NEW ORLEANS – If you found yourself in Madison, Wisconsin, this Friday and didn’t know any better, you might think the race you’re watching is the NCAA Division I Championships.

Nope, it’s the Wisconsin adidas Invitational. But we would certainly forgive you for the mix-up.

Of the 30 nationally ranked teams for each gender, 22 from the women’s poll (plus four receiving votes) and 19 from the men’s (and three RV) will toe the line against one another on the Zimmer Championship Course.

Six of those teams in both the men’s and women’s races are top-10 squads. In the women’s race: No. 2 Michigan State, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 6 Stanford,No. 8 Iowa State, No. 9 Florida State and No. 10 Virginia. For the men: No. 3 Northern Arizona, No. 5 Portland, No. 6 Syracuse, No. 7 Stanford, and two teams tied at No. 9 in UCLA and host Wisconsin.

The intrigue extends far beyond the top of the polls, however – the opportunities for those ever-important head-to-head victories are enormous.

Only 11 teams in the men’s race and 11 teams in the women’s race – both with approximately 40 teams – are currently projected within their respective regions’ two automatic qualifying positions into the NCAA Championships. Twelve more women’s teams and 11 more men’s squads are currently ranked on their regions’ bubbles at No. 3 or 4.

The competition for the individual title will be just as stout. Of last year’s 40 All-Americans, as many as 15 of the women’s honorees and 10 of the men could toe the line against one another in Madison. More on the individual races below (and note that official entry lists have not yet been announced).

There’s a lot going on here, so either read through or hit the quick links below to find a certain part.