Fans of college cross country don’t need to wait until adidas Wisconsin Invitational and Pre-Nationals weekend to see head-to-head match-ups against the nation’s best cross country teams.

At the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Oklahoma this weekend, US#1 Oklahoma State men’s team takes on US#2 Northern Arizona, in an early season clash of the titans. Meanwhile, the first year Boston College Invitational hosts US#1 Providence versus US#3 Oregon in the women’s race. What a weekend!

Oklahoma State versus Northern Arizona

While the Cowboys are the heavy favorites to once again win the NCAA cross country title later this fall, many believe the one team that might be able to knock them off the top spot is Northern Arizona. Led by All-Americans Brian Shrader and Futsum Zienasellassie, the Lumberjacks are more talented up front and deeper than they were a year ago when they placed a surprising fourth.

While Shrader and Zienasellassie open up their seasons this weekend, NAU’s core group of Matt McElroy, Caleb Hoover, Nathan Weitz and Alejandro Montano opened up their seasons earlier this month by dominating their home invite against Pac-12 in-state rivals Arizona and Arizona State.

The X-factor for NAU is two-fold. First, it remains to be seen if Matt McElroy, who won the first meet of the season, can run with OSU’s 3-4-5 runners. He’s shown flashes of being an All-American runner and they’ll need him to step up big. Same goes for veterans Hoover and Weitz.

Second, can NAU get a surprise performance from standout freshman Andy Trouard or Oklahoma State transfer Korey Krotzer? Trouard may or may not race considering he’s already raced twice this season, but we bet he will.

A possible advantage for NAU happens to be that the vast majority of Oklahoma State’s top runners are opening up their seasons this weekend, meaning they may need the race to shake off a little rust. The senior trio of Shadrack Kipchirchir, Tom Farrell and Joseph Manilafasha lead the way, offering a trio of talents all capable of winning and placing top ten at NCAAs later this fall.

Tied into the OSU lead pack will undoubtedly be juniors Kirubel Erassa and Shane Moskowitz. Both ran extremely well last fall, despite Erassa having an off race at NCAAs. These two gentlemen are on the same level as their senior teammates, so don’t be surprised to see all five runners running abreast for the first few miles of the race this weekend.

Adding to the team’s depth, sophomore Craig Nowak had a very good freshman campaign that could see him stick with their top five, while Kenyan newcomer Charles Mathenge is still a question mark. Can he crack OSU’s top seven? We’ll find out.

Oklahoma State is the favorite in every race they run this fall until proven otherwise, but fans that love rooting for the underdog will get their chance this weekend when OSU and NAU square off over 8k.

Providence versus Oregon

Last fall, the University of Oregon dominated in Louisville and took home the national title. While their team comprises of a very different cast of characters than 2012, the expectations are equally as high. While it was announced earlier this week that University of Connecticut transfers Lindsay Crevoiserat and Julia Zrinyi won’t compete at the Boston College Invitational this weekend for the ducks, the squad has plenty of talent to give US#1 Providence a run for their money.

The Friars are running strong after finishing second at NCAAs last November. The returning trio of Emily Sisson, Laura Nagel and Sarah Mary Collins are the top lead threesome in the country, hands down. All three are capable of top 10-15 finishes in Terre Haute and have run through their competition twice already this season, earning 1-2-3 finishes. Providence will need them to challenge for a 1-2-3 finish once again if they hope to hold off Oregon in Boston.

Behind their talented trio, Providence will certainly be counting on freshman Catarina Rocha. Rocha is off to a strong collegiate career having finished seventh overall at the Stony Brook Invitational. If she can close the time gap ever so slightly with the team’s top three, you can mark Providence down as even a stronger favorite to win the national title.

The real question comes down to how strong their 5-6-7 runners are compared to other top teams’ pack runners. Erin Murphy has shown she’s a durable fifth runner at this point in the season, but behind her the talent level drops a bit. One or two more Providence freshmen could step up to fill out the top seven, but Saturday’s race will be telling.

For Oregon, Megan Patrignelli and Molly Grabill placed 1-2 at the PSU Viking Classic a few weeks back. Both runners will be looked upon again to lead the Ducks, hopefully challenging Providence’s top three.

Up with Patrignelli and Grabill, count on Abbey Leonardi and Sarah Penney to run strong and challenge Rocha and Murphy, while Allie Woodward, who’s yet to race, should be pacing the team up front, too. Woodward returns this fall after a stellar freshman season, which saw her place 44^th overall in Louisville.

It’s a test of firepower up front versus depth in the pack. Who wins is a debate worth having as the weekend nears.