Boy, I was little b*tch in high school. Show me a pretty girl who was willing to talk to me, and you could've stuck a fork in me right there. I fell hard and fast. So I guess that would make the Pacific-10 conference the little bitch conference of college football, right? After Week 1, the Pac-10 was perceived to be one of the elite conferences in football. It boasted four teams in the Associated Press top 25, including UCLA at #23, Oregon at #18, Arizona State at #16, and of course USC bearing the torch at #1. And like dominoes, the ranked reps of the Pac-10 would fall one by one, week by week.
After Week 2, UCLA had fallen off, with Cal taking its place. In Week 3, Cal and Arizona State would both stumble, leaving Oregon and USC as the only ranked Pac-10 teams. By Week 4, Oregon would fall as well, leaving USC all alone to guard the top spot against 24 non-conference teams. And almost fittingly, USC would lose in Week 5 to Oregon State, thus eliminating the only remaining reason to consider the Pac-10 a respectable conference.
As the Pac-10 spiraled down the drain, the already dominant SEC and Big 12 conferences would grow stronger, as Alabama, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State would all rise from the unknown into national championship contention. Even the perennial laughing stock of college football, known to many as the Big 10 conference, would begin to turn heads with the consistent dominance of Penn State and the emergence of Michigan State. To get an idea of just how dominant the SEC and Big 12 have become, just look at the Week 10 BCS standings. SEC and Big 12 teams are currently occupying six of the top 10 spots.
Some might see the sudden collapse of the Pac-10 conference as surprising, inexplicable even. I do not. When I look at the top 10 BCS teams, or any team that ever had a shot at the national title game for that matter, I see something that all Pac-10 teams (even USC) lack: Heisman-caliber talent (the exceptions being Alabama and Penn State, who have survived all season because of their defense and coach, causing me to question their legitimacy as contenders). Let us browse the list of current and former contenders.
Current Contenders
- Texas Tech - Graham Harrell has long been one of the most prolific passers in college football. And with Tech's upset win over Texas last week, Harrell and Crabtree have both convinced us that they are among the best in their respective positions.
- Texas - Vince Young mourners can dry their eyes. Colt McCoy. Enough said. Childhood buddy Jordan Shipley aint too shabby either.
- Florida - The numbers haven't quite been there for Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin, but don't tell me your bones still don't tremble every time they lace up their cleats.
- Oklahoma - Much like Harrell's, Sam Bradford's numbers are absolutely outrageous. And he's been putting them up against much stronger opponents.
- Georgia - I overheard ESPN anchors touting Matthew Stafford has the most talented NFL-caliber quarterback. I'm not sure I'd agree, but I guess that's why they're in the studio, broadcasting to millions while I'm sitting in bed writing this article and watching Gossip Girl. Knowshon Moreno, however, has not disappointed.
- Missouri - When a team has not one, but two Heisman talents, they're usually a lock for title contention. Unfortunately, not even the combined efforts of Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin have been able to compensate for Mizzou's horrendous defense.
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