conference games at home. Work remains -- the Hokies have been outshot 111-68 in conference play, compared to a 142-73 edge out of conference -- but they have a chance to keep moving in the right direction.

Big 12

Championship race: Texas A&M lost the majority of last season's goals and points to graduation and then lost one of the best keepers in the country, Kristin Arnold, to a knee injury early this season, but here are the Aggies, undefeated in the Big 12. Colorado and Missouri are next in line and both have games remaining against Texas A&M, but the challenger most in control of its fate might be Oklahoma State, currently third in the standings.

First-half MVP: Sophomore keeper Kelly Dyer, who had just three saves in limited action last season and took over this season after Arnold injured her knee after just three appearances, has allowed just six goals in nearly 1,100 minutes this season and is averaging nearly four saves per game.

Surprise team: Kansas is hanging in the postseason picture despite an up-and-down ride in conference play, and Nebraska has bounced back nicely from last season's disaster, but it's difficult to look anywhere but College Station. Nobody expected a collapse, but to remain a national championship contender despite the personnel losses is remarkable.

Big East

Championship race: It's really a race for second place in the Big East, whether second seed as winner of the league's American division or second behind Notre Dame in the National division. The Fighting Irish aren't invulnerable -- they needed an overtime goal Sunday at Villanova to remain perfect -- but a program that hasn't lost a conference game since 2005 might have its best team in years and plays host to the final two rounds of the conference tournament next month. West Virginia seemed like a heavy favorite to once again win the American, but it's Marquette that now controls its own destiny.

First-half MVP: Notre Dame coach Randy Waldrum recently made his pitch for Kerri Hanks' Hermann Trophy candidacy by noting his senior star is putting up her typically prolific offensive totals (eight goals in seven league games) despite playing fewer minutes to keep her fresh for the postseason. And while it's tempting to tout Georgetown striker Toni Marie Hudson for keeping her team's offense going without Ingrid Wells or South Florida keeper Mallori Lofton-Malachi for willing a team being outshot on a regular basis to a 7-4-3 record, Hanks is simply too dominant to overlook.

Surprise team: Perhaps it's not really surprising that longtime contender Villanova is in the middle of the postseason picture, but it's at least noteworthy how little slippage there has been in Philadelphia under first-year coach John Byford. Playing essentially the exact opposite style employed by legendary coach Harry Perretta on the basketball court at Villanova, Byford's Wildcats trail only Notre Dame in goals.

Big Ten

Championship race: Penn State paid the price for an early schedule that included half of last season's NCAA tournament quarterfinalists, nearly dropping out of the top 25 and leaving the Big Ten unusually up for grabs. The Nittany Lions rebounded with four consecutive shutout wins to open conference play, but Sunday's 3-1 loss at surprising title contender Michigan State brought them back to a point behind in the standings, tied with Minnesota. Purdue, which seemed destined for at least a partial rebuilding season after losing eight starters, currently leads the league.

First-half MVP: A year after Michigan State scored 19 goals in 18 games and finished with a solitary conference win, freshman Laura Heyboer is leading the way for a revival in East Lansing. Heyboer ranks among national leaders with 16 goals and 41 points, including five goals and two assists in wins against Minnesota, Ohio State and Penn State the past two weeks.

Surprise team: There's efficiency, and then there's Minnesota efficiency. The Golden Gophers have converted 10 goals in their past nine games into eight wins and a spot at the table in the Big Ten's championship debate. Opponents have scored just four goals against the Golden Gophers on an average of 6.5 shots per game.

Pac-10

Championship race: For all of their offensive firepower, UCLA and Stanford have combined to allow five goals in nearly 39 hours of soccer this season. But while all signs point to a potentially decisive Halloween showdown between the two unbeaten heavyweights, defending national champion (but not conference champion) USC still looks every bit a top-five team. And Washington State, which took both UCLA and USC to overtime on its swing through Los Angeles last weekend, and California are quality defensive sides.

First-half MVP: Four beats one when it comes to applauding first-half performances in the Pac-10. Led by seniors Marisa Abegg and Allison Falk, Stanford's back line has allowed just three goals in 13 games.

Surprise team: Sunday's win against Arizona State marked both Arizona's 100th all-time victory and its first win in 14 tries against its in-state rival. The next two weeks could prove to be difficult, with games against UCLA, USC, Stanford and Cal, but the Wildcats already have topped last season's six wins.

SEC

Championship race: With Florida pulling away from the pack in the SEC East, sorting out how many teams can occupy the middle of the pack in the SEC West is a conundrum in its own right. In a third-place tie entering the weekend, LSU made a move for first in its division with wins against Auburn and Alabama. But in search of a second consecutive (and second ever) division title, LSU remains in a tight race with Auburn and Mississippi.

First-half MVP: The SEC doesn't have a double-digit goal scorer at the moment, and when goals have to come from a variety of sources, it's nice to have a playmaker like Malorie Rutledge setting things up. Despite the fact that she's tied for the LSU lead in goals with seven, Rutledge leads the conference with 12 assists -- matching the program record for assists that she set last season.

Surprise team: Alabama has the rather dubious distinction of having allowed seven goals on two separate occasions this season, most recently on Sunday against LSU. But for a program that won one conference game two years ago and two conference games last year, it's the nine goals the Tide have allowed in their other 12 games under first-year coach Todd Bramble that say the most.

West Coast

Championship race: For once, it's not all about Portland and Santa Clara. With the latter reduced by injuries and a brutal schedule to fighting for a .500 record, the big game in the conference this season should be Portland's visit to San Diego on the final day of the regular season. Both the Pilots and the Toreros opened conference play with wins this past weekend and appear to be the class of the league by sizable margins.

First-half MVP: Pick your Pilot: Freshman Danielle Foxhoven has 11 goals; sophomore Michelle Enyeart is one of the nation's most explosive attacking players and leads the team in assists despite missing nearly two games while fulfilling Under-20 national team commitments. But senior Megan Rapinoe best defines valuable. One of only three Pilots to start every game so far, Rapinoe has taken over for WPS draft pick Angie Woznuk as the team's attacking midfielder and its fulcrum on the attack.

Surprise team: Saint Mary's earned its sixth and final win last season on Oct. 12. Exactly one year later, the Gaels notched their eighth victory this season and bettered last season's conference win total in their league opener against San Francisco. Saint Mary's still isn't an offensive juggernaut by any stretch, but 10 wins is a realistic goal and would cap off what's already an impressive turnaround.

Graham Hays is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. E-mail him at Graham.Hays@espn3.com.