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"FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks said Tebow, the 2007 Heisman winner, would 'probably be about the fourth-best quarterback' in the Big 12, behind OU's Sam Bradford, Texas' Colt McCoy, and Texas Tech's Graham Harrell...

The Big 12's College Football Delusions

by Lucas Jackson Casablancas (Contributor)

23

358 reads

Opinion

January 05, 2009


"FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks said Tebow, the 2007 Heisman winner, would 'probably be about the fourth-best quarterback' in the Big 12, behind OU's Sam Bradford, Texas' Colt McCoy, and Texas Tech's Graham Harrell.

"Everybody is going to think Tebow should have won the Heisman,” he said. “But the right person won the Heisman, and we going to go out there and show the reason why he won it."

 

"He was so good that Brown says McCoy out-Tebowed Tim Tebow, Florida's 2007 Heisman winner, who is also one of McCoy's rivals for the award this year.

"He's done for this team what Tim Tebow has done for Florida," Brown said. "I can't imagine a player that means more to his team than Colt does to ours.""

 

"Tebow overwhelmingly won the Heisman voting in the South region and finished second in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, but he was third in the Southwest, Midwest, and Far West. He was left off 154 ballots."

 

Medical Encyclopedia: Delusions

A delusion is an unshakable belief in something untrue. These irrational beliefs defy normal reasoning, and remain firm even when overwhelming proof is presented to dispute them. Delusions are often accompanied by hallucinations and/or feelings of paranoia, which act to strengthen confidence in the delusion.

 

Types of delusion

Grandiose

Individuals with grandiose delusional disorder have an over-inflated sense of self-worth. Their delusions center on their own importance, such as believing that they have done something of extreme value.

 

When did it start?  How did it happen?

How did the Big 12 become so incredibly delusional, and seemingly overnight?  And no one noticed...

Correct me if I am wrong...but the SEC won the national championship the past couple seasons, not the Big 12.  

Don't tell them that though...they seemingly have lost all touch with reality.  I am almost afraid to see what happens when they wake up from their delusion in the middle of the beating Oklahoma is sure to receive when they face a real defense.

I saw what happened when Mr. Doback tried to wake the STEPBROTHERS Brennan and Dale...

I suspect waking the Big 12 delusional homers could be equally as dangerous.

The delusion wasn't just confined to the Big 12 though...the disease was so out of control it spread all across the country.  

For example, what killed Tebow wasn't really Big 12 homers leaving Tebow off their ballots. What killed Tebow was everyone else filling their ballots with the Big 12's overrated players rather than more deserving but equally handicapped SEC players who had to face brutal competition. So brutal in fact that Tebow's numbers looked pedestrian.  

But people need to understand that the SEC teams' offenses aren't subpar compared to Big 12 teams. Far from it.

The Big 12's rapid-fire offenses just aren't used in the SEC, not because the SEC doesn't have the talent, skill, or creativity to run them.  

The Big 12's offenses aren't used in the SEC because they simply won't fly there, not unless you happen to have a player like Tebow being used as the catalyst, such as last season when Tebow was breaking all kinds of offensive records. 

But it also took the Gators themselves having no defense to rack those numbers up as well. But unlike in the Big 12, you can't get to the championship without a defense in the SEC.

God help us if the Big 12's delusion allows them to beat the Gators though...I can only imagine how out of control the disease will be if that fluke happens by some miracle.  

But as Muhammad Ali said when asked by Howard Cosell about losing to less than stellar boxers..."even if you beat me...I'm still the best."  And that's no delusion.  It's a proven fact.  The SEC has the skins on the wall to prove it.

But the scary thing about delusions is that sometimes people believe in them so strongly they are able to accomplish things they have no business doing—such as the lowly Utes beating SEC powerhouse Alabama.

But there is also a physical advantage created when these mental delusions occur in college football.

The same advantage that created that mental delusion in the first place gives these teams an unfair physical advantage.  An advantage people don't even realize because the SEC still dominates even with this handicap.

People don't realize how these teams in bad conferences such as the Big 12 teams, USC, and Utah benefit from the reduced wear and tear of facing soft teams and soft defenses, game in and game out, through their entire schedule.

And lord knows the Big 12 players are certainly well rested and healthy due to facing far less resistance game in and game out than SEC teams.

This advantage is reduced greatly with the added preparation time before the National Championship game, but it is still there and still a significant factor.  

For example, Percy Harvin is still beat up this season from the beating he took last season trying to carry the Gators through the toughest schedule in football. Tebow too. I honestly find it hard to believe lightweights like McCoy and Bradford would last a couple consecutive games in the SEC.

Just ask Tebow and his two teenage sons...you know...the ones he brought to the Heisman ceremony...

Oh, wait...those aren't Tebow's teenage sons...those teenage boys are Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford! The two Big 12 QBs that beat Tebow in the Heisman voting.  I guarantee you, when they saw Tebow's menacing physique, I guarantee you, their delusions were busted!  And when the Big 12 homers see him in action, their delusions will be busted too.

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  1. ...

    Great article...yeah BIG-12 fans watched as they had close games against each other...and because they all had numbers in front of their names(rankings)....they assumed they were the clear-cut best...

    hmmmm.... TT(whom finished 3rd in the BIG 12, and who beat Texas)really showed their strength against Ole Miss....

    I think Texas will lose tonight to OSU..and I am also predicting UF to beat OU pretty good...

    wow some big-12 that is/will be...

    POTD and 5 stars..

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    Blah Blah Blah - we'll see! How'd Bama do against the Mountain West?

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      Bama, didn't play the Mountain West. They played a Top 3 team in the nation that is from the MWC. The only team that went undefeated and will likely get a share of the national championship.

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    The Tebow comment from Franks was just plain dumb, even if you think it and you shouldnt say it. Mack Browns comment was just marketing to try to get his guy the Heisman.

    Both the Big 12 and SEC only have 2 bowl losses, it is not like the big 12 is getting destroyed every game, the 5th, 6th, and 7th ranked teams in the big 12 won their games and the top two have yet to play. The second ranked team in the SEC was outplayed in every faucet of the game by a Mountain West team, while Utah is a great team, they had a much harder time scoring on TCU than Alabama. and I believe, the SEC is only conference to lose to a big 10 team this year.

    Dont get me wrong, right now, I would say the SEC is the better conference, if Texas and OU both win, I will consider that the Big 12 may be better, if they both win big I will be sure of it, but tody I would say the SEC is still the best, despite its second best team getting manhandled.

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    It's been sickening though how all season.. from the very beginning all we have heard about is the Big12. I remember early on is was Chase daniel being hyped like crazy. And everyone, especially from the Big12, acts like the Big12 has done something. What have they done? Put up a bunch of points on bad defenses. That's it.

    The next time some Big12 player says how great their QBs are I want to hear some journlist ask them why these great Big12 QBs haven't won a championship yet and the SEC has? Just ask them that and I will be happy. if someone had asked them that Tebow would have won the second Heisman he rightfully deserved and the Big12 QBs didn't deserve. You can say the Heisman is only for one season.. and that is absolutely true. But the fact these supposed great offenses haven't won a championship of late shows that the numbers don't add up.

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    Lucas, keep sipping that Gatorade! If the BIG 12s delusions let them beat Florida? What? That doesn't even make sense.

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    I hope you are right.. but FLUKES do happen. Especially in football. Chance plays a big part in football. I think that is why football is so popular, because there is such an element of chaos and that goofy shaped ball can bounce really funny sometimes.

    Add to that the incredible delusions in the Big12 and it honestly wouldn't surprise me if they got lucky. The mind is a very powerful thing.. and you know what they say.. Ignorance is bliss. just look.. the Big12's delusions won Bradford the Heisman after all.

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      Wow...already trying to CYA. I hope...? Flukes? Chance? Luck? Can you build that escape hatch any bigger?

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      Good job missing the entire point of my article. And the delusions continue. What you have to realize is that SEC teams are defying the odds just by even being in the NCG. Do you realize how much more incredibly difficult it is to have only one loss in a season in the SEC compared to the Big12 or any other conference? Especially when you are on your way to winning your second NCG in the last 3 years?

      And that is why, even if the Gators were to lose by some FLUKE, they have still really won. But for some reason people don't care about that... and that is where the delusion is created. All that matters to people are numbers, not intelligent reasoning. and that is why college football is such a joke.

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    Gotta love an article that quotes the meaning of the world delusion, then goes on to say that even if we get our asses kicked by OU we're still better! Perfect way to prove your own point against you!

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    You guys are all pissing up ropes. Utah beat Alabama, the team that lead the BCS for five consecutive weeks. The National Championship is nothing but a money game. And a big time effort for the BCS conferences to keep the money at their schools by virtually eliminating non-BCS teams.

    Yet, even though Utah got home teamed, even by the refs, they smash mouthed the Bammers.

    The Okies and the gators game has been a fix from the get go. Neither are qualified to be there.

    Just like everything in this world. It's all about the money.

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    Did you hear Colt McCoy and Mack Brown after the win in the Fiesta bowl just now? They both just said they were the best team in college football. LOL The delusions continue.

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    This fool's article is a good example of the SEC's delusion of superiority. The SEC is filled with average teams, and its teams play by far the weakest non-conference schedule of any BCS conference. You will rarely see an SEC team play a non-conference BCS opponent and, when they do, they almost always play on their home turf.

    Utah's thrashing of Alabama is a case in point. It exposed just how overrated Alabama and the SEC are. Alabama's non-conference schedule was a disgrace. It managed to parlay wins against powerhouse programs like Tulane, Arkansas State, Western Kentucky, and a weak Clemson team into a number one ranking. What a joke! If it had played a respectable non-conference schedule, it probably would have entered conference play with one or two losses and no one would ever have been talking about slapping a Number One ranking on them.

    The justification for SEC teams weak non-conference schedules is the supposed "bruising" conference schedule they have to play. There was nothing bruising about Alabama's SEC schedule this year. Arkansas, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Auburn were weak teams this year and LSU wasn't much better for most of the season. Alabama played only four tough teams, Utah, Georgia, Old Miss, and Florida, and it lost to two of them. That's nothing to brag about.

    The SEC maintains its myth of superiority by refusing to play anyone else. The Arkansas-USC games a couple years ago are a good example of what can happen if an SEC team actually plays a tough non-conference opponent. USC thrashed Arkansas in the home and a away series in 2005 and 2006 120 to 31. USC beat an Arkansas team 50-14 in Fayetteville in 2006 that ultimately went on thrash its SEC opponents to a 7-1 conference record. By the way, SC also thrashed Auburn 23-0 in 2003.

    The SEC is good and it has some great teams, but it is no where near as good as SEC fans believe. Hell, Utah blasted Alabama far worse than Florida did. I guess that means the Mountain West is the best conference in the country.

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      Finally, someone refers to the fact that SEC schools routinely play very weak Out-Of-Conference games. I am amazed that no sports journalist ever mentioned LSU's lowly non-conference opponents during their Championship run.

      Anyone checking this season's schedules will see that both the Big 12 and the SEC schedule FOUR TIMES AS MANY Division II schools as the PAC 10. Most people have never heard of Samford, or Tennessee-Martin, or Norfolk State or Wofford? USC has never played a Division II school, period.

      No wonder the SEC schools get higher national rankings early in the season - they are very likely to be 4-0 or 3-1 going into their conference schedule. The Pac 10 gets dinged because they are willing to play tougher teams, like Utah, BYU, Boise State and even lowly Notre Dame. I am willing to say that even this year, the Irish were tougher opponents than Samford.

      There is no proof that the SEC is any better than other major conferences, except that partisan fans in the Southeast keep saying so. Not many knowledgeable football fans in the rest of the country believe it.

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      Fred, you make some good points but you also make more bad ones.

      Your talking about the whole SEC and the only point your making is b/c Alabama lost to the #4 team in the nation. Alabama did have an easy schedule this year, but you cannot blame Alabama for that. It wasn't Alabama's fault that the SEC west and Tenn. wasn't very competitive this year. And you can't blame Alabama for scheduling a top 5 preseason Clemson team that turned out not so good. Although they still won 7 games?

      Alabama's Strength of Schedule should have been alot higher if the teams that they scheduled were as good as they normally are. And that's what led the to their #64 Strength of Schedule. Wait... Did I just say #64 Strength of Schedule... That's funny b/c were talking about how weak Alabama's Schedule was this year and what's funny is that USC has the #67 Strength of Schedule. Well... I guess your argument their just went out the window.

      Your comment about USC beating Auburn in 2003... So What... A 1 loss USC team beat a 5 loss Auburn team. Is that suppose to be impressive?

      Utah blasted Alabama far worse that Florida did? Ha, Are You Kidding? Alabama-Utah game was 31-17 and the Alabama-Florida was 31-20. Ha, since when was a 3 point difference a far worst blasting?? The only reason that Alabama got beat by as much as they did is b/c Utah scored 21 in the blink of an eye and forced a running team to try to pass the ball more.

      As for Arkansas thrashing their SEC opponents to a 7-1 conference record. First, they were 7-2 counting the SEC championship game and if you do the math Arkansas averaged only +8.5 points a game. A +8.5 points average against SEC teams isn't really thrashing all the SEC opponents now is it?

      I'll admit USC did have a tough non-conference schedule this year but they dont always. Just last year alone they played Idaho, Nebraska, and Notre Dame. And then USC gets to play Washington and Washington State every year. Ha, Alabama's two worst non-conference foes were alot better than Washington and Washington State.

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    Gary, SEC teams can schedule easy non-conference games b/c of the strength of schedule of going through the SEC. Other weaker conferences like Pac-10 need to schedule tougher non-conference games to increase their strength of schecule.

    LSU did play and destroyed a a top team in VT last year that went on to go to a BCS bowl game.

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      Brett, I think Fred's point about Arkansas was that 7-1 is a thrashing of the other SEC teams that year, as opposed to a 5-3 or 4-4 record. He may not have been talking about each victory as having been a "thrashing."

      USC does play Washington and Washington State every year, and this year those teams were bad. But it wasn't that long ago that Washington State finished in the top 10 nationally three years in a row (which is why the WSU coach, Mike Price, was tabbed to be Alabama's coach). Teams are up and down, which is how we explain Vanderbilt's recent success after decades of not much success.

      I do not mind if the SEC schools adopt a Kansas State philosophy of playing Division II teams. It is a great way to build confidence and avoid injury to starters. But we should at least admit that's what they do and downgrade these victories. Also, having a conference championship game in a 12 team league is tougher on the top two teams, but the other 10 teams get the benefit of playing 4 non-conference games, instead of three as in the Pac 10.

      The SEC had 48 non-conference games this year, with a record of 37-11. Very good, except 9 of the victories were against Div. I Championship schools (formerly Div. II). The losses were against West Virginia, Wake Forest (twice), Texas, Louisiana Tech, Georgia Tech (twice), Duke (how did that get in there), Clemson, UCLA and Wyoming (a 4-8 team with a 1-7 Mountain West Conf. record).

      There were some quality non-conference wins, but except for Vanderbilt over Rice, and Georgia over Arizona State (Pac 10 7th place), they all came from Florida (over Miami and Florida State, I'm not counting Hawaii or the Citadel).

      How can you call the SEC the best conference, when all the SEC teams have 3 or 4 wins over teams like Louisiana-Monroe, and Middle Tennessee and Western Illinois and Samford. Is South Carolina's 23-13 victory over Wofford a quality win? Does the Terriers gaudy 9-3 record make them a worthy opponent, when their wins are over Presbyterian and Elon? (The Terriers lost to James Madison, who beat William & Mary and Hofstra, but lost to Montana). You would have to play Cal State-Fullerton to get to this level of football in the West, and to my knowledge no Pac 10 team has ever played them.

      And if they have to schedule these weak teams because of the difficulty of going through the SEC games, how tough was it to go through Mississippi State, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky this year. Maybe South Carolina's success in getting to a bowl game this year is due to the fact that they had 3 of the SEC's worst teams on their schedule (all victories), along with O-O-C wins over Wofford and UAB. They split their more difficult non-conference games with NC State and Clemson. So they basically had five tough games with Vanderbilt, LSU, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida. I don't think that's any harder than the average Big 12 or Pac 10 team has to face.

      The SEC is a great conference, certainly equal to anybody else. But I just don't see the evidence that it is overwhelmingly better than the Big 12, or Pac-10 (I am not a fan of the ACC or Big East, but others are).

      To sum up, until the SEC schedules more than 20 reasonable non-conference games out of 48, they shouldn't be considered far and away a superior conference to everyone else. Equal to, sure - but not better.

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      Gary, If Fred meant that than he sure didnt word it like that. And yea, washington state was good not to long ago.

      Cal over Michigan State was the Pac-10's only quality win against non-conference foes except for USC who beat Ohio State.

      I've never said that the SEC was the best Conference this year. Before the season started I was saying that this was gonna be a down year for the SEC. I've thought the Big12 was the best conference this year all year long. But the SEC is still better than the Pac-10. And now that Ole Miss beat TT and Texas had that unimpressive win over Ohio State i'm thinking that the Big12 might not be better than the SEC this year afterall. It looks to close to tell right now.

      It's a down year for the SEC and the SEC is still considered to be the the top conference this year along with the Big12.

      According to CBS These are the Rankings of Strength of Schedules of the SEC and the Pac-10.

      SEC: Average 33.3
      Florida #3, Georgia #5, Arkansas #7, South Carolina #29, Ole Miss #31, LSU #43, Auburn #48, Vandy #52, Mississippi State #53, Kentucky #55, Tennessee #59, Alabama #63

      Pac-10: Average 66.5
      Oregon State #30, Washington #37, Cal #61, UCLA #66, USC #67, Stanford #68, Arizona State #70 Oregon #76, Washington State #78, Arizona #112

      You can express your opinion about the easy non conference games making the SEC schedule weak all you want to. I'm not buying it though. Pac-10 is 3rd best in my opinion. You think USC could win the SEC 8 years in a row? I'm not trying to say that they couldn't win the SEC b/c I think they would compete every year for the SEC but there is no way they could win it 3-4 years in a row much less 8.

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    Brett, I wouldn't hang your hat on the claim that USC couldn't win the SEC 3 or 4 years in a row because the conference is just too tough. If you check the history of SEC Champions, you will find that from 1991 to 1996, Florida was the SEC Champ five out of six years. I was alive and following football then, and I am quite sure that SEC fans would not have said the conference was weak because they had the same school win it almost every year.

    I just think that the SEC. Big 12 and Pac 10 are pretty comparable. There will be variables from year to year, but each conference

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    Sorry if this is a repeat - I don't think my entire post was submitted.

    Brett, I wouldn't hang your hat on the claim that USC couldn't win the SEC 3 or 4 years in a row because the conference is just too tough. If you check the history of SEC Champions, you will find that from 1991 to 1996, Florida was the SEC Champ five out of six years. I was alive and following football then, and I am quite sure that SEC fans would not have said the conference was weak because they had the same school win it almost every year.

    During that same 1991 to 1996 period, 7 different Pac 10 schools owned or shared the conference title. Since 1990, USC has won or shared the Pac 10 title 9 times (shared 4 times-since no conf. champ. game). Since 1990, Florida has been the SEC Champ 8 times. Since Florida had to prove itself the best by winning a conference championship game, it could be argued that Florida is an even more dominant team in the SEC than USC is in the Pac 10. I grant that USC has done it more recently, but it coincides with Pete Carroll's presence. Urban Meyer may be on his way to accomplishing the same thing in the SEC. With a great coach like Meyer, and the recruiting benefits of national and SEC championships, Florida is beginning a dynasty. Does that make the SEC a weaker conference? By your reasoning it does.

    I just think that the SEC. Big 12 and Pac 10 are pretty comparable. There will be variables from year to year (witness Tennessee's performance this year), but each conference is good.

    My point is that when a PAC 10 team is really bad, like Washington and Washington State this year, they at least go down swinging against non-conference foes like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame , BYU, Hawaii and Baylor (and a 48-9 win against lower division Portland State). Compare that to bad SEC teams like Kentucky and Mississippi State, who look better to those not paying attention because of non-conference wins are over lower division SE Louisiana and Norfolk State, along with Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky and Louisville. When they played tougher teams like Louisiana Tech and Georgia Tech, they lost. The Pac 10 scheduled 2 "Championship Division" teams - both wins. The SEC played 9 such teams - every one a win.

    If as many Pac 10 teams scheduled Northern Arizona, Portland State and Eastern Washington as often as the SEC plays Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky, there would be a big jump in the win column. But I think the higher level of competition pays off - witness the 5-0 bowl record of the Pac 10 this year.

    Another thing to consider: if each SEC team played 9 conference games instead of 8, guess what, 6 of them would almost automatically get one more loss every year. That's what scheduling easy teams gives a conference - a better overall record to impress sports writers who don't even watch Pac 10 games (picture LSU having to play South Carolina or Vanderbilt this year instead of 1-11 North Texas).

    If you want to use the CBS Strength of Schedule rankings, then the Big 12 comes out as the best conference - a 30.5 average against the SEC's 37.33 (448 divided by 12).

    Sorry my posts are so long, but this subject really gets me going. The superiority of the SEC is a myth. My Dad went to Auburn, and a big part of my family lives around Tuscaloosa. But I live in San Diego, and I watch the Western teams. I thought that Utah's win would calm down the misplaced hype, but I guess now I have to root for Oklahoma to win.

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      Ha, At least keep your argument in the same decade. In the last eight years USC has been No.1 in the Pac-10. Could USC be No.1 in the SEC for eight years... The answer is NO. Just the past 3 years alone we've had 2 different national champions. And a few years before that we had Auburn and LSU get left out of the National Championship game after going undefeated. Sorry man, Pac-10 is just not as good.

      I dont know why you brought up the Big12 in this argument b/c I wasn't saying that the SEC is better than the Big12 this year. But your post helps my argument about the Pac-10 being third behind the SEC and the Big 12.

      And I guess you didnt root hard enough for Oklahoma.

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    Brett,

    Congrats on Florida beating Oklahoma. Not actually having a real rooting interest, I was hoping for a more exciting game (maybe I mean more scoring) - it was exciting in that it was close. Florida won the game with its two goal line stands in the first half.

    If I have to keep my argument in the this decade, at least that's an argreement from you that the SEC wasn't that good back when Florida was a team that could dominate the rest of the conference. Maybe our children will look back on this decade as a time when Florida was doing it again.

    I would match USC up against Florida or Alabama, but the question is about the conference, not the individual top teams (and USC shared the title. Oh well, I'll never win this argument. The SEC is very good. But my only point is, to get the conference real respect, not just the top teams, they need to stop scheduling such easy out-of-conference games. As long as the SEC keeps doing that, it diminishes the respect it gets. I'm sure you know these concerns come from fans all over the country, not just the PAC 10. All conferences schedule some weak O-O-C games (and the Big 12 is right up there), but nobody does it as much as the SEC, and nobody does it from top to bottom like the SEC.

    How many SEC teams are going to schedule Utah? At least Oklahoma is working on improving its schedule (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/topstories/stories/010709dnspooubyulede.3dabddb.html) and not playing Chatanooga again.

    On to next year!

    Gary

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    Dont get me wrong Gary, I think the Pac-10 is a great conference too. I'd like to see somebody compete with USC every now and then though. USC is probably the best football program in the country along with florida. If USC was in the SEC they would give other SEC teams fits. I just dont see the depth in the Pac-10 after USC. I think the Pac-10 should add Utah and Boise State. If that happened the Pac-10 would instantly get more respect.

    The biggest reason the SEC schedules weaker non conference games is b/c it's smart. Plain and simple you get an advantage from scheduling one or two weak opponents the way the college system is set up. But even with the weaker ooc scheduling the SEC still has a good strength of schedule. You say that 9 conference games doesn't help the Pac10. It helps most of the pac10 teams when that 9th game is washington or washington state (except for strength of schedule). Not one team in the SEC is as bad as either of those 2 teams.

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