Posted on 08/03/2007 5:31:12 AM PDT by GOP_Raider
Whether or not you like the Pac-10, you have to give the left coast league its just due for being the BCS conference that does the most for college football
Beyond getting it right by scheduling all the teams to play each other (wake up Big Ten: figure out how to make this happen), it does the best job of pushing itself out of conference.
Outside of Arizona (who’s making a respectable trip to BYU), every Pac-10 team plays a non-conference game against a BCS-league team or Notre Dame. And we’re not talking about showdowns with Duke and Baylor here.
California vs. Tennessee, Oregon vs. Michigan, USC vs. Nebraska, Washington vs. Ohio State and Washington State vs. Wisconsin highlight the non-conference match-ups, and there are plenty of other juicy ones throughout the year. There’s only one embarrassment against a D-IAA team when Oregon State hosts Idaho State.
But does the league get any love east of the Mississippi for playing it tough? No. The national perception is that it’s still USC and a bunch of other teams. That will only change once the Pac-10 starts winning some of these big match-ups.
Oh sure, Cal blew away Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl, but the Bears were all but dismissed by the SEC after an opening-day loss to Tennessee. UCLA is remembered for choking late against Notre Dame and being the one team Florida State was able to run over. Even when the non-USCers pulled off a seemingly really big win (Oregon over Oklahoma), it wasn’t exactly a clean victory.
It doesn’t matter; the league should be applauded for having teams willing to put themselves on the chopping block. This year, the tough games aren’t going to be limited to the non-conference showdowns.
(Excerpt) Read more at cfn.scout.com ...
Although back in '04, Auburn did get through the SEC unscathed and still didn't get into the BCS title game.
Right. The ole powerful Pac 1 and the little 9. USC and all the others.
The difference is, this year you have South Carolina and Kentucky which should be more competitive, and Ole Miss should be better this year as well. Other than Vandy and Mississippi State, I think the other 10 SEC teams could all be bowl eligible.
I'd say, "Unoficially"
It will be interesting to see how well Boise does this year in foosball...I live in Ideeho and the word on the street in Boise is that the team won't be as good as last season, but they will be good. Should be fun.
Cheers
I'll lead this investigation. :)
I live in Ideeho
Hey, me too! :)
South Carolina I believe, but with UK I need some more convincing. Do they have a lot of guys coming back from last year?
I think most of UK’s offense is coming back, the big question, as always with Kentucky, will be their defense.
Well, I am a female but I truly have to say that is a good looking bevy of cheerleaders...They are beautiful! No matter men have to look too much....! Its fine with me as long as they know where to hang their hat! LOL~~~~~~Looking is healthy......
Luckily for me, I don’t have a “hat hangin’” place, so I always figured that gave me carte blanche...being unattached and all. :)
Although I tend to remember them more for beating the tar out of my Utes to start off last season. This year’s game in Salt Lake should be a good one.
I guess you are a young guy who really has all the freedom to look all you want! I am without a hat-hanger now as I lost my husband three years ago. I still love football and if I don’t have company I jump up and yell like an idiot! Its fun! I always think “if someone should walk up to the door, they would think I was crazy”. I talked to a girl that was on this thread today and we found out we only live 20 miles apart...isn’t that strange?
You guessed correctly!
I suppose that’s why I try to save my cash so I can go to games in person so I’m not yelling and screaming at my house. :) That and it’s a great excuse to tell you people you like to travel.
Probably Lloyd Carr and Charlie Weis...
I have a USC ring on my finger, and I don't really believe in jinxes, although I've been known to shine it at the TV screen when things got tough in the ridiculous hope that I might affect the next play.
The bottom line going into this season is that USC should have one of the best football teams ever assembled in college football history.
They've been ranked #1 or #2 in recruiting high school talent for at least 4 years now.
Those guys are the players, and Booty is probably, or at least possibly, the next Heisman winner.
It's not a question of talent for USC. It's a question of whether they can live up to the expectations placed upon them. It's not easy being ranked #1 coming out of the chute. Every game you play is someone else's Super Bowl.
I have two grown sons, one is happily married, the other is divorced for ten years and has a serious love interest now. They are engaged but have broken up three times. They worry me a lot but I have to keep my mouth shut! The married son loves football and the unmarried son likes some of it but he is not crazy like me and his brother!
Or in the case of, say, Idaho, it's somebody's paycheck. :)
I heard, but don’t know for sure, that the Idaho game was scheduled as a thanks to a former USC coach, who may not even be there anymore.
Regardless, it’s going to make a ton of money of them to come to USC and get slaughtered.
Yeah, I think that former coach might have been Tom Cable, who is now on Lane Kiffin’s staff with the Raiders.
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