Are these guys really this clueless?

MARK MAY
Nebraska put on a dominating performance from start to finish against a formidable opponent. The Cornhuskers completely shut down Jake Locker, and their offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage. They looked fantastic.

I've been reading so much ignorant tripe on the part of expert journalists with their biases over the years that I should be immune to this, but this one really had me rolling on the floor laughing helplessly (I figured crying wasn't going to help).  The usual suspects keep touting the superior strength of the other conferences, particularly the SEC and the Big 10. The PAC 10 is considered a much softer schedule (when considering its top teams in the conference for national rankings).

However, when Big 10 teams are trying to justify *their* place in the national rankings, the PAC 10 mysteriously qualifies as a tough win for them. Using the beat-down of the "formidable" Washington to give Nebraska's  resume star quality is a tad ridiculous.  Did you even watch the game, Mr. May? I'm paraphrasing, but the announcer felt compelled to call the Huskies coverage the "worst in the country", and "dreadful."  Washington fans would be the first to tell you their team was thoroughly inept, if you can't take it from this Duck fan. This might be only my personal opinion, but Washington is #9 in the PAC 10 this year, fighting with WSU for the cellar.  Does that make every team above them in the PAC 10 "formidable"? No, Mr. May, you can't have it both ways -- if beating "formidable" Washington is a big deal, then you owe the PAC 10 a lot more respect.

For what it's worth, here is my view of the PAC 10 table:

1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. Arizona
4. USC
5. Oregon State
6. Cal
7. Arizona State
8. UCLA
9. Washington
10. Washington State

However, it's early. Oregon hasn't actually faced a good team yet. They have a lot to prove. Stanford and Arizona both look scary. Oregon State hung in there against #4 TCU. UCLA and Cal suffer as usual from multiple personality disorder. Winning when you least expect them to seems to be their norm. Arizona State was a PAT away from upsetting #10 Wisconsin (yes, of course they're deserving of the #11 team in the country, they have a win against a "formidable" PAC 10 opponent...)

Of course, what matters is whether we continue to win as the meat of the  conference play begins. I think it's looking like a really tough schedule to go through undefeated. The conference is just too strong. As difficult as it's going to be to stay undefeated, however, that's what's going to be necessary to stay in the running for the NC.  The PAC 10 champ, whoever it is, will need to win through. A 1-loss PAC 10 team will be very lucky to make it -- the kind where the stars align once a century. 

Winning on the part of the entire PAC 10 is serving to improve perceptions of the conference ever so slightly, particularly this past weekend. Winning will go a long way towards proving we belong in the top tier of college football and changing the minds of voters.  Some minds, of course, never will.