Few USCCB elections will be as telling as the one between Cupich and Naumann. This is going to be a true barometer of where the sensibilities of the conference are heading, and it's probably not as cut-and-dried as people think.

Naumann has run for offices before but never been elected. I get the feeling he's not popular among his fellow bishops. He doesn't have an advanced degree (except the MDiv.), he takes extreme positions, and he leads a small archdiocese (mine, as it happens) that's historically been a dead-end for advancement. No priest from this diocese has ever been made a bishop and no bishop has been promoted to a larger see since the 1940s.

Cupich is well-liked and erudite but he also takes unpopular positions on the other end of the spectrum. He may be seen as too liberal for the mainstream. Still, he represents the future, at least as long as Francis is around. Plus, he heads one of the most influential dioceses in the country.

Stay tuned. This will be interesting.