Where'd The Pac-10 Go?

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.

Former Contenders

• 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.

In terms of talent, the Pac-10 can hardly compete with that of the aforementioned. Cal running back is just a sophomore, and will certainly contend for the Heisman next year. If Oregon State had simply discovered the explosive talent of true freshman Jacquizz Rodgers a few games earlier, they could easily be a ranked team right now. Other than those two, who do we have? Mark Sanchez? After Ohio State, sure. But since then, not even close. If the Pac-10 wishes to return to the prominence it enjoyed as recently as last year, the solution is simple: recruit some god damn talent (though I know this is much easier said than done).

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UCLA: The 59-0 Perspective

Wednesday morning at work…
USC Co-worker: Hey! I was looking for you on Monday! Do you have anything you want to say?
Me: Not really, I have zero to say about this weekend, if that’s what you’re referring to.
USC: Zero, like UCLA?
…end of conversation.

Four days have passed since the Mormons punished UCLA football in Provo, Utah and the sting is still reverberating through my body. My belief in the “mantra of relentless optimism” was overtaken by the destructive nature of reality. As I sat at my desk, I reached up to pull down my Rick Neuheisel poster but decided against it; I still had faith.

I understand that the score was 59-0. I know that the difference in all of Pete Carroll’s losses at USC accumulate to only 59 points. And I am very aware that UCLA ranks last in rushing. But from my relentlessly optimistic perspective, UCLA’s own foolish mistakes were 75% of the reason for the humiliating victory. UCLA fumbled the ball over three times, threw an interception, failed to convert two 4th downs, and had a field goal attempt blocked. Rick Neuheisel explains the aftermath,

“We were down 14-0, moving down the field, then Kevin gets hit in the back, the ball comes out and now it’s 21-0. We get a 9-yard gain on first down, and coming around the corner, Ray Carter fumbles and now it’s 28-0… They kick off, we fumble the ball and now it’s 35-0. We drive down and have a field goal blocked, they run it back into their short field and it’s 42-0. It’s not rocket science, you just have to play good football or things like that can happen to you.”

However intriguing this game was, we now defer attention away from the negative. UCLA is not as bad a team as one would imagine, they actually might be third or fourth in the Pac-10. In the past week’s games, Pac-10 teams demonstrated how weak they really were. Oregon, the only ranked team outside USC, barely managed to escape with a 2OT victory over Purdue (who’s kicker missed a game-winning FG at the end of regulation). Arizona State lost to UNLV, Arizona lost to New Mexico, and Cal lost to Maryland. In case you have not noticed, these Pac-10 teams lost to poor football programs in games they should have won. UCLA played a far superior opponent in enemy territory.

The Bruin rushing attack led by Chane Moline resulted in an abysmal 9 yards on 16 rushes, but UCLA is already at practice trying to improve the ground game. Derrick Coleman, a true freshman out of Fullerton, is expected to step into the starting running back role after 50+ touchdowns in his last two prep years. If Coleman proves to be a better runner than Moline and Carter, the implications are exponentially positive for the Bruins. Not only will a lot of pressure be released from Kevin Craft and the one-dimensional offense, the defense will finally be able to rest during games as the rushing game chews time off the clock.

At the end of week 2, there is not much to be happy or proud about. Reality gave the blue and gold a swift kick in the ass, but it also tells us that no matter how badly you lose, it is still only one loss. UCLA has played two top-tier teams and is 1-1 on the season (not bad). And after realizing how weak the Pac-10 teams are, I feel Neuheisel’s “mantra of relentless optimism” making a comeback.

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