Francisco Rodriguez tied Bobby Thigpen's saves record last night. With 16 games left, it's a no-brainer that he will break the record. K-Rod is having a really good season and 57 is a lot of saves, but is it really a big deal? Is this a record we should get excited about?

It appears as if the Pac-10 will once again be dominated by USC. USC is currently number one in the nation and have looked the part after two early season games. The rest of the Pac-10 are not pushovers, but there doesn't seem to be another top 10 team in the league.

There is no doubt they have both made an incredible impact with their new teams. The fact these guys spent the first part of the season in the A.L. makes the case for each of them very murky. I think there is a difference between the ways the two awards should be consider, so I will look at each of them separately.

The Big East did not fall apart like many thought it would when the 3 big boys left for the ACC. In fact, this year the Big East may end up being a better conference than the ACC. There is probably not a more evenly matched conference top to bottom (other than Syracuse) in the nation.

Where did Cliff Lee come from? The guy has won 10 straight and has a 21-2 record for a team that is under .500. His ERA is a Greg Maddux-like (back in the day) 2.28, which is amazing when you don't get to face pitchers every 9th batter.

The Big 12 South has the two perennial big boys in the conference in Oklahoma and Texas. These two teams have dominated this conference for quite a while until Missouri and Kansas came along last year. This year the conference seems to be deeper than ever.

The Big 12 has gained strength in the past two years giving the nation more than just Oklahoma and Texas. They are the clear choice as the 2nd toughest conference in the nation behind the SEC. They currently have 5 teams ranked in the top 13 of the USA Today Poll.

This is the best time of year for baseball. It's the last month of the season and the pennant races are heating up, while some are in cruise control. This is the time of year when the little names can become big names and the big names can get booed. Just ask A-Rod about the booing.

The Big Ten has been getting a lot of flack over the last couple of years. With Ohio State losing the national title multiple times and the conference overall lacking in multiple elite teams as it had been known for in the past. The Big Ten is still a good conference, but it is no longer one of the top 2 or 3 elite conferences.

We had two guys hit for the cycle last night for the second time ever and first time since 1920. Adrian Beltre and Stephen Drew both hit for the cycle only hours apart. A nice accomplishment and the 4th and 5th times it has occurred during this season. Both Beltre and Drew are solid players, but not the big names you would associate with such a ballyhooed feat.

The SEC West is tough enough to be a conference in its own right. There are two top 10 teams, plus another team that is loaded with talented sophomores and freshmen. Even the bottom dweller Ole Miss, has made some drastic improvements.

Once again the SEC looks like it will be the best conference in the nation. In fact, it is not inconceivable to believe that the top 3 teams in the entire nation are from the SEC (LSU, Georgia, and Florida). The SEC East is home to two of those teams, and it will be a heated battle when they meet on the field November 1st.

Outside of Virginia Tech, the Atlantic Division has all the best teams in the ACC. With the conference so heavily leaning in this direction, it is going to make the race to the ACC Championship Game a tight one.

Who is the best hitter in baseball? Last year it would have seemed unanimous that it was A-Rod. A-Rod had one of the best seasons in history outside of the steroid era. This year, however, it is a different story.

This is my favorite time of the year: baseball pennant races and the playoffs, and the beginning of my favorite sporta€"college football. The season will get under way on Thursday night with Wake Forest taking on Baylor. It seems like the perfect time to take a look at some of the big boys in college football.