All 11 leagues can claim to be No. 1 in something ...

Chris Long is a big reason why Virginia is off to a surprising 6-1 start this season. Randy Litzinger/Icon SMI

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With conference play in full swing, and most actions having equal and opposite reactions within the conference (good win for so-and-so means bad loss for fellow conference member, so-and-so), the Conference Power Rankings scoured the country to find what each conference leads the nation in.

For one week, all conferences can claim to be No. 1 in something, thereby eliminating my angry e-mails. Or maybe limiting my angry e-mails. Slightly reducing my angry e-mails? Actually, probably having no effect on my angry e-mails.

In alphabetical order:

ACC: Defensive Ends

Several defensive ends from the ACC appear on NFL draft prospect lists, and a pair earned SI.com Midseason All-America honors. Chris Long, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long, has seven sacks at Virginia and is arguably the top senior defensive end in the country. North Carolina senior Hilee Taylor has six sacks. Georgia Tech's Darrell Robertson and Wake Forest's Jeremy Thompson also make Mel Kiper's top five senior defensive ends checklist. Miami's Calais Campbell is a can't-miss NFL prospect from the junior class, and Clemson's Philip Merling is also a standout.

Big East: Best Upstart Programs

Six weeks into the season, there were 11 unbeaten teams, and three of them were relative unknowns from the Big East. One year after Rutgers burst on to the national scene with a historic 9-0 start, UConn, South Florida and Cincinnati navigated through the early part of their season unblemished. UConn and Cincinnati saw their undefeated seasons end last weekend, but both teams have significantly overachieved to date, and South Florida is sitting in the No. 2 slot in the first BCS standings. The Big East lost its big-name football programs when Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College left, but several unknowns have filled the void admirably.

Big Ten: Linebackers

Penn State was the original Linebacker U., but Ohio State is starting to take that moniker away. Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis is a tackle machine and the defending Nagurski winner. Penn State's Dan Connor will be a high first-round draft pick next year, and J Lehman has been a big part of Illinois' resurgence from his linebacker spot. Michigan's Shawn Crable, a linebacker/defensive end hybrid, leads the Big Ten in tackles for loss and is an All-America candidate. Penn State's Sean Lee is second in the Big Ten in tackles, and Ohio State's Marcus Freeman is another big piece of the fearsome Buckeye defense.

Big 12: Top Pass-Catching Performances

Texas Tech dominates many of the NCAA passing statistics, but there are plenty of Big 12 players at other schools who have put together top performances this season. Of the 26 players who have made at least 11 catches in a game this season, six reside in the Big 12. Not surprisingly, two are at Texas Tech -- freshman sensation Michael Crabtree and Danny Amendola, who have already done it a combined five times. Kansas State wide receiver Jordy Nelson has cracked the 12-reception barrier twice, while Baylor's Brandon Whitaker had an 11-catch game against Colorado. The big games have not been limited to wide receivers, as Missouri tight end Martin Rucker had 11 catches against Western Michigan and Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky made 11 grabs against Ball State.

Conference USA: Productive Running Backs

One glance at the national rushing leaders and you'll see plenty of underrated Conference USA running backs. Tulane's Matt Forte had an unbelievable 303-yard, five-touchdown effort against Southeastern Louisiana and is second in the nation in yards per game with 153.2. Central Florida's Kevin Smith was the nation's leader after six weeks and is currently third with 152.5 yards per game. Smith has become the central focus of every defensive coordinator that faces the Knights. He's cracked the 200-yard barrier twice and has 11 touchdowns. UTEP's Marcus Thomas, Houston's Anthony Alridge, Tulsa's Tarrion Adams and Southern Miss' Damion Fletcher are all in the Top 30 nationally and averaging over 100 yards per game.

MAC: Best Punters

Four of the nation's top six punters in average per kick reside in the MAC. Ball State senior Chris Miller is second at 47.8 yards, Jacob Richardson of Miami (Ohio) is fourth at 46.5, Toledo's Brett Kern is fifth at 46.0 and Jim Laney of Western Michigan checks in at sixth with 45.8. Buffalo's Ben Woods and Eastern Michigan's Zack Johnson are on the Ray Guy Award Watch List, with Johnson finishing in the Top 10 last year. Both Laney and Woods have uncorked 71-yarders this season.

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