Preseason is behind us and it's time to jump into conference play! Here are our picks for the most intriguing matchups of conference opening week.

1. Nebraska vs. Penn State

Friday, September 22 | 7 PM PT | Big Ten Network

Go ahead and completely ignore the preseason results of these two teams. Regardless of those wins and losses, regardless of current rankings, the history between these two storied programs will make this Big Ten opening match a battle to the death.

Nebraska leads the all-time series 18-10, and since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011, they've won eight of the teams' 12 meetings. That includes last year's NCAA regional semifinal match in which Penn State was up 2-0 and had match point in the third when the Huskers crawled all the way back to a five-set victory. Penn State, which returned all of its starters from that 2016 team, is out for blood.


USA Today Sports

2. Oregon vs. UCLA

Friday, September 22 | 8 PM PT | Pac-12 Network

Oregon kicked the 2017 season off with a bang, taking down Nebraska in four sets on opening day before losing to Texas. Since then, however, the Ducks have laid low, not playing any other ranked opponents and taking the last weekend of the non-conference season off.

With all but one starter returning from 2016, Oregon has a leg up on UCLA, which is in the exact inverse position, but the Bruins have been tested a number of times this preseason, including traveling to Lincoln and playing Nebraska on back-to-back nights.


USA Today Sports

3. North Carolina vs. NC State

Friday, September 22 | 7 PM ET | ACC Network Extra

In their preseason poll, the coaches of the ACC unanimously picked North Carolina to win the conference, but with an injury to Julia Scoles, one of its star outside hitters, UNC has struggled in preseason, going 3-5, including losses to Auburn and Loyola Marymount.

NC State went 5-6 in preseason, but will be looking at the conference season as a fresh start, and with North Carolina reeling, the conference title is very much in play.

4. Maryland vs. Ohio State

Wednesday, September 20 | 7 PM ET | Big Ten Plus

Maryland capped its preseason schedule with victories over USC and Oklahoma, and the Terps have to be champing at the bit to take on their first Big Ten opponent: Ohio State. These two teams have developed a healthy rivalry since Maryland joined the Big Ten in 2014, as Maryland taken down the Buckeyes in each of the last two seasons. For its part, Ohio State will be looking to get back on track after losing to Western Kentucky last weekend.


USA Today Sports

5. UCLA vs. USC

Wednesday, September 20 | 8 PM PT | ESPNU

An up and down preseason saw USC take down ranked Michigan and Creighton, but lose to Northern Iowa and Maryland. The real test for the Trojans begins this week in UCLA's Pauley Pavilion versus the No. 9 Bruins, who went 7-2 with their only two losses coming at the hands of Nebraska.

This pair of fierce rivals are each incorporating some new talent into the lineup with Duke transfer Cindy Marina running one half of USC's 6-2 and UCLA starting four newcomers. UCLA has the higher rank, but USC holds the lead in the series, 56-52.


USC Athletics

6. BYU vs. Santa Clara

Thursday, September 21 | 7 PM PT | Campus Insiders

BYU looked stellar in preseason, toppling Ohio State, Missouri, Hawaii, and Utah, but a five-set loss to unranked Baylor may have opened up a sliver of hope for the Cougars' West Coast Conference opponents.

Santa Clara, which upset Kansas in the final weekend of non-conference play, will be the first to test BYU in league competition. The Broncos have been inconsistent so far, losing to Howard, Cal Poly, and Boise State, but the five-set victory over Kansas should give the Cougars more than enough reason to bring their A-game.


USA Today Sports

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