In 24 Hours, Pac Ten Went From Clear Winner to Clear Loser in Expansion

[MadBadger]

A mere 24 hours a go, the Pac 10 was going to have sixteen teams, taking the big boys from the Big 12. It would be hard to see this as anything but a coup for the conference. Now however with Texas, Oklahoma, OSU, Tech, and A&M remaining in the Big 12, I think the Pac 10 is the big loser. They currently only have Colorado, and I guess will go after Utah? So they land one team from a big conference (not really a big fish in any sport), and one team from a mid major. I dont think thats what they had in mind at all.

And no, I dont have an irrational hatred of any conference, unlike some people












okay, maybe I hate the SEC and have no respect for Big East football

[a la izquierda]

1. I'm so irritated...

OU has to follow Texas around like some sick puppy. And now we have a shit conference to show for it.
I hope we beat the pants off the Longhorns in October.

[HuckleB]

2. The Pac 10 stands pat. It doesn't lose anything it didn't have.

[depakid]

3. For all who really think that- my post from another thread here bears repeating:

...if we get Utah the PAC 10 still gets stronger- without the undue moneyed influence that surrounds the Texas schools.

Colorado is an excellent school academically- with a very good law school and medical school. Plus, the TV market expands- Denver is a huge TV market for the PAC 10. If we get Utah, then we add Salt Lake City. With 12 teams, the PAC 10 would be able to create two divisions under NCAA rules and have a PAC 10 championship game.

Plus, the TV revenues would be great. The Big 12 has been mortally wounded. With 10 teams, it cannot have a championship game under NCAA rules. The PAC 10 is stronger, not weaker. Additionally, it will be poised to add additional teams in the future. The three big super conferences will be the Big 10, SEC and PAC 10- and the SEC and PAC 10 are the strongest by far. Texas was too conservative and did not want to have to play hard teams week after week. And- I think Stoops had a lot to say about it too.

The PAC 10 pulled a coup by forcing things with Colorado and Nebraska and cannibalizing the Big 12- which now really only has 2 good teams and 2 mediocre teams and 6 awful teams and no chance for a championship game for Texas or Oklahoma.

[HuckleB]

5. I think you're spot on about Texas avoiding tough games week in and week out.

Kudos to Nebraska for trending away from that long-held strategy.

[fishwax]

6. Stoops was actually excited about the Pac 1x move

(Though I imagine he wasn't thrilled about the prospect of coaching against his brother every year.) Oklahoma consistently has one of the highest strength of schedules. They weren't frightened of the Pac 10.

[depakid]

8. Not sure about scheduling Utah State and Airforce next year...

Then again, the Ducks have Portland State and New Mexico in non-conference play, so that's nothing to brag about either.

[fishwax]

10. everybody plays a cream puff or two -- they've also got Cincinnati (on the road) and Florida State

I think they added Utah State because another team backed out (can't remember who it was, though, and I may be getting this confused with the last time they played Utah State a few years ago).

Air Force isn't a great team, of course, but they're a passable mid-major--this year's game is the completion of a home-and-home that goes back to the beginning of the decade.

[Upton]

4. I like the Pac-10 just fine...

never wanted Texas or Oklahoma anyway,.. and now with Colorado and probably Utah there will be enough teams to hold a conference championship game..

You're just bummed because the Big Ten's big "coup" is the Corn Bowl....:rofl:

[Condem]

11. "Farmageddon", Upton.

Get it straight.

[JonLP24]

7. I don't see how they're losers in this

They didn't lose any teams unlike some other conference and Colorado isn't bad. They are in a rough spot right now but long term they will be alright. I wouldn't mind Utah at all. Those two teams can't be any worse than Washington State at this point.

[HuckleB]

9. Utah is strong, and it would only get stronger in the Pac 10.

[Capt. America]

12. Texas is the big winner because they have their "own" conference with only one team as competition

(Oklahoma) and no championship game to worry about. Perhaps they should call it "UT and friends" or "automatic UT BCS game" conference.

[fishwax]

13. Texas and OU both have one game -- on a neutral field, no less -- for the conference crown

That game in October is going to be huge :)

In all seriousness, though, while it's easy to make that claim, the conference isn't as weak as the initial (over)reactions would have us believe. Obviously the conference loses something in terms of history with Nebraska and Colorado, but the two combined have won only one conference championship this century (Colorado in 2001). And of the remaining teams, all but two (Kansas State and Baylor) have played in a bowl game in the last two years, and all but three (A&M being the third) has *won* a bowl game in the last three years. That's pretty comparable to the Big 10+2, where all but two have played in a bowl game in the last two years, and there are five teams that haven't won a bowl game in 3+ years. Baylor is the only Big Xii team that hasn't won a bowl game this century, while the Big 10 has three (Illinois, Indiana, and Northwestern). Half the Big Xii teams have gone to bowls for five straight years, and three have bowl streaks dating back to the Clinton administration. In the Big 10+2, only three have a five-year streak and only Ohio State has 10. On average, the remaining teams in the Big Xii have played in--and won--more bowl games than the teams in the Big 10+2.

Of course, bowl games don't tell the whole story. But my point is that, while the quality obviously drops after Oklahoma and Texas, there are still good teams in the Big Xii.

[hughee99]

14. The reason it's good for the Pac-10 is that they added a conference championship.

Having a big win over a good opponent at the end of the season gets you more BCS love than beating a mediocre conference team. This will help them get more shots at the National championship and winning the Pac-10 will mean more to the BCS than winning the Big-12 (or whatever they'll be called now).

I look forward to now listening to the Big 12 fans now say how they don't need a conference championship game and the Pac-10 talking about how much tougher it is on them because they have one, at the end of this season.

[JonLP24]

15. They need 1 more team

They just have 11. They need 12.

[hughee99]

16. If they added one, they'll add another. n/t

[JonLP24]

17. I hope so n/t

[thatsrightimirish]

18. I can't see Utah turning them down

By joining the Pac 10 the University will get a lot more exposure both athletically and academically. Make a lot more money. And land recruits from California. They will be crazy not too.