Husker Fans do travel very well. They have flooded Austin each time the Huskers have played there and they flooded South Bend when they played there. They travel to bowl games very well as the corn is already in the barn!! Like most teams these days they have 1 big home/home game with the other 3 OOC being at home and against weaker competition. This year they open with 3 straight weak teams and finish with Va. Tech, so they don't leave the B12 region at all this year. Next year they go to Va Tech. So they really only get out of the B12 region 1 time every other year. The Irish get out of the Midwest Region to go to Chapel Hill, Boston, Baltimore, L.A. and Seattle. But it's not really a fair comparisson. I have no doubt if the Huskers went independent they too would be travelers like the Irish. Terry
Since 2000 both Arkansas and Oregon State have each played in 6 bowls with the best one being the Fiesta for Oregon State and the Cap One for Ark. That's pretty similar stuff.
You know in a way Notre Dame is in a conference. One of the key ingredients to a conference is playing the same teams every year. In that vein. The Notre Dame Conference is... Michingan Purdue Michigan State Navy USC They are always on the schedule. Sort of like being in a conference with Divisions. 5 games every year against the same foes. Then we have games from the "other" Division Stanford Boston College The rest are our OOC games. Terry
since 2000 <t>you are doing a good job of diminishing Arkansas. You SEC fans crack me up. You dump all over teams that travel to play big games if they dare lose them. Each and every post you lay down here has a contempt for the SEC West that is only surpassed by your contempt for the Big10. I just don't see it and the action on the field doesn't seem to indicate your opinions are based in reality.<br/> <br/> You're comparing Arkansas and Oregon State since 2000.... ok fine. Using your numbers, your teams and in your years.... Oregon State is a much better team than Arkansas. Congrats... all you did was show that the Pac10 is a whole hell of a lot deeper than many SEC fans like to admit. <br/> <br/> It must kill you that USC slaughtered an SEC team on their home field in the same year that team went on to play for the SEC Championship. After USC pasted the Hogs @ Arkansas, that same Arkansas team reeled off 10 straight wins... Your case is far from air tight.<br/> <br/> By now I am sure you are wondering... Corey, how do you possibly get that Oregon State is a much better team than Arkansas since 2000?!?!?! You're such a Pac10 homer!!<br/> <br/> Well I will tell you... Starting with the 2000 season:<br/> <br/> Oregon State is 5-1 in bowl games. (wins over Notre Dame x2, Maryland, New Mexico and Missouri; lost to Pittsburgh)<br/> Arkansas is 1-5 in bowl games in that same time period. (win over Missouri; losses to UNLV, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri)<br/> <br/> Arkansas by year<br/> 2000: 6-6<br/> 2001: 7-5<br/> 2002: 9-5<br/> 2003: 9-4<br/> 2004: 5-6<br/> 2005: 4-7<br/> 2006: 10-4<br/> 2007: 8-5<br/> TOTAL: 57-42<br/> <br/> Oregon State by year<br/> 2000: 11-1<br/> 2001: 5-6<br/> 2002: 8-5<br/> 2003: 8-5<br/> 2004: 7-5<br/> 2005: 5-6<br/> 2006: 10-4<br/> 2007: 9-4<br/> TOTAL: 63-36<br/> <br/> Oh sure, Oregon State isn't doing this against SEC monsters. The last time we saw Oregon State against an SEC foe, LSU paid Oregon State to be a sacrificial lamb in the home opener and escaped with a 22-21 win (Boise State hung 53 points on that Oregon State team the next week).<br/> <br/> BTW-that year USC beat Arkansas 50 to whatever and Arkansas went onto play for the SEC title, Oregon State did beat USC that year.<br/> <br/> Well this has been fun but... I have no idea what this upcoming season will bring, and that goes for the Pac10/SEC matchups as well. One thing is for certain... if the Pac10 team loses, I will offer congrats and say the best team won that day.. If the SEC team loses, you will still be diminishing that club and making excuses for the loss...or referring to it as 'one of the great wins in the history of XXXXXX program'..... I've seen it before... I will, hopefully, see it again.</t>
Somehow this got turned around. I was comparing Oregon State to Arkansas as comparable middle tier teams of both conferences that are mostly pretty decent but not conference elite. I think that's a fair comparison. The point made was that USC had two wins over Arkansas in that 4 that you mentioned. And again....in the 10 wins McFadden played such an important role that he finished second in the Heisman. In the game vs. USC he had a serious foot injury and was severly limited and it hurt the Hogs on defense as well because the offense had no TOP. But then again I am sure having to pass once behind had something to do with it as well. But that said...teams can let games get away from them early and come back to have decent seasons....just ask Tenn last year..... 8)