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Another football season come and gone, and yet there's no doubt in anybodies mind which conference is still the top to bottom strongest conference in the nation, the ACC. Okay fine, it's the SEC, but isn't anybody getting a little bored of always seeing them on top? Well the Big XII obviously is as they finished in a much closer second than what we've seen in recent years.
Mediocrity really presided on the rest of the conferences. Once again the ACC was a huge disappoint, and joining them at the bottom is the Big East. The Pac 10, again, really needs more parity before anyone truly cares about the west, and the so called building dynast out in Trojan land. The Big 10 took a collective step forward last year and saved face after what was quite possibly their most embarrassing year ever. What's in store for us this year? Well quite possibly the tightest National Title race yet, thanks to 35 draft picks from the SEC. Many of these teams, with the glaring exception of Florida, are either rebuilding or trying to plug up pretty damn big holes this season, I'm looking at you Arkansas.
The ACC should be looking better with some brilliant recruiting classes as well as the simple fact that it couldn't get much worse than last year. Several ACC teams are gearing for a comeback with some pretty young talent and a couple of favorable schedules.The Big East on the other hand is falling quickly. The comeback kids, who lost their three big guns in Miami, VaTech, and Georgia Tech are finally starting to feel the absence of having such top national exposure. Pittsburg was the only Big East team to snag any good recruits and the Big East really hasn't done itself a favor lately, but I'm still pulling for a USF crown and possibly bright spot for the Big East. The Pac 10...what can I sat I'm still waiting for this to even develope into a conference at all. Call me when these guys get a second, or god forbid third, team to contend with USC for more than 1-2 years, yeah you Oregon, UCLA, Cal, Arizona State...okay fine you've all had your day. Not Stanford though, they don't get a day (kidding I remember that game don't worry). The Big 10 should be as steady as we always see them, and Ohio State, a year older, should be getting stronger. and people should be on the lookout for Penn State and Wisconsin, I just might see good things for them. Michigan, though they had a tumultuous year, is in for an even bumpier road this year as they're in an obvious rebuilding season. Oh, Big XII North, when will you return to playinf football. Probably not this year as Nebraska still don't look poised to regain the helms of the Big XII North and Kansas being their best bet (maybe Missouri too). The South on the other hand...well it's not following history of North vs South rules. Top to bottom, with the exception of Baylor, who themselves will probably end up with a winning season, is at the strongest it has been in years. This may unfortunately lead to the SEC syndrome, god help any who face them, but they'll probably beat the crap out of each other. You know, though, that I can't simply leave it at that, so expect in the coming days and possibly weeks, depending on my schedule, for a more in depth look at each conference, as well as my final predictions for each and eventually my picks for next season. Stay tuned. |
