Pete Carroll Vs. Urban Meyer: Who's No. 1?

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Strength of Schedule

While Carroll has won two titles and seven consecutive Pac-10 titles, he coaches in a much weaker conference. The SEC is full of great players and teams, making road wins a daunting task in places like Knoxville and Baton Rouge.  

The simple fact that one team has won the Pac-10 for seven seasons in a row reeks of mediocrity. No other team in the Pac-10 is a national contender besides Southern Cal, while LSU, Alabama, and Georgia are powers in the SEC.  

Advantage: Meyer. His SEC wins are more valuable than Carroll’s Pac-10 pastings.

Preparing Players for the NFL

Carroll is a former NFL head coach who knows how to prepare players for the next level, and most of his senior starters are guaranteed to be draft picks. That Mark Sanchez could start only 16 games at USC and be on his way to starting for the New York Jets in his rookie year is no coincidence. Heck, Matt Cassel couldn’t break Carroll’s starting lineup, but he’s now a starting quarterback in the NFL.

You could call USC Tailback U, Linebacker U, Lineman U, Quarterback U, or any other “U” you can think of because Carroll churns out NFL players at every position.

Meyer’s team produces NFL players too, but he hasn’t produced as many high-profile offensive players as Carroll has defensive players. Meyer’s strength is quality, as Tebow and Harvin were two of the best players in the country for two years in a row, and Harvin was a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings.

Advantage: Carroll. He’s a defensive coach who has produced three Heisman Trophy winners and three quarterbacks who were drafted in the top 10, and he essentially has the only pro team in L.A.

There’s no truthful answer to the question, as the responses will vary based on geography, personalities, and other prejudices.

But what would college football be like without subjectivity?

There’s a mythical national championship decided by writers, coaches, and computers. Bowl selection committees make choices every year to determine which teams they like most.

Maybe the question will be answered on Jan. 7, 2010 in the BCS title game.

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