Ok...Big 10 sucks...all my "picks" against Big 10 teams have come true. (Those are about the only picks I got right). All you detractors can feast on our carcass and KMA. :cry: I'll get over it later.
So why is a once defeated Big 12 team playing a once defeated SEC team for the NC and a once defeated PAC 10 is relegated to pounding on a Big 10 team in an also ran bowl?
Pac10 has a wild card in the NFL playoffs this weekend don't they? SEC and B12 play college football.
I wonder if Jo Co is rethinking his position that the B10 and PAC 10 should pull out of the BCS and return to the days of old when the B10 and PAC10 champs always met in the Rose Bowl. Frankly, given the brutal beat-downs that USC has administered to B10 teams in recent years, maybe it would be best for the B10 champ to play in the Motor City Bowl ( assuming that there will be a Motor City and a Motor City Bowl in the future).
Once again I think that USC still has an argument to be in the NC game. However, I'm not ready to anoint the Pac-10 as the toughest conference just yet. How quickly we forget that this conference went winless against the Mountain West this year. IMO, the showing by the Pac 10 should be making us ask how good the Mountain West is. Let's look at the Pac-10 matchups taking USC out as I don't think anyone will disagree with the fact that they are always a worthy adversary... Arizona vs. BYU This was a nice win for the Pac-10 giving them a little redemption for the conference's dismal performance against the aforementioned Mountain West in the regular season. Nice win. However, whether it is fair or not, this is still a win against a non-BCS team. I understand that the Mtn. West could easily be (and probably should be) a BCS conference but the fact remains that they are not. And to some, that's what matters. Cal vs. Miami This too was a nice win for an inconsistent Pac-10 team over a young Miami team. Jahvid Best showed that he's one of the best players in America. I could come up with some criticism I"m sure but I'm not gonna dig too deep to grasp at straws. Oregon vs. Oklahoma St. This was a very entertaining game. Oregon proved to be a worthy opponent to a tough Big XII team. Now, how good is the Big XII? We don't really know yet. This win could end up being the Pac's crowning achievement if Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma represent well. However, no matter how they perform the fact remains that Oklahoma St. was the 4th best team in the Big XII South. Oregon is, arguably, the second best team in the Pac-10. Oregon should win a game against the #4 team in the Big XII right? A good win nonetheless. Oregon St. vs. Pitt A 3-0 victory over a second rate Big East team is nothing to brag about. It speaks well to the defense of OSU but not much else. Yawn.... So, there you have it. Some quality wins to be sure and you can't ask for much better if you're a fan of the Pac-10. Overall, a solid performance that I think definitely places the Pac-10 in the conversation of best conference but let's see how the big 3 from the Big XII fares and how Florida and Bama look before going West Coast crazy.
I've got no issues with Fla. and Ok being in the title game...they deserve it. But we hear every year about how tough the SEC is (and it truly is) and how hard it is to go through it undefeated...I have no problem with that but I think that the Pac 10 has proven the same argument this year. I just hope that my conference gets back to where I can make the same argument. Honey...could you bring me the Makers Mark please?....thanks.
I think S. Cal is getting the short end of the stick on a pretty consistent basis. I am not that high on the Pac 10 and think it's pretty hard to say they are the best conference when they put only 5 teams into bowl games. They won all 5 but how would they have done if they put 7 or 8 into bowls as several other conferences did. However I believe that year in and year out S. Cal is the class of college football and how they get left out so many times baffles me. Last year I didn't think they deserved to be there, but this year they have an argument. I'm not saying they are better than Florida or Oklahoma just that they are very good. So you won't get any argument from me about S. Cal. Having said that I wouldn't give up the Gators spot.
Not only does USC have a great claim to being wrongfully shut out of the NC game but Tex. showed that it was better than OK on a neutral field. Quite frankly, the voters in the polls (and Heisman) are flat out stupid.
Aquila, I could do that, annually, to the SEC's bowl matchups. If the Big10 is the lot of tomato cans the media makes them out to be, you guys have a pretty sweet bowl lineup that is heavy with big10 and ACC yawners.... that is.. if the experts are to be believed. BTW-You are also taking into context only the bowl games. You want to take a closer look at how good the Mountain West conference is... Why? Tennessee lost close on the road to UCLA, and BYU put a 59-0 beat down on the Bruins. Of course, that same Tennessee team was beaten at home by Wyoming....a basement dweller in the Mountain West. Utah beats Oregon State and Michigan. Ahh to heck with it.. I could go on but there just isn't any point. When the numbers seem to indicate that this inbred circle jerk of a system is working, it is 'clear proof' that this thing works and the SEC rules the world. When the numbers point in other directions... everyone needs more evidence. This system sucks. Period. It was a cash grab set up by the SEC Commissioner and we're getting what we deserve by ever going forward with this nonsense.
BTW-I don't think the Big10 sucks this year. I think they have fared well in some games. I believe most folks thought they'd get smoked in some games that were very competitive. I don't think they are great shakes this year, but I don't believe they were held up to be any type of power conference this year.
Corey, I thought my post was pretty clear that the Pac-10 has an argument this year. I just like to take a closer look at how the bowls matchup relative to what place the opponents finish in the respective conferences. If you look at the SEC matchups, the SEC typically plays up, especially in years that they get two teams into the BCS. I think the Pac-10 had a very nice bowl season that provided some redemption for a subpar regular season.
You are very kind, sir...I did think that MSU and NW aquitted themselves pretty well, despite losing, and Iowa looked good in winning.
Corey, I hope your Dad lurks here from time to time to that he has a opportunity to chortle over the mopey, forlorn, and overly medicated B10 SB contingent. I appreciate your kind comments but I know you know we suck. For the third year in a row, the B10 champ was cornholed ( maybe I should use that term only when Nebraska in involved) in front of a national TV audience. Yes, Iowa won and Northwestern represented the best aspects of B10 football in the Alamo Bowl but those two teams accomplished are dwarfed by the drubbings received by PSU, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. MSU, the 3rd best team in the B10, performed credibly but was outclassed by Georgia, the 3rd or 4th best team in the SEC. My view is that the only school in the B10 that has the talent to be a true national championship contender is OSU and I suspect it will be next year if Beanie stays and Pryor continues to develop. But, when the B10 was going well we had three teams-OSU,M, and PSU-that could compete with anybody, solid programs at Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue and credible, and, at times, excellent programs at MSU and NW. Right now, Michigan is a mess, the Badgers are slipping under Bielema, Purdue is in transition, and Penn State fields solid but not dominant teams. The only teams other than the Buckeyes showing a solid upside for the future are MSU, NW, perhaps Iowa although it looks that Ferentz may leave. I don't think Brewster represents an improvement over Mason's teams although a much better recruiter; Illinois is as likely to go on probation as it is to improve and the Hoosiers are miserable. Maybe if the Bucks can wipe the smirk off Dr. O'Keefe's face on Monday, my mood will improve but, right now, Lloyd the Goldendoodle and I have agreed that on our nightly walks, we will only discuss the Red Wings, CCHA hockey and whether, per capita, Wisconsin has more alcoholics than Siberia.
Speaking of CCHA Hockey, when the heck did that become a massive 18 team conference? I don't follow much and haven't paid attention to conference membership at all, but I looked the other day and was shocked at how big that conference is, has it always been that big. Almost seems a bit unwieldy esp for Hockey.