I’ll get an extensive post-Rose Bowl review up later when I’m off vacation, but here’s a few interesting facts to think about:

• Pac-10 is 5-0 in bowl games. Looks like USC didn’t have such an easy in-conference schedule after all
• USC is 21 for their last 22 in out of conference play with their win over Penn State – Another top Big 12 team is about to lose a bowl game (Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss). A supposed BCS championship contender losing to a middle of the pack SEC team, after Oklahoma State lost to Oregon. The Big 12 is looking much weaker than the pundits thought.
• Although the Pac-10 has gone undefeated, I will admit that the SEC has performed admirably so far. I expect Florida to win, so I put the fate of the SEC in Alabama’s hands. If Alabama can manage to win, I will claim them the best conference in the country.
• In case you didn’t notice, USC creamed another top 10 team in a bowl game. The score was at one point 31-7. Critics, give these guys the championship bid that you claim they deserve after every Rose Bowl, only to take that claim back the next season.

A field goal was the only score in the game as Oregon State blanked Pitt for the first time since 1996, and now the Pac-10 is 4-0 in bowl games, 3-0 against top 25 teams.

Well, well, it seems as if one of the best teams in the Big 12 has fallen to one of the better teams of the Pac-10.

Oklahoma State came within 4 points of beating the Texas Longhorns, and a team that beat conference champion runner-up Missouri.

But no, the Pac-10 is terrible, and the Big 12 is superior in every way. There’s no way a ranked team from the Big 12 could lose to a team from the Pac-10.

The Pac-10, aside from playing USC, had no tough opponents. They had a pansy schedule. Without tough regular season competition, there is no way that Oregon could beat Oklahoma state, who had to play the best of the best.

And then the Oregon Ducks running game made their statement in the Holiday Bowl.

Although Oklahoma State jumped out to an early 1st quarter lead, the second half was no contest, as Oregon scored five touchdowns to Oklahoma’s two.

Suddenly, the Pac-10 doesn’t look so weak.

Look for the Pac-10 to continue their bowl dominance today in the Brut Sun Bowl as Oregon State plays #20 Pittsburgh. Also, look for some exciting Big 12 and SEC Play. Kansas is playing Minnesota, LSU fights Georgia Tech, and Vanderbilt faces off against Boston College.

Watch out for Georgia Tech to hand the SEC another major loss after their monumental upset of the Georgia Bulldogs a few weeks ago.

Here are the bowl game results thus far:

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With a Mizzouri overtime victory vs. Northwestern, the Big 12 is now 1-0 in bowl games.

Still waiting on the SEC to flop big time this season.

Miami almost pulled the upset over the Cal-Berkeley Golden Bears.

Jacory Harris avoided throwing more than one interception to Cal’s vaunted pass defense, but a late game fumble–forced by Golden Bear senior Zach Follet– cost him an Emerald Bowl victory.

Jahvid Best didn’t help the Hurricane’s cause either, rushing for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Best saved the Golden Bears with his effort, as Cal looked outplayed by Miami for most of the game.  Miami will improve defensively over the next few years with their young squad, but yesterday’s Emerald Bowl was not their time.

After Cal’s exciting win, the Pac-10 is 2-0 in this bowl game season. If you watched the game, you noticed Jahvid Best’s explosiveness and speed. If you followed USC, you will remember that Jahvid Best ran for less than 40 yards in a 17-3 domination of Cal-Berkeley. Arizona was competitive against USC, and this was perceived as a weak game for the Trojans.

But then Arizona beats a ranked BYU, and USC’s schedule is not looking as weak as people thought it was.

The most important game for the “USC was cheated” club (of which I’m a member) is this tuesday, when the Pac-10 plays its first big conference matchup. Oregon plays Oklahoma State in what will become a very high scoring Holiday Bowl.

USC held Oregon’s strong offense in a 44-10 blowout early in the season. If Oregon beats Oklahoma State, look for rumblings from Los Angeles that their team was cheated from the BCS Championship once again.

Conference strength is nothing more than a false measuring stick. The best way to measure a team is by their out of conference schedule. The SEC has no tough out of conference schedule. Read the rest of this entry »

Finally, the next chance for the Pac-10 to prove to the critics that they are far from a weak division, as California plays the ACC’s University of Miami. Expect the Golden Bears to pull through and beat the Hurricances, just as Arizona beat a ranked BYU only a few days ago. At 7-5 overall, Miami is far from ranked…Should be childrens fodder for a California team that found itself in and out of the top 25 all year.

California boasts one of the best intercepting defenses (#3 with 23 INTs) in the nation, and also a very talented runner in Jahvid Best, who led the Pac-10 in rushing with over 125 yards per game.

Miami allows on average 146 yards rushing per game, and is too far from the higher rankings for me to count exactly where they stand. Also, their quarterbacking is reason for concern, as their quarterbacks throw just as many interceptions as they do touchdowns (19).

California excels in all the areas that are Miami’s weak points. Expect a California win, and a 2-0 bowl record for the Pac-10.

Last night, in the comfort of my basement, I watched USC trounce Georgia Tech 76-57. Better yet, I watched it with my friend Jimmy, who is a Georgia Tech student. What a great way to spend a monday night. (By the way, Jimmy is an amateur actor. Check out his cameo appearance in this short film–he’s the screaming guy that always ends up dead: The Greatest British Novel Ever)

So back to the game, with a couple quick notes/observations.

• The game was originally supposed to be officiated by ACC officials. Georgia Tech screwed this one up, so USC scrambled to get some Pac-10 referees for the Trojans’ home game in the Galen Center. This probably didn’t impact the game much, but it’s an interesting fact.
• True Freshman Demar DeRozan had his second straight game scoring in the high double digits with 17 points, one shy of his career-high 18. As DeRozan continues to feel more comfortable in the college game, watch for USC to finally meet expectations.

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So, after all the ranting I’ve heard about the BCS being inefficient, and my own ranting (on bleacherreport.com) that the Pac-10 is better than it looks, I decided to put myself to the test.

Throughout the season, I have argued that it was the Pac-10’s difficult non-conference schedule that made them seem weak. By splitting the number of games that they have won, the Pac-1o made themselves look worse than the incestuous SEC. The Big 12 I give some respect to. They played a few tough games outside of their conference. The SEC, however, continues to ride their reputation as a strong conference, and has yet to prove themselves in bowl play.

So now that you have the background to my argument, here’s what is really important: the stats. For the next two weeks, I will be logging a comparison of the Pac-10 versus the two “strongest” conferences in the NCAA. Hopefully, I will be proven correct in that conference strength means nothing when comparing an incestuous conference to one that actually plays difficult out-of-conference games. If I’m proven wrong, you may not hear from me for a while.

Pac – 10 Bowl Results

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