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Written by Jason Macor
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Monday, 09 October 2006 |
 I'd been avoiding this conference (and of course leaving our beloved ACC for last), because I know the least about it. I'd like to think of myself as a pretty knowledgeable person when it comes to college football, but the Pac Ten has never really presented itself to me as a particularly competitive conference. About 4-5 years ago Oregon had perched itself on top of this overtly mediocre conference, and only recently has USC presented itself to be a perennial powerhouse on the national stage.
I've no love lost for this conference for the simple reason I didn't think USC deserved national champion consideration the year Auburn went 13-0, they were a far better team. Once again the BCS had proven its inadequacy, just like the year they allowed an FSU team that had lost to Miami get decimated in their National Title berth, while Miami went on to destroy Florida.
With that said, this will actually be an intriguing conference to watch. I'm of the opinion that losing over 93% of your offense is not a reloading, or even a retooling year, it is a rebuilding year. That's not to say I expect USC to lose 5-6 games, far from it, I just believe this opens up the possibility for other teams to scramble to the top.
First off I apologize for writing this after the first full day of college football, but I can now say confidently that you can write off Cal as a contender for anything. The dismantling by Tenn. answered for that. It does seem that the state of Oregon is poised for a big comeback this year, catching up to both Arizona and California. In fact, with the exception of USC, I don't see much competition coming out of that state, but Arizona still poses a threat.
Look out for ASU, after dropping to USC by only 10 last year, the third closest margin of victory for USC only behind ND and Fresno State. If this High powered offense could get just a little bit of defensive support, look for ASU to have at least 8 wins come seasons end.
So what was for 4 years a one man race could possibly turn into a 4-5 team power struggle that will see the Pac Ten out of National Title contention for the first time in the same span.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 April 2007 )
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