The SEC is better than the Pac-10 huh...peep this...
Monday, September 16, 2002
Pac-10 gets tougher, as do BCS hopes
By TED MILLER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Lost in the hype surrounding Washington State's defeat at Ohio State was the Pac-10's eight-victory weekend that established the conference as the nation's deepest.
Six Pac-10 teams are ranked in this week's Associated Press Poll, matching the Big 12. That hasn't happened since Sept. 18, 1989. The SEC and Big Ten both have four ranked teams.
If the Pac-10, which is 22-4 thus far in non-conference games, turns in another stellar effort this weekend, it's possible eight teams could find their way into the Top 25 for the first time in history.
For that to occur, four things must happen:
No. 23 California must avoid a letdown at home against Air Force after a shocking domination of Michigan State on the road.
No. 20 UCLA needs to sustain Colorado's "Return to Diffidence" at the Rose Bowl.
Oregon State will have to beat Fresno State at home.
Arizona must win at No. 22 Wisconsin and impress voters with a 3-0 mark that includes a quality victory over Utah.
If the planets align and all that happens, Washington's schedule suddenly could become a rugged gauntlet of seven ranked teams over the final eight weekends, the lone holdout being Arizona State.
Those eight Pac-10 opponents are 20-2 in non-conference games, with the defeats coming from Nebraska and Ohio State.
That means, once the UW rolls over Wyoming this Saturday and Idaho (yawn) the next, a home schedule previously -- and fairly -- viewed as lame, now could feature four opponents ranked -- at least at some point -- in the Top 25 (Cal, Arizona, UCLA and Oregon State).
Of course, Cal and Arizona figure to fall before they face the UW. Cal plays Washington State and Arizona plays Oregon the weekends before they visit the Huskies.
Pac-10 play, however, is typically loopy and unpredictable. Therein lies part of the conference's annual problem when it comes to producing a national title contender.
The other five Bowl Championship Series conferences feature at least one team ranked ahead of every Pac-10 team. The Big East, SEC and Big 12 have two teams ranked ahead of No. 9 Oregon.
That's a lot of makeup work for the only BCS conference that hasn't won, or even played for, a national title over the past five years. Only twice since 1992 has a Pac-10 team finished unbeaten in conference play. It's hard to imagine, considering the conference's depth, any squad will emerge unblemished this year.
Perfect league records are fairly common in other BCS conferences. Since 1992, there have been seven undefeated conference champions in the ACC, six in the Big East, four in the Big Ten and four in the SEC. It happened twice in the Big 12 since 1996 (the league's first year after adding four teams and splitting into two divisions) and three times in the Big 8 from 1992-95.
Teams in the SEC and Big 12, generally considered the two best conferences, frequently miss top conference rivals. For example, Oklahoma doesn't play Nebraska or Kansas State this season. They benefit from the conference's pedigree without the annoying part of playing each other.
The other five BCS conferences also offer at least two pansies for their top teams to whip mercilessly. With Cal's unexpected resurgence, no Rutgers, Vanderbilts, Baylors, Indianas or Dukes are in the Pac-10.
Look at it this way: If Oregon lost Oct. 12 at UCLA, but rolled through its remaining schedule and finished 11-1, it's unlikely the Ducks would play for the national title.
In contrast, if No. 4 Tennessee loses this Saturday at home against No. 10 Florida, it could work its way back into the hunt, just as the loser from the Oct. 12 Oklahoma-Texas game probably wouldn't be out of the race.
While Pac-10 teams labor with arduous home stretches in November -- when defeats are most crushing -- Oklahoma plays Baylor, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State the final three weekends. Tennessee has Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Both will be having coffee with those pastries.
The SEC and Big 12 get the benefit of the doubt from national pollsters, particularly with its annual homage of lofty preseason rankings. Heck, Colorado, ranked seventh in the preseason, is 1-2, lost by 37 points at home to USC and looks undisciplined and soft, but still is receiving votes in both polls.
Moreover, the SEC and Big 12 have title games at the end of the year that can provide a helpful boost in the national polls and, by extension, in the BCS system.
Winning the nation's toughest conference won't be enough for a Pac-10 team to earn a shot at the conference's first consensus national title since 1972.
It's going to require an 8-0 run through the conference league schedule, something that few figure will happen.
P-I reporter Ted Miller
Monday, September 16, 2002
Pac-10 gets tougher, as do BCS hopes
By TED MILLER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Lost in the hype surrounding Washington State's defeat at Ohio State was the Pac-10's eight-victory weekend that established the conference as the nation's deepest.
Six Pac-10 teams are ranked in this week's Associated Press Poll, matching the Big 12. That hasn't happened since Sept. 18, 1989. The SEC and Big Ten both have four ranked teams.
If the Pac-10, which is 22-4 thus far in non-conference games, turns in another stellar effort this weekend, it's possible eight teams could find their way into the Top 25 for the first time in history.
For that to occur, four things must happen:
No. 23 California must avoid a letdown at home against Air Force after a shocking domination of Michigan State on the road.
No. 20 UCLA needs to sustain Colorado's "Return to Diffidence" at the Rose Bowl.
Oregon State will have to beat Fresno State at home.
Arizona must win at No. 22 Wisconsin and impress voters with a 3-0 mark that includes a quality victory over Utah.
If the planets align and all that happens, Washington's schedule suddenly could become a rugged gauntlet of seven ranked teams over the final eight weekends, the lone holdout being Arizona State.
Those eight Pac-10 opponents are 20-2 in non-conference games, with the defeats coming from Nebraska and Ohio State.
That means, once the UW rolls over Wyoming this Saturday and Idaho (yawn) the next, a home schedule previously -- and fairly -- viewed as lame, now could feature four opponents ranked -- at least at some point -- in the Top 25 (Cal, Arizona, UCLA and Oregon State).
Of course, Cal and Arizona figure to fall before they face the UW. Cal plays Washington State and Arizona plays Oregon the weekends before they visit the Huskies.
Pac-10 play, however, is typically loopy and unpredictable. Therein lies part of the conference's annual problem when it comes to producing a national title contender.
The other five Bowl Championship Series conferences feature at least one team ranked ahead of every Pac-10 team. The Big East, SEC and Big 12 have two teams ranked ahead of No. 9 Oregon.
That's a lot of makeup work for the only BCS conference that hasn't won, or even played for, a national title over the past five years. Only twice since 1992 has a Pac-10 team finished unbeaten in conference play. It's hard to imagine, considering the conference's depth, any squad will emerge unblemished this year.
Perfect league records are fairly common in other BCS conferences. Since 1992, there have been seven undefeated conference champions in the ACC, six in the Big East, four in the Big Ten and four in the SEC. It happened twice in the Big 12 since 1996 (the league's first year after adding four teams and splitting into two divisions) and three times in the Big 8 from 1992-95.
Teams in the SEC and Big 12, generally considered the two best conferences, frequently miss top conference rivals. For example, Oklahoma doesn't play Nebraska or Kansas State this season. They benefit from the conference's pedigree without the annoying part of playing each other.
The other five BCS conferences also offer at least two pansies for their top teams to whip mercilessly. With Cal's unexpected resurgence, no Rutgers, Vanderbilts, Baylors, Indianas or Dukes are in the Pac-10.
Look at it this way: If Oregon lost Oct. 12 at UCLA, but rolled through its remaining schedule and finished 11-1, it's unlikely the Ducks would play for the national title.
In contrast, if No. 4 Tennessee loses this Saturday at home against No. 10 Florida, it could work its way back into the hunt, just as the loser from the Oct. 12 Oklahoma-Texas game probably wouldn't be out of the race.
While Pac-10 teams labor with arduous home stretches in November -- when defeats are most crushing -- Oklahoma plays Baylor, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State the final three weekends. Tennessee has Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Both will be having coffee with those pastries.
The SEC and Big 12 get the benefit of the doubt from national pollsters, particularly with its annual homage of lofty preseason rankings. Heck, Colorado, ranked seventh in the preseason, is 1-2, lost by 37 points at home to USC and looks undisciplined and soft, but still is receiving votes in both polls.
Moreover, the SEC and Big 12 have title games at the end of the year that can provide a helpful boost in the national polls and, by extension, in the BCS system.
Winning the nation's toughest conference won't be enough for a Pac-10 team to earn a shot at the conference's first consensus national title since 1972.
It's going to require an 8-0 run through the conference league schedule, something that few figure will happen.
P-I reporter Ted Miller
