Thomas Bean
8/13/2003
1. Big 10
2. Big 12
3. SEC
4. ACC
5. PAC 10
6. Big East
Big 10
Any conference that includes the defending national champion gets an automatic lift. But this conference has even more to offer. With Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Penn State and Minnesota, the Big 10 has six near automatic bowl-bound schools, and that doesn’t even include Illinois, Iowa, or an improved Michigan State. Indiana and Northwestern reduce the conference’s shine, but not enough to drop it from this perch…yet.
The conference had the best bowl record of any and returns stronger this year. Michigan is a championship contender and Purdue is on the cusp of being the Big 10’s Cinderella.
Big 12
Oklahoma, Kansas State and Texas are all ranked in the top ten and all three are poised for a championship run. Oklahoma State is very good too – or did you not witness the school’s resurgence the past couple of years, highlighted by back-to-back wins over the vaunted Sooners (two of OU’s four losses this century). With the likes of Colorado, Texas A&M, Nebraska and a giant-killer in the making Missouri, the Big 12 has good depth too. What hurts the Big 12 is having Kansas, Baylor and – at least this year – Texas Tech as the conference’s Sisters-of-the-Poor. Also, Iowa State will have to prove it can win without Sennaca Wallace.
SEC
While normally the SEC is the best conference in the land, this year it has to prove something this year. Auburn and Georgia look to be the strongest teams, but neither have the same aura as Miami, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State or Kansas State.
Top to bottom, the SEC is more even than any other conference. LSU could very well win the league. Vanderbilt is better than the worst school in any other conference. However, the parity is part of the problem. The conference doesn’t quite boast the top-flight teams of years past. Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Alabama are all teams that can be very good – even scary – but also have a lot to prove. South Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi State have all seen better days, though any one of them could pull out an upset.
ACC
When Miami and Virginia Tech join next season, this conference could very well be the best in the land. But that is next year.
Still, even this year, the conference is very good with four shoo-in bowl teams (all of which have a shot at a BCS bowl). Unfortunately that cannot be said of the bottom half of the league. While Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest (a bowl game winner last year could emerge as bowl teams, they are mediocre teams at best and will not make anyone shudder. North Carolina and Duke fans would be better served attending class than attending football games. Next year, though, watch out.
PAC-10
This is a conference that is always an enigma. Just when you think it will be strong, it collapses. Witness last year. Although Southern Cal continued to improve as the season progressed, the rest of the conference failed to field a decent defense.
This year, Washington was poised to be the best team, but Neuheisal’s blundering cost him his job and his team a shot at the Rose Bowl. The Huskies will still be good, but with a difficult schedule and little wind in the sails, they won’t be smelling roses. Southern Cal is still strong, but must replace its entire backfield, including Heisman-winning QB Carson Palmer. Oregon State has quietly regained strength, but cannot yet be compared to the Beaver team of a few years ago. Arizona State may be the best team in the league, so long as it can adequately replace stud DE Terrell Suggs.
Oregon and UCLA are decent teams, but lack the firepower of years past. The rest of the league consists of overachievers (California and Washington State) and underachievers (Stanford and Arizona) who will still achieve little this year.
Big East
The Big East has three dominant programs: Miami, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. Miami and VT are legit title contenders and Pittsburgh is good enough to finish as a BCS team. The rest of the league is much weaker. West Virginia is a solid, improving program and could finish in the top 25. Syracuse and Boston College are programs on the decline, and that angle is sharp. Near the bottom is Temple, a school getting booted out of the conference (whereas Miami and Virginia Tech are voluntarily exiting). At the very bottom is Rutgers with marginal hope for any victories this year.
http://www.jtthebrick.com/fanclub/ncaafans/article.asp?team=NCAA&id=39037
8/13/2003
1. Big 10
2. Big 12
3. SEC
4. ACC
5. PAC 10
6. Big East
Big 10
Any conference that includes the defending national champion gets an automatic lift. But this conference has even more to offer. With Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Penn State and Minnesota, the Big 10 has six near automatic bowl-bound schools, and that doesn’t even include Illinois, Iowa, or an improved Michigan State. Indiana and Northwestern reduce the conference’s shine, but not enough to drop it from this perch…yet.
The conference had the best bowl record of any and returns stronger this year. Michigan is a championship contender and Purdue is on the cusp of being the Big 10’s Cinderella.
Big 12
Oklahoma, Kansas State and Texas are all ranked in the top ten and all three are poised for a championship run. Oklahoma State is very good too – or did you not witness the school’s resurgence the past couple of years, highlighted by back-to-back wins over the vaunted Sooners (two of OU’s four losses this century). With the likes of Colorado, Texas A&M, Nebraska and a giant-killer in the making Missouri, the Big 12 has good depth too. What hurts the Big 12 is having Kansas, Baylor and – at least this year – Texas Tech as the conference’s Sisters-of-the-Poor. Also, Iowa State will have to prove it can win without Sennaca Wallace.
SEC
While normally the SEC is the best conference in the land, this year it has to prove something this year. Auburn and Georgia look to be the strongest teams, but neither have the same aura as Miami, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State or Kansas State.
Top to bottom, the SEC is more even than any other conference. LSU could very well win the league. Vanderbilt is better than the worst school in any other conference. However, the parity is part of the problem. The conference doesn’t quite boast the top-flight teams of years past. Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Alabama are all teams that can be very good – even scary – but also have a lot to prove. South Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi State have all seen better days, though any one of them could pull out an upset.
ACC
When Miami and Virginia Tech join next season, this conference could very well be the best in the land. But that is next year.
Still, even this year, the conference is very good with four shoo-in bowl teams (all of which have a shot at a BCS bowl). Unfortunately that cannot be said of the bottom half of the league. While Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest (a bowl game winner last year could emerge as bowl teams, they are mediocre teams at best and will not make anyone shudder. North Carolina and Duke fans would be better served attending class than attending football games. Next year, though, watch out.
PAC-10
This is a conference that is always an enigma. Just when you think it will be strong, it collapses. Witness last year. Although Southern Cal continued to improve as the season progressed, the rest of the conference failed to field a decent defense.
This year, Washington was poised to be the best team, but Neuheisal’s blundering cost him his job and his team a shot at the Rose Bowl. The Huskies will still be good, but with a difficult schedule and little wind in the sails, they won’t be smelling roses. Southern Cal is still strong, but must replace its entire backfield, including Heisman-winning QB Carson Palmer. Oregon State has quietly regained strength, but cannot yet be compared to the Beaver team of a few years ago. Arizona State may be the best team in the league, so long as it can adequately replace stud DE Terrell Suggs.
Oregon and UCLA are decent teams, but lack the firepower of years past. The rest of the league consists of overachievers (California and Washington State) and underachievers (Stanford and Arizona) who will still achieve little this year.
Big East
The Big East has three dominant programs: Miami, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. Miami and VT are legit title contenders and Pittsburgh is good enough to finish as a BCS team. The rest of the league is much weaker. West Virginia is a solid, improving program and could finish in the top 25. Syracuse and Boston College are programs on the decline, and that angle is sharp. Near the bottom is Temple, a school getting booted out of the conference (whereas Miami and Virginia Tech are voluntarily exiting). At the very bottom is Rutgers with marginal hope for any victories this year.
http://www.jtthebrick.com/fanclub/ncaafans/article.asp?team=NCAA&id=39037
