Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Cupcakes for the Pac-10

Here we have espn blogger and Pac-10 apologist Ted Miller suggesting that the Pac 10 schedule more cupcake foes like the Big 12, so they'll get more wins.

  • First of all, as a Sooner, I'd like to apologize. We didn't know that Eastern Washington was a tougher draw than Washington in 2008. Plus, Texas Tech already had booked EWU.
  • According to the Sagarin rankings, UMass would have been a more formidable foe than Washington. Maybe TT was prophetic in that regard.
  • Baylor and Oklahoma State didn't realize that Washington State would suck when the series was booked.
  • I just reviewed Arizona's schedule. I didn't know the 1-AA Idaho Vandals were such a formidable foe. Or Toledo. Michigan may believe otherwise, but most BCS schools are figuring on Ws when they play the Rockets.
  • Oregon played Utah State. They haven't been good since John L Smith parlayed a 6-6 record in 1997 into a job at Louisville. The Ags have been near the cellar of the WAC ever since, so this isn't a surprise that they are awful.
  • Cal played Mountain West cellar dweller Colorado State.
  • Stanford played WAC juggernaut San Jose State.
  • Arizona State played Big Sky superpower Northern Arizona. And UNLV. And lost.
  • Washington State played Northern Arizona rival Portland State for their sole win.
Admittedly, the Pac-10 didn't eat as many cupcakes as the Big 12 teams. Notably, USC, Washington and Oregon State didn't go that route at all. Texas Tech and K-State were the market leaders in scheduling cupcakes, but it's not like there's no plank in the eye of the Pac 10.

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