Is Southern Cal Really This Good?

[poly51]

Division I College Football Sports Betting News


By ANDREW BAGNATO
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LOS ANGELES (AP) -When Pac-10 football coaches gathered here for media day, their whimpering drowned out the jet engines at nearby LAX.

How, they cried, are we supposed to beat Southern California?

From the backfield to the secondary, the top-ranked Trojans have more talent than anyone in the nation - and maybe anyone in history, according to Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.

``There is no question in my mind that USC is the best team in the country and may be the best team in the history of college football,'' Harbaugh said.

One coach privately said he'd picked USC to finish second.

``In the NFC West,'' he said.

You'd think the Pac-10 had decreed that USC would be given five downs this season. Or that the Trojans' field goals - not that they'll have to settle for field goals, mind you - would be worth four points.

``When you watch SC play, it's a horror film if you're an opponent,'' Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson said.

Every horror film needs a monster. So does college football.

We love our underdogs, the assorted Boise States, Wake Forests and Rutgers. But monsters give the rest of the country something to shoot at.

Pete Carroll's black shoe brigade is shaping up as the latest in a long line of scary teams.

Go back to the 1940s, when Notre Dame and Army ruled the land. In the 1950s, Oklahoma's NCAA-record 47-game winning streak was truly monstrous. Alabama, Texas, Miami, Ohio State and Nebraska have all played the monster role over the years.

This isn't to pooh-pooh parity. Without it, we'd never have seen Boise State tailback Ian Johnson propose to his cheerleader girlfriend moments after the Broncos stunned Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Little guys bring charm to the campus game. But at some point parity begins to morph into mediocrity. For evidence, check out the NFL, where they reward 9-7 records with playoff berths.

In college football, it's good to be great. But there's a difference between a great team and a monster.

Monster teams have the unique ability to create ripples from shore to shore. This summer, USC's presence has been felt down in the humid corners of the Southeastern Conference. LSU coach Les Miles created a stir when he claimed the Trojans had an easy road to the Bowl Championship Series title game because they play in the Pac-10.

When the Trojans' game at Arizona State was moved to Thanksgiving night for ESPN, the Sun Devils acted as if they'd been chosen for ``American Idol.''

Likewise, they're already circling the dates - and the wagons - for USC's visits to Nebraska on Sept. 15 and Notre Dame on Oct 20. The USC game is shaping up as the biggest game of the year in Lincoln and South Bend - and it'll be the biggest in many years if the hometown teams can pull off an upset.

When a monster team tumbles, the thud reverberates across time zones.

Ask any Longhorns fan where they were on Jan. 4, 2006, when Texas took down the top-ranked Trojans in the Rose Bowl. They may still have the ticket stub in their wallet, assuming it's not mounted over the fireplace.

If you want to see a Penn Stater smile, just say ``Vinny.'' Memories of the Nittany Lions' Fiesta Bowl victory over Miami, sealed with a handful of Vinny Testaverde interceptions, and the 1986 national title that went with it come gleefully rushing back.

What does it take to be a monster?

It helps if your trophy case has an elevator. Think of USC's Heritage Hall.

Monster teams often are coached by men so big they require only one name - Bear, Woody, Ara, to name a few.

From time to time, a monster's tentacles will extend beyond the playing field. OU's athletic dorm in the 1980s is but one example of monstrous excess.

The 2007 Trojans have yet to earn the monster title. They enter this year riding a winning streak of ... one. That leaves them 33 shy of the Pac-10 record set by Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and friends from 2003-05.

USC may not even be the best team in LA; if head-to-head records count, that distinction belongs to UCLA, which beat the Trojans last December.

But that was then and this is now. After turning down plenty of NFL money last winter, Carroll went back to the lab, put on a white coat and began tinkering with test tubes.

He's cooked up a roster with enough potential NFL players to keep Mel Kiper Jr. drooling until draft day.

Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis and defensive end Lawrence Jackson are potential All-Americans. As are all three of USC's linebackers. Offensive tackle Sam Baker has received national honors the past two years.

Now that sophomore tailback Emmanuel Moody has transferred, the Trojans are left with nine - count 'em, nine - tailbacks on scholarship. All of them were big-time recruits.

And let's not forget quarterback John David Booty. If all goes well, he could become the fourth Trojan to win the Heisman Trophy in six seasons.

``I think SC has to beat themselves, to be quite honest about it,'' Washington State coach Bill Doba said.

What if they don't? Everybody grab a pitchfork. A monster's stirring in the West.

---

Andrew Bagnato covers college football for The Associated Press. Write to him at abagnatoap.org.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

August 17, 2007 at 23:02 PM ET

[Marcus Garvey]

I think USC is that good. If you look back at their last 3 losses (UCLA and Oregon St. in '06 and Texas in the '07 Rose Bowl), they were beaten by the same team: Themselves.

Stupid mistakes cost them those games. I'm not taking away from the performance of Texas or OSU or UCLA, but without the Trojan mistakes, those teams would have all lost.

Will USC go 13-0 and finish #1? I don't know. The best team doesn't win every game because of mistakes. But I haven't seen a college team this scary since Nebraska in '83. Keep in mind, they lost the Orange Bowl.

[lizrdgizrd]

Don't these kind of teams usually end with NCAA investigations?

[Marcus Garvey]

Don't these kind of teams usually end with NCAA investigations?

xnodx xnodx xnodx xnodx

[lambertjr]

Why don't they hand them the trophy right now? Everyone is already acting like they are the uncrowned champs.
Here's a thought....Why even play the season? USC is going to win it all and if they lose a game it's because USC just sucked real bad that day.
I'm not a fan of USC and I'm not a USC hater either, but they are the one team I can't wait to see lose this year.

[TxSt02]

i just got a field pass for the UCLA-USC game... its gonna be sweeeeetttttt

[CopperCat]

Why don't they hand them the trophy right now? Everyone is already acting like they are the uncrowned champs.
Here's a thought....Why even play the season? USC is going to win it all and if they lose a game it's because USC just sucked real bad that day.
I'm not a fan of USC and I'm not a USC hater either, but they are the one team I can't wait to see lose this year.

Agreed. Cal, UCLA, and maybe even OU will give USC a run for its money. Who knows, maybe Notre Dame grew a defense in the offseason and will prove to be formidable.

But no matter what happens: I hope USC loses by 100 points per game. I despise USC.

[jstate83]

Until these other school's in CONFERENCE USC get off their butt's, start playing for 4 qtr's and not choke against USC, then USC will continue to be presumed to be THAT GOOD.

I compare this to Notre Dame back in the 80's when they scheduled cupcakes every 2 weeks as an Independent while conference teams killed each other off.
Only thing is USC's cupcakes are Pac 10 conference members. xlolx

Put USC in the SEC and they will be just ANOTHER GOOD TEAM trying not to take more than 1 conference loss. xnodx

Look at what a so-so Tennessee Football Team did to California last year.xnodx

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

They are very good especially on Defense. While i think Booty is very good as well as Bake on the OL i don't really see any other superstars returing at the skill positions. They're WR's are good but nearly as good as they've been in the last 5 years. Same with their running backs. While i think USC will make it to the title game i believe they will lose one game. I think Nebraska takes them down in Lincoln. Callahan has quitely done a good job at Nebraska after the big red faithful wanted to lynch him after his first year. Nebraska will have experience at the key positions to give the Trojans trouble.

[CopperCat]

Cal and UCLA are the only other ranked teams coming out of the Pac-10. They've both had some pretty good seasons as of late (minus UCLA losing to Wyoming in their bowl game) so they may test USC, and one of them may end up coming out with a W. I don't care who it is, somebody needs to beat these guys so that the pollsters don't get all high on the Trojans every week. I would much rather see a team from the SEC and the Big 10 make the championship than USC.

[Marcus Garvey]

Put USC in the SEC and they will be just ANOTHER GOOD TEAM trying not to take more than 1 conference loss. xnodx


There are 2 types of "Southern Apologists" in this world:
The first group get on their high horse, scream "States' Rights" and insist the Civil War wasn't about slavery.

The 2nd group insists that the SEC is the toughest conference in the world, then makes excuses and bellyaches when a team from another conference is ranked ahead of their 2 loss teams. xthumbsupx

Oh, for the record jstate83, I have no reason to suspect you belong to the former! xsmiley_wix

[Grizalltheway]

There are 2 types of "Southern Apologists" in this world:
The first group get on their high horse, scream "States' Rights" and insist the Civil War wasn't about slavery.

The 2nd group insists that the SEC is the toughest conference in the world, then makes excuses and bellyaches when a team from another conference is ranked against their 2 loss teams. xthumbsupx

Oh, for the record jstate83, I have no reason to suspect you belong to the former! xsmiley_wix

Sound eerily similar to certain CAA homers on this board...xwhistlex

[seantaylor]

Until these other school's in CONFERENCE USC get off their butt's, start playing for 4 qtr's and not choke against USC, then USC will continue to be presumed to be THAT GOOD.

I compare this to Notre Dame back in the 80's when they scheduled cupcakes every 2 weeks as an Independent while conference teams killed each other off.
Only thing is USC's cupcakes are Pac 10 conference members. xlolx

Put USC in the SEC and they will be just ANOTHER GOOD TEAM trying not to take more than 1 conference loss. xnodx

Look at what a so-so Tennessee Football Team did to California last year.xnodx

Crazy. USC has absolutely DESTROYED the last 4 SEC teams they've played.

[AZBison]

USC is at least as good as the talk. because of this they will be facing the best every team has to offer, we know that player will give 100% every game, but sometimes a big game allows them to play above their potential, that's the kind of games USC will be playing all year, everyone wants to beat the #1. I don't see an OOC loss and you can call me a homer but I'm going to say that if they lose a game this season it's either going to be @ Arizona STATE, or vs. UCLA.

The reasons are that UCLA/USC is one of the biggest rivalries in the nation then add in the potential to be "that" team is going to make for a tough game. I also pick ASU since up until the last few years ASU was the only Pac-10 team to have a winning record against USC plus what better way to make a statement that your program is back on track than by beating #1 on Thanksgiving.

[poly51]

Until these other school's in CONFERENCE USC get off their butt's, start playing for 4 qtr's and not choke against USC, then USC will continue to be presumed to be THAT GOOD.

I compare this to Notre Dame back in the 80's when they scheduled cupcakes every 2 weeks as an Independent while conference teams killed each other off.
Only thing is USC's cupcakes are Pac 10 conference members. xlolx

Put USC in the SEC and they will be just ANOTHER GOOD TEAM trying not to take more than 1 conference loss. xnodx

Look at what a so-so Tennessee Football Team did to California last year.xnodx


USC's last 4 SEC opponents:
2006 USC 50 Arkansas 14. Arkansas was the SEC Western Division Champ.
2005 USC 70 Arkansas 17
2003 USC 23 Auburn 0
2002 USC 24 Auburn 17

[Marcus Garvey]

USC's last 4 SEC opponents:
2006 USC 50 Arkansas 14. Arkansas was the SEC Western Division Champ.
2005 USC 70 Arkansas 17
2003 USC 23 Auburn 0
2002 USC 24 Auburn 17

It's a good thing Southern Cal doesn't have Vandy or Miss. St. on the schedule, right?
xrolleyesx

[jstate83]

There are 2 types of "Southern Apologists" in this world:
The first group get on their high horse, scream "States' Rights" and insist the Civil War wasn't about slavery.

The 2nd group insists that the SEC is the toughest conference in the world, then makes excuses and bellyaches when a team from another conference is ranked ahead of their 2 loss teams. xthumbsupx

Oh, for the record jstate83, I have no reason to suspect you belong to the former! xsmiley_wix

And there are only 1 type of non-southern apologist that think anything southern is inferior. xlolx

And me liking the SEC.........................Wrong.
I grew up hating these SEC schools but I'm no fool.

Every year the only people that stop SEC teams from ruling the top 5 spot's are each other.
They kill themselves off.xnodx

NAME ME 1 OTHER CONFERENCE THAT IS AS STRONG AS THE SEC FROM TOP TO BOTTOM YEAR AFTER YEAR, DECADE AFTER DECADE.


Pac 10..............USC and Who else?
BIG 12..............Texas and who else?
ACC................ ? can play an SEC schedule and come out KING.
Big EAST................Don't even go there.
BIG 10...................Michigan?, Penn St? playing and SEC schedule?
Notre Dane....................Come on.
xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

Name me 1.xlolx

A SEC team can play 5 weeks of football and end up playing 3 teams in the TOP 10 within their own conference every year.
Then have to play another 3 ranked in the bottom 10 in their own conference every year. xlolx

[bandl]

And there are only 1 type of non-southern apologist that think anything southern is inferior. xlolx

And me liking the SEC.........................Wrong.
I grew up hating these SEC schools but I'm no fool.

Every year the only people that stop SEC teams from ruling the top 5 spot's are each other.
They kill themselves off.xnodx

NAME ME 1 OTHER CONFERENCE THAT IS AS STRONG AS THE SEC FROM TOP TO BOTTOM YEAR AFTER YEAR, DECADE AFTER DECADE.


Pac 10..............USC and Who else.
BIG 12..............Texas and who else?
ACC................ ? can play an SEC schedule and come out KING.
Big EAST................Don't even go there.
BIG 10...................Michigan?, Penn St? playing and SEC schedule?
Notre Dane....................Come on.
xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx
Name me 1.

Generally, you're totally right. But I also consider the Big 10 to be on par with the SEC in terms of 'killing each other'. It seems that OSU, Michigan, Wisconsin or PSU is alway taking one another out of the NC hunt. And even one the other 'lower programs' in the Big Ten rather frequently takes down one of those teams.

I love watching the big SEC and Big Ten conference games simply for this reason, it's exciting to see who will be knocked out of the NC race next and who will go on. xnodx

[bluehenbillk]

It'd be interesting to see a SEC school play a Big10 team on the road in November....

[813Jag]

And there are only 1 type of non-southern apologist that think anything southern is inferior. xlolx

And me liking the SEC.........................Wrong.
I grew up hating these SEC schools but I'm no fool.

Every year the only people that stop SEC teams from ruling the top 5 spot's are each other.
They kill themselves off.xnodx

NAME ME 1 OTHER CONFERENCE THAT IS AS STRONG AS THE SEC FROM TOP TO BOTTOM YEAR AFTER YEAR, DECADE AFTER DECADE.


Pac 10..............USC and Who else?
BIG 12..............Texas and who else?
ACC................ ? can play an SEC schedule and come out KING.
Big EAST................Don't even go there.
BIG 10...................Michigan?, Penn St? playing and SEC schedule?
Notre Dane....................Come on.
xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

Name me 1.xlolx

A SEC team can play 5 weeks of football and end up playing 3 teams in the TOP 10 within their own conference every year.
Then have to play another 3 ranked in the bottom 10 in their own conference every year. xlolx
I think West Virginia and Louisville can hang in the SEC. You can think back a few years and see the SEC wasn't always on top. It goes in cycles. I'm an ACC fan and don't see to many teams that can hang in the SEC, that league was average last year. xnonono2x

[jstate83]

USC's last 4 SEC opponents:
2006 USC 50 Arkansas 14. Arkansas was the SEC Western Division Champ.
2005 USC 70 Arkansas 17
2003 USC 23 Auburn 0
2002 USC 24 Auburn 17

And that was Arkansas only year worth mentioning since they joined the SEC after being a dominant team in the old SWC.
They been getting their heads cracked in everything since joining minus the Basketball/ Nolen Richardson days.

Question.
If USC played a SEC schedule, do you think they would dominate or just be another good team in that league.
Same with Texas.

[jstate83]

Crazy. USC has absolutely DESTROYED the last 4 SEC teams they've played.


Aburn and Arkansas.
Now let them play weekly Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida and then play OLE MISS just to have an easy game before they play Tennessee, South Corilona, and LSU.xlolx

Tell me how good they are after doing that. xlolx

[GannonFan]

It'd be interesting to see a SEC school play a Big10 team on the road in November....

Agreed - the SEC never seems to venture anywhere outside of good weather, let alone to a good opponent in cold weather. Wonder why.

[blueballs]

Let 'em play UF's schedule either last year or this year and see how they do... I guaran-damn-tee UF would trade their schedules with USC.

Hype is a mighty powerful thing, especially in a big media market and in a sport that doesn't have a playoff.

[blueballs]

Agreed - the SEC never seems to venture anywhere outside of good weather, let alone to a good opponent in cold weather. Wonder why.

Because the $EC schools have the bigger stadiums and regional TV contracts, so more $$$$$$$$$.

Case in point, does it make more sense for Georgia to travel to Boise State (they played at UGA in 2005) and play in front of 40,000 fans with the risk of crappy weather that could further impact attendance or play in Athens in what is likely to be good weather in front of 92,000+? If the tickets are $25 bucks a stub (and some are as high as $50+), that means they split an extra $1,300,000 plus whatever the concessions are plus TV.

[813Jag]

And that was Arkansas only year worth mentioning since they joined the SEC after being a dominant team in the old SWC.
They been getting their heads cracked in everything since joining minus the Basketball/ Nolen Richardson days.

Question.
If USC played a SEC schedule, do you think they would dominate or just be another good team in that league.
Same with Texas.
I think Texas would be fine. The Big 12 isn't as bad as the Pac-10. The Big 12 is no cakewalk.

[GannonFan]

Because the $EC schools have the bigger stadiums and regional TV contracts, so more $$$$$$$$$.

Case in point, does it make more sense for Georgia to travel to Boise State (they played at UGA in 2005) and play in front of 40,000 fans with the risk of crappy weather that could further impact attendance or play in Athens in what is likely to be good weather in front of 92,000+? If the tickets are $25 bucks a stub (and some are as high as $50+), that means they split an extra $1,300,000 plus whatever the concessions are plus TV.

Yeah, the Big 10 is just full of tiny little stadiums. xrolleyesx Michigan averages 110,000 per game, Penn St averages 107,500 per game, and Ohio St averages 105,000 per game, 3 of the top 4 in all of college football. And Wisconsin and Notre Dame (non-Big 10 ) both average more than 80,000 per game. Half of the SEC plays in stadiums smaller than that. Weather isn't everything, but you'll almost never see an SEC team play a cold weather game. The SEC is good, very good, and often the best conference in the nation, but people tend to overinflate that distinction, especially based on bowl games played in warm climates often in SEC territory (i.e. almost home games). The differences between the top teams in the SEC, Big 10, Big 12, and USC (hey, I agree, not a lot of depth in the Pac-10) aren't that great.

[jstate83]

This ain't about attendance.
Both put up mega numbers in that.

This is about the season schedule week after week, year after year.

Why would the SEC schedule mega games outside their conference on a regular when they have on average half the conference in the top 15 every year?

[GannonFan]

This ain't about attendance.
Both put up mega numbers in that.

This is about the season schedule week after week, year after year.

Why would the SEC schedule mega games outside their conference on a regular when they have on average half the conference in the top 15 every year?

Again hyperbole - there are 4 SEC teams in the top 15 of the current preseason poll - last I checked the SEC had 12 teams. Heck, there are 3 teams from the Pac-10 in there, 3 from the Big 10 (those give a 30% inclusion in the top 15, only 3% off of what the SEC has), even 2 from the Big East and they only have 8 teams - if Rutgers, currently 16th, moved up one spot in the rankings then the Big East would have the highest percentage in the top 15.

[jstate83]

Again hyperbole - there are 4 SEC teams in the top 15 of the current preseason poll - last I checked the SEC had 12 teams. Heck, there are 3 teams from the Pac-10 in there, 3 from the Big 10 (those give a 30% inclusion in the top 15, only 3% off of what the SEC has), even 2 from the Big East and they only have 8 teams - if Rutgers, currently 16th, moved up one spot in the rankings then the Big East would have the highest percentage in the top 15.


USATODAY Pre-Season Poll.
1. Southern California (45) 11-2 1,481 4
2. LSU (4) 11-2 1,372 3
3. Florida (9) 13-1 1,278 1
4. Texas 10-3 1,231 13
5. Michigan (2) 11-2 1,218 9
6. West Virginia 11-2 1,205 10
7. Wisconsin 12-1 1,114 5
8. Oklahoma 11-3 1,026 11
9. Virginia Tech
10-3 1,005 18
10. Ohio State 12-1 919 2
11. Louisville 12-1 836 7
12. California 10-3 763 14
13. Georgia 9-4 604 NR
14. Auburn
11-2 595 8
15. Tennessee 9-4 583 23
16. Rutgers 11-2 466 12
17. UCLA 7-6 454 NR
18. Penn State 9-4 440 25
19. Nebraska
9-5 388 NR
20. Arkansas 10-4 360 16
21. Florida State 7-6 301 NR
22. TCU
11-2 233 21
23. Boise State 13-0 222 6
24. Hawaii
11-3 214 24
25. Texas A&M


Ahhh.........................Dude.
I'm talking long haul.................Not Pre-season.
And I count 5 SEC's in the top 15.
By week 3 when the BCS poll come out, they could have as many as 5 top 10 teams.xlolx

You counting California after what a so-so Tennessee team did to them last year.
Cal gonna drop faster than a anchor released off a ship.xlolx

Wisconson, West Virginia, and louisville gonna be distant memories by week 5.
Rutgers had their fun last year and do you honestly think they would have won 7 games in the SEC last year?....................NO!! xlolx

[GannonFan]

USATODAY Pre-Season Poll.
1. Southern California (45) 11-2 1,481 4
2. LSU (4) 11-2 1,372 3
3. Florida (9) 13-1 1,278 1
4. Texas 10-3 1,231 13
5. Michigan (2) 11-2 1,218 9
6. West Virginia 11-2 1,205 10
7. Wisconsin 12-1 1,114 5
8. Oklahoma 11-3 1,026 11
9. Virginia Tech
10-3 1,005 18
10. Ohio State 12-1 919 2
11. Louisville 12-1 836 7
12. California 10-3 763 14
13. Georgia 9-4 604 NR
14. Auburn
11-2 595 8
15. Tennessee 9-4 583 23
16. Rutgers 11-2 466 12
17. UCLA 7-6 454 NR
18. Penn State 9-4 440 25
19. Nebraska
9-5 388 NR
20. Arkansas 10-4 360 16
21. Florida State 7-6 301 NR
22. TCU
11-2 233 21
23. Boise State 13-0 222 6
24. Hawaii
11-3 214 24
25. Texas A&M


Ahhh.........................Dude.
I'm talking long haul.................Not Pre-season.
And I count 5 SEC's in the top 15.
By week 3 when the BCS poll come out, they could have as many as 5 top 10 teams.xlolx

You counting California after what a so-so Tennessee team did to them last year.
Cal gonna drop faster than a anchor released off a ship.xlolx

Wisconson, West Virginia, and louisville gonna be distant memories by week 5.
Rutgers had their fun last year and do you honestly think they would have won 7 games in the SEC last year?....................NO!! xlolx

The AP poll has 4 - they have Auburn at 18.

As for this year, heck, you could see Cal return the favor and beat Tennessee this year since the game's not at Rocky Top. And wasn't the last time that people thought that West Virginia was nothing was when West Virginia shocked the hell out of Georgia right in Georgia's backyard? Like I said, the SEC is good, very good, but this idea that it is otherwordly and so far better than the rest of college football is just unsubstantiated. xthumbsupx

[seantaylor]

Because the $EC schools have the bigger stadiums and regional TV contracts, so more $$$$$$$$$.

Case in point, does it make more sense for Georgia to travel to Boise State (they played at UGA in 2005) and play in front of 40,000 fans with the risk of crappy weather that could further impact attendance or play in Athens in what is likely to be good weather in front of 92,000+? If the tickets are $25 bucks a stub (and some are as high as $50+), that means they split an extra $1,300,000 plus whatever the concessions are plus TV.

Big 10 schools have bigger stadiums and crowds then the SEC. Big 10 was 3-1 against the SEC last year, and 8-6 in bowl games against the SEC the last 5 years

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Big 10 schools have bigger stadiums and crowds then the SEC. Big 10 was 3-1 against the SEC last year, and 8-6 in bowl games against the SEC the last 5 years

The Big 10 deffinately does not have stadiums and bigger crowds for their games. The top 3 are huge but not much after that.

Big Ten
Michigan: 107,501
Penn State: 107,282
Ohio State: 101,568
Wisconsin: 81,321
Michigan State: 72,027
Iowa: 70,397
Illinois: 69,249
Purdue: 66,295
Minnesota: 64,121
Indiana: 52,324
Northwestern: 47,130

SEC
Tennessee: 104,079
LSU: 92,400
Alabama: 92,158
Georgia: 92,058
Florida: 88,548
Auburn: 87,451
South Carolina: 80,250
Arkansas: 72,000
Kentucky: 67,530
Ole Miss: 60,580
Mississipp State: 52,884
Vanderbilt: 39,730

[blueballs]

. The differences between the top teams in the SEC, Big 10, Big 12, and USC (hey, I agree, not a lot of depth in the Pac-10) aren't that great.

I totally agree.

[blueballs]

. And wasn't the last time that people thought that West Virginia was nothing was when West Virginia shocked the hell out of Georgia right in Georgia's backyard?

That game was played in New orleans, which is 3 states away from Athens
and in a different time zone. it may have looked like it was in UGA's back yard due to all the drunk Dawgs at the game though.:D

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

That game was played in New orleans, which is 3 states away from Athens
and in a different time zone. it may have looked like it was in UGA's back yard due to all the drunk Dawgs at the game though.:D

The 2006 Sugar Bowl was played at the Georgia Dome due to the extensive damage the Super Dome received from Katrina. The Georgia Dome is about 70 miles from Athens.

[seantaylor]

The Big 10 deffinately does not have stadiums and bigger crowds for their games. The top 3 are huge but not much after that.

Big Ten
Michigan: 107,501
Penn State: 107,282
Ohio State: 101,568
Wisconsin: 81,321
Michigan State: 72,027
Iowa: 70,397
Illinois: 69,249
Purdue: 66,295
Minnesota: 64,121
Indiana: 52,324
Northwestern: 47,130

SEC
Tennessee: 104,079
LSU: 92,400
Alabama: 92,158
Georgia: 92,058
Florida: 88,548
Auburn: 87,451
South Carolina: 80,250
Arkansas: 72,000
Kentucky: 67,530
Ole Miss: 60,580
Mississipp State: 52,884
Vanderbilt: 39,730


Your numbers are wrong. Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin all have more attendance than the numbers you have listed.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Your numbers are wrong. Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin all have more attendance than the numbers you have listed.

That is the listed capacity for each of the stadiums. Ohio State's official athletic site lists the largest crowd at the shoe to the 2002 UM-OSU game with an attendance of 105,539. They list the capacity at 101,568.

[AZBison]

FYI the Pac-10 has BY FAR been the most underrated conference of the past 10 yearshttp://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview07/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2980407 . USC, Washington, UCLA, Oregon, Cal, ASU all have a lot of history as good football schools and any given year can be in the top 5 nationally. That's 6 of 10 teams, additionally the 3 of the other four (UA being the outlier :)) have been successful recently, in fact since the 1996 season (the last 10 full seasons) 9 teams have been conference champs/co-champs. I'd say that's a pretty damn competitive conference top to bottom.

[blueballs]

The 2006 Sugar Bowl was played at the Georgia Dome due to the extensive damage the Super Dome received from Katrina. The Georgia Dome is about 70 miles from Athens.

Correct, my bad!!!! How can anybody forget about Katrina???xoopsx

And you're right about UGA having a perceived advantage as they had defeated LSU on the same field less than a month prior- not to mention the difference in ticket sales.

[bshgriz]

USATODAY Pre-Season Poll.
1. Southern California (45) 11-2 1,481 4
2. LSU (4) 11-2 1,372 3
3. Florida (9) 13-1 1,278 1
4. Texas 10-3 1,231 13
5. Michigan (2) 11-2 1,218 9
6. West Virginia 11-2 1,205 10
7. Wisconsin 12-1 1,114 5
8. Oklahoma 11-3 1,026 11
9. Virginia Tech
10-3 1,005 18
10. Ohio State 12-1 919 2
11. Louisville 12-1 836 7
12. California 10-3 763 14
13. Georgia 9-4 604 NR
14. Auburn
11-2 595 8
15. Tennessee 9-4 583 23
16. Rutgers 11-2 466 12
17. UCLA 7-6 454 NR
18. Penn State 9-4 440 25
19. Nebraska
9-5 388 NR
20. Arkansas 10-4 360 16
21. Florida State 7-6 301 NR
22. TCU
11-2 233 21
23. Boise State 13-0 222 6
24. Hawaii
11-3 214 24
25. Texas A&M


Ahhh.........................Dude.
I'm talking long haul.................Not Pre-season.
And I count 5 SEC's in the top 15.
By week 3 when the BCS poll come out, they could have as many as 5 top 10 teams.xlolx

You counting California after what a so-so Tennessee team did to them last year.
Cal gonna drop faster than a anchor released off a ship.xlolx

Wisconson, West Virginia, and louisville gonna be distant memories by week 5.
Rutgers had their fun last year and do you honestly think they would have won 7 games in the SEC last year?....................NO!! xlolx

Are you serious?First of all who do you think Wisconsin will lose to by week 5? Iowa,MSU, or WSU?Maybe if you payed attention to anything besides the most hyped up conference I've seen in my short life.How did that Arkansas team do in their bowl game last year?Or Auburn the year before?

Oh, and USC would be undefeated in the SEC this year too.xthumbsupx