Is College Football East Coast Biased?
Why the Pac-10 Isn't as Good as the Other Major Conferences
Shut up.
It's clear after seeing the Pac-10 "compete" against the other conferences that they are nowhere near the same level as the other conferences. Let's start with the biggest of these games. The California Golden Bears of the Pac-10 came into this season ranked #9 in the country and were supposed to be one of the few tough games for the USC Trojans this season. The Tennessee Volunteers came limping into this season after having their worst season in 20 years. Final score was Tennessee 35, California 18. The California Golden Bears had absolutely no answer for Tennessee Volunteers and were actually down 35 - 3 after three quarters and didn't score their last 15 points until the Tennessee Volunteers pretty much quit playing.
I can picture what it was must've been like in the locker room after the game. All the California players hung their heads in shame, many of them teary eyed because their National Title hopes were gone after just one game. One guy final speaks, "did you see those guys out there, it wasn't fair!" "Yeah I know", another probably replied, "that one guy threw me down on the ground, he was trying to hurt me!" After many more players complained I imagine the coach probably decided to speak. "I'm really sorry guys, I should've prepared you guys better", the coach says. "You see in other parts of the country, they use a different strategy than us. You see in the East, South, and Midwest whenever a team has the ball, instead of just standing around waiting to get the ball back like here in the West, the other team does whatever he can to stop them. It's actually quite genius!" A hush falls over the crowd, amazed at this new found knowledge. The coach continues, "It's called DEFENSE!"
For the past several seasons one of the West Coast's claim to fame is the high scoring games. A normal game in the Pac-10 ends with both teams scoring points in the 40s and 50s. Since they score in the 40s and 50s and the teams in the SEC and Big 10 score in the 20s and 30s that MUST mean the Pac-10 is better right? Right?? Wrong. The Pac-10 doesn't score more because their offenses are better, they score more because their defenses are worse, their defenses are pretty much nonexistent. Last year the California Golden Bears scored 32 points per game. Yet, they could only score 3 points against the Tennessee Volunteers until Tennessee stopped playing in the fourth quarter. Another Pac-10 team, Washington State, averaged 33 points per game last year. They played the Auburn Tigers this year and managed just 14 points. The Arizona Wildcats managed just a field goal against the LSU Tigers. The Washington Huskies had an offensive explosion compared to the other Pac-10 teams as they scored a whopping twenty against Oklahoma. Oregon State only managed 14 points against Boise State! Boise State isn't even in one of the six major conferences. Washington State managed just 15 points against Baylor, the worst team in the Big 12. Washington scored only 21 against Fresno State, another non-major conference team.
It's not only clear that the Pac-10 hasn't seen defenses like in the other conferences but it's also clear the Pac-10 team didn't HAVE defense either. These other conferences that were supposedly inferior offensively were dropping touchdowns on Pac-10 teams all day. Tennessee scored 35 against California. Oklahoma scored 33 against Oregon and 37 against Washington. Boise State whooped Oregon for 42 points. LSU dropped 45 points on Arizona and Auburn scored 40 on Washington State.
In games where a Pac-10 team played another team from one of the other five major conferences the Pac-10 got outscored 289 - 224 over ten games. That's an average score of 29 to 22. That's not too bad. However, if you take out the USC Trojans, clearly the Pac-10's only good team, then it becomes 276 - 146, which makes the average score of those eight games 34 - 18. Like I said, USC is the one exception here. They've proved through bowl games, championship games and non-conference games that they can hang with anybody. However, since the Pac-10 is clearly not as good as the SEC it makes me wonder why USC was ranked #1 and played for a National Championship in 2003 for going undefeated in a pathetic Pac-10 while Auburn went undefeated in the SEC and finished #3 and didn't even get a shot at the championship. Currently in one poll Auburn once again sits #3 with USC ahead of them at #2 and I wonder, if all three of the top teams go undefeated will Auburn get snubbed again despite the clearly better conference? They shouldn't, the toughness of schedule should be a major factor in the rankings and unfortunately for USC that means they should be hurt by the weak competition in the Pac-10.
The bottom line for all you Pac-10 fans is this. Quit your whining, you got your chance to prove yourself and with the exception of USC you failed miserably. The teams in the Big 10, ACC, SEC, and Big 12 don't get talked about more than the Pac-10 because of a biased towards the east coast, they get talked about because there is a biased towards teams that are actually good…and Notre Dame.
Published by Lee Andrew Henderson - Featured Contributor in Sports
I was born, I wrote, I died. View profile
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10 Comments
Post a Commenttheyre not baised, pac-10 just sucks balls
The SEC always plays an additional game at the end of the season, something the Pac 10 does not. This game is for the conference championship. Usually the two teams that play have not lost more than one game each and are highly nationally ranked. One of them has to loose and does not get a BCS bowl bid. This happens almost every year. I do agree in years past USC has had some of the best football teams in the sport, but when you play the entire season and the quarterback dosen't even get a scratched elbow, there is a problem. If you recall, two years ago, Tennessee lost two quarterbacks within a couple of games. That is when Claussen came in as sthe 3rd string QB and finished the season.
Get real Pad 10.
5. The non-conference game I already explained.
A) The SEC can't choose anyone they want to play, the other team has to agree. You haven't sat in the SEC teams' offices for all you know the SEC aren't playing non-conferences game because nobody wants to play them.
B) If USC went to Auburn and Arkansas then didn't Auburn and Arkansas also go to USC?
C) Tennessee?? Are you serious? They played Miami in '02 and '03, Notre Dame in '04 and '05 and Cal in '06 and '07. Georgia plays Georgia Tech every other year.
D) Even if they play easier non-conference games their schedules are STILL harder due to their conference.
As for why the voters don't think the SEC teams are better. Well last time I checked Florida just jumped over USC. And there are 6 SEC teams in the top 25, 3 Pac-10 teams.
3. You're right the Pac-10 did have a lot of top ranked offenses last year, you know why, because they don't play defense, they would get crushed by SEC defenses.
4. 9 Pac-10 teams have finished in the top 10, 7 from the SEC have. All that proves is that the Pac-10 is easier. Teams can finish in the top 5 easily because they play one or two hard games, in the SEC you play so many hard games it's tough to stay in the top 10. Just look at Ohio State and Auburn this year. Ohio State is going to be #1 going into the Michigan game. Why? Not because they're going to beat a bunch of good teams along the way, but because they don't play anyone until then. Auburn has already lost. Why? Not because they suck, because they have to play Arkansas, Georiga, Florida, Alabama, and LSU all in one season.
1. You're crazy if you think Cal and Oregon would compete in the SEC. Tennessee destroyed Cal and Oregon got destroyed by Cal, you do the math.
2. Everyone after the bottom four in the SEC isn't good?? Ok, now I know you know nothing about the SEC because Florida, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama are all top 25 caliber teams. South Carolina could beat the bottom teams in the Pac 10 and maybe Kentucky too.
"It's obvious you're one of the people who doesn't bother to stay up late and watch Pac-10 football games." Sure I watch a lot of Pac-10 games of course it's not like you're not OBVIOUSLY a biased Pac-10 fan or anything. "While it's true Cal got stomped by a team from the SEC that's probably only third best in the conference" What's your point? Tennessee is fifth best in the SEC, fourth at best, so I'd say the fifth or fourth place team in the SEC destroying the third place team in the Pac-10 shows how unequal they are. "Plus last time I checked USC has put up roughly 100 points against Arkansas " Which i why I said USC was an exception, did you read the article?
"Know the facts" I know the facts. Not only did I represent my case in my article, but also knew all the facts in your comment. Even though your argument was not very good at all.
"but 6-2 vs. all other SEC teams"
1. FOUR of those wins were by USC, who I admitted was a good team.
2. The other two wins were against MIss St., oooo, congratulations on beating a 3 - 9 team and a 2 - 10 team
I don't see how this proves that anyone other than USC is good.
"Pac-10 teams will play anyone anywhere"
Because you work for every Pac-10 school and are there when they schedule their teams right? You know for a fact that a SEC team hasn't offered to play a Pac-10 team and a Pac-10 teams hasn't just refused? Please, you don't have a clue who any Pac-10 teams is willing to play unless you're there when they make the decision
"they even used the new 12th game to add another conference game to their schedule. What did the SEC do"
Again, the SEC can't choose anyone they want to play, the other team has to agree, it's possible they try and get turned down. Even if they do play an easy non-conference game their schedule is STILL harder than a Pac-10 schedu
It's obvious you're one of the people who doesn't bother to stay up late and watch Pac-10 football games. While it's true Cal got stomped by a team from the SEC that's probably only third best in the conference, it's also true that they did score 18 points against them. I get it they quit playing. Oh wait, nobody in Division 1-A football calls off the dogs when they're up big. If Philip Fulmer's team quit playing in the fourth quarter he's got some explaining to do. You seem to be able to point the finger really well at the Pac-10 teams, at least give credit where credit is due. Before USC lost to Texas last year in the Rose Bowl, USC's only other loss in the last three years was versus Cal. Nobody else beat USC, not from any other conference. Plus last time I checked USC has put up roughly 100 points against Arkansas the last two years combined, and last time I checked that's considered horrible defense, and the Razorbacks don't play in the Pac-10. Plus check out t
Easy to dis the Pac-10 after the fact, but coming into this season no SEC team, besides LSU, had beaten at Pac-10 team in FIVE years. Including this year's Arizona loss the Pac-10 is 0-3 vs. the Bayou Bengals in that span but 6-2 vs. all other SEC teams. And check out the three LSU wins: One was the 2004 lucky escape at home versus Oregon State, courtesy of three missed PATs; one was the miracle comeback at Arizona State last year; and the third was two pounding of a poor Arizona team. And did you notice that 3 out of 4 of those games were at LSU and the third was orginally scheduled to be at LSU. SEC teams never travel out west. USC beat Auburn at their place in 03, in fact they shut them out. Pac-10 teams will play anyone anywhere, they even used the new 12th game to add another conference game to their schedule. What did the SEC do? Know the facts.