Pac-10 Report: League May Not Be Able to Fill Its Bowl Commitments

[GAVol]

UGA looked like they were making progress, but seem to have reverted back to their no out of conference road games policy after getting embarrassed at Colorado.

I never understand when people get up in arms about who UGA does and doesn't schedule. They play a neutral site game every year against Florida and they have a built in OOC game against a BCS opponent. Also, I'm pretty sure Clemson is coming back on their schedule soon.

 

[milohimself]

I never understand when people get up in arms about who UGA does and doesn't schedule. They play a neutral site game every year against Florida and they have a built in OOC game against a BCS opponent.

The neutral site deal with Florida works out to be a wash, and Georgia Tech has fielded about three good teams since cfb integrated. Not saying Georgia needs to schedule the best of the best every year, but going over half a century without leaving the south for a non-conference game is pitiful. They finally get some home and homes, take a beatdown in Stillwater and a loss in Boulder, and they go right back? Weak. They have a home and home with Louisville on the horizon for whatever that's worth (probably not much), other than that, its Coastal Carolina, New Mexico State, Buffalo, North Texas, Appy State and Charleston Southern on the way over the next few years.

Again, after what happened to Auburn in '04, I'm kinda surprised more SEC teams aren't at least trying to get home and homes with top 25 type programs. Since there's no playoff, simply being in that conference guarantees nothing at the end of the season.

 

[chavisut]

I think the perception of the SEC is different now than it was then. If an SEC team goes undefeated right now, they're in.

 

[milohimself]

How? I'm hearing the same stuff now that I was in '04. It was endless that year; "How in the hell do you leave an undefeated SEC team out of the national championship?!"

 

[kptvol]

How? I'm hearing the same stuff now that I was in '04. It was endless that year; "How in the hell do you leave an undefeated SEC team out of the national championship?!"

But there aren't two super squads like USC or Oklahoma this year that started the year as the favorites and never lost. The only team like that at all was from the SEC and already lost a game.

 

[milohimself]

Auburn is again behind the 8 ball in the human polls. Oregon's computer rating is going to jump significantly over the remainder of the season if they keep winning.

Doesn't matter, though, Auburn is going down at Bama, and the Tide are the only threat from the SEC to play for the title this year.

 

[chavisut]

How? I'm hearing the same stuff now that I was in '04. It was endless that year; "How in the hell do you leave an undefeated SEC team out of the national championship?!"

In '04, there had been one SEC NC in the previous 4 seasons. Now, there are four/four.

 

[milohimself]

In '04, there had been one SEC NC in the previous 4 seasons. Now, there are four/four.

I don't know if I buy that logic... If you do it, then you have to take Boise's two BCS wins into consideration for their NCG hopes this year.

All I heard early in the season was how unimpressive much of the SEC looked, and the Pac-10 pulling off impressive wins and looking good, along with the Big Ten doing the same.

Not advocating for one over the other (I still think the SEC is the best) but a lot of that logic is simply not congruent.

 

[chavisut]

Just think the perception of SEC dominance has changed since then IMO, IMO.

 

[tvolsfan]

I think the perception of the SEC is different now than it was then. If an SEC team goes undefeated right now, they're in.

Seems to be that way. Especially when the other contenders are Mid Majors. If Auburn runs the table, they'll be number 2 at worst in every poll.

 

[tvolsfan]

Auburn is again behind the 8 ball in the human polls. Oregon's computer rating is going to jump significantly over the remainder of the season if they keep winning.

Doesn't matter, though, Auburn is going down at Bama, and the Tide are the only threat from the SEC to play for the title this year.

Auburn's already number 1 in the BCS, and they have chances to get a couple nice wins. If they win out, there really isn't a scenario where they get left out, but I think they'll lose, too.

 

[droski]

I'll say that if you're a team shooting for bowl eligibility, the Pac 10 is can be almost as tough or possibly tougher, unless you get a murderous draw out of the SEC, which happens at times. But if you're aiming for perfection, I definitely think the SEC has a tougher road.

this is basically what i've been arguing.

 

[tvolsfan]

Fair enough, but I felt like you were arguing that the Pac 10 is far superior after the top couple of teams, and I felt like you were going too far. I do think that balance in the Pac 10 has a bit to do with the fact that there aren't as many programs capable of sustaining a powerful program.

I'm really glad Tennessee has proven to be a historically strong program, because if not, I'd have serious doubt about their ability to get back to where they were from about 1989-2001.

 

[droski]

i'm arguing the gap isn't what you guys think it is.

 

[tvolsfan]

i'm arguing the gap isn't what you guys think it is.

I don't really think it's enormous, especially not this year. I tend to put more weight on the upper tier, so that's why I feel like the SEC has been much stronger in most of the past few years.

 

[milohimself]

It has been stronger... Any sane Pac-10 fan will readily admit that. What Pac-10 fan doesn't like is SEC fan thinking his conference will run all over the other one top to bottom, when we know most people in EST either don't stay up late enough to actually watch Pac-10 games and determine that, or before this year, were unable to see the majority of Pac-10 games because they're only on FSN regional coverage. You can't judge what you don't see.

I'm still crossing fingers that after the Pac-10 finishes expansion next year, that there is a new bowl tie in between Pac-10 and SEC. Preferably Pac-10#3 vs. SEC#4 or better.

 

[Nightowl]

What Pac-10 fan doesn't like is SEC fan thinking his conference will run all over the other one top to bottom, when we know most people in EST either don't stay up late enough to actually watch Pac-10 games and determine that, or before this year, were unable to see the majority of Pac-10 games because they're only on FSN regional coverage. You can't judge what you don't see.

I'm still crossing fingers that after the Pac-10 finishes expansion next year, that there is a new bowl tie in between Pac-10 and SEC. Preferably Pac-10#3 vs. SEC#4 or better.

+1 for all of that.

 

[SEC Nightmare]

Yea, use a cutoff date. The SEC has a better overall record than every other conference. They're 6-0 in BCS title games.

That "winning record against the SEC" is nonsense, unless the #1's are playing the #1's, the #2's are playing the #2's, and so on. USC beating up on a few of the SEC's lesser ranked teams is meaningless.

Lets not forget it is just that. " A BCS Title game" --However, we maladaptively think of it as a NCAA championship. Other sports with playoffs win NCAA Championships...College footballs system is about generaing $$ not finding out who the best team is.

Its all about the mythological championship. Its not a matchup of the best vs. the best. The credibility of the BCS is garbage. A playoff is needed bad. Think about it…all you have is two undefeated teams or a 1 loss team playing in a game..then you crown them Champs of college football? How?

 

[SEC Nightmare]

It has been stronger... Any sane Pac-10 fan will readily admit that. What Pac-10 fan doesn't like is SEC fan thinking his conference will run all over the other one top to bottom, when we know most people in EST either don't stay up late enough to actually watch Pac-10 games and determine that, or before this year, were unable to see the majority of Pac-10 games because they're only on FSN regional coverage. You can't judge what you don't see.

I'm still crossing fingers that after the Pac-10 finishes expansion next year, that there is a new bowl tie in between Pac-10 and SEC. Preferably Pac-10#3 vs. SEC#4 or better.

Great post.

 

[GAVol]

The credibility of the BCS is garbage.

It's maybe not ideal, but in reality the BCS has done exactly what it was supposed to do; put a process in place to determine #1 and #2 and then have them play at the end of the year. It's light years better than the system that it replaced.

 

[SEC Nightmare]

It's maybe not ideal, but in reality the BCS has done exactly what it was supposed to do; put a process in place to determine #1 and #2 and then have them play at the end of the year. It's light years better than the system that it replaced.

But now we are saying "ah this is okay because it's better than that"

 

[tvolsfan]

But now we are saying "ah this is okay because it's better than that"

It's better than scrapping the system and changing the game everyone loves to institute a 16 team playoff which would make the regular season far less exciting. The reason college football is so popular has a lot to do with the way it is throughout the year.

 

[Zenitram]

This is kind of a silly thing to argue. The middle teams in the Pac-10 this year are very weak and no one has separated itself from the pack. Couple that with a tough OOC schedule that the Pac-10 is known for, and the fact that USC can't go to a bowl game, it shouldn't be at all surprising that bowl commitments are not being met.

 

[Volmania]

Comparing Bowl records is not really a fair way to measure the SEC vs PAC-10

SEC teams provide the opposition for the top-ranked non-BCS bowl team from three major conferences.

The #2 Big Ten team plays an SEC team in the Capital One Bowl
The #2 ACC team plays an SEC opponent in the Chick-Fil-A bowl
The #2 Big 12 team plays an SEC team in the Cotton Bowl

Whereas the PAC-10 strongest Bowl opponent is the #3 team from the Big-12, followed by the #5 teams from the Big Ten and ACC.

Clearly, the 2,3 and 4 teams in the SEC draw much tougher bowl opponents than the 2,3 and 4 teams in the PAC-10

 

[LSU-SIU]

The difference between the SEC and other conferences is the defensive line. Huge, strong guys that can run. Everything else is fairly even but the DL is an enormous gap.

The SEC usually dominates the bowl games even when they are ranked up against top teams in other leagues. They'll match a low SEC team with a 2 loss Big 10 team and call it even.

Pac 10 is ok but basically there is no middle or the middle is very weak more like.