Do College Football 'Journalists' Think Before They Write?

[Jon Joseph]

"And with a Pac-12 Conference that has a lot of mediocrity in it after the top 4 teams ...'

 

The above quote is taken from the preview of Oregon State heading into 2023 that appeared on Ducks Wire/USA Today.

 

What Power 5 (P5) conference after the top 4 teams do not have a lot of mediocrity? Using the College Football News 2023 preseason rankings 1 to 133, below are the top 6 ranked teams in every P5 conference.

 

ACC - FSU, Clemson, NC St, UNC, Miami, Duke

 

B1G - Ohio State, Michigan, Penn St, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa

 

B12 - Texas, Kansas St, TCU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St.

 

SEC - Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Texas A+M, South Carolina

 

Pac-12 - USC, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Oregon State, UCLA

 

No doubt that we can quibble about the order of the rankings, I might have Florida in the top 6 in the SEC and not South Carolina, and the order of the Pac-12 schools remains to be seen. For the most part, I think College Football News correctly identified the top 6 teams for each conference heading into 2023.

 

Looking at the by-conference rankings the SEC has a sterling top 4 but A+M was not bowl eligible in 2022 and South Carolina was convincingly defeated by Notre Dame in its bowl game. Let's say the Pac-12 matches up with the SEC in order of rankings in Minneapolis, not in Atlanta or Dallas. I very much doubt that the Pac-12 would go 0-6. The other Power 2 conference, the B1G, play these games in Dallas and I think the Pac-12 would have a good chance of going .500 at least. As to the ACC and the B12, if these games were played in Minneapolis I think the Pac-12 would come out with a winning record. 

 

Regardless, for every conference, I believe that once you get past the top 4 it can be argued that every conference is mediocre after the top 4 and that the Pac-12 coming into 2023 is as deep as any P5 conference. Playing a 9th conference game means an extra loss that the ACC and the SEC can schedule out of. Only 2 SEC teams in 2023 play 10 P5 opponents including BYU and Notre Dame. 

 

In 2024, the B12 losing Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC with three G5 teams and BYU coming on board does not look any better or deeper than the AAC in 2022.  Even with the LA schools departing for the B1G, the Pac-10 has 4 solid programs with Colorado, Arizona, and ASU likely on the rise, and somewhat surprisingly, Stanford is doing great so far in 2024 recruiting. Both San Diego State and SMU if added are better than the cellar dwellers in every P5 conference. 

 

But it is, of course, the Pac-12 that is called out for being mediocre after the top 4 and not any other P5 conference. What do you think? Am I being too much of a Left Coast homer?

 

Pac-12 Preview: Oregon State Beavers try to sustain new-found success

DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM

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Oregon State football has had a rollercoaster history, but coach Jonathan Smith is on the verge of sustaining success for years to...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 28, 2023 by Jon Joseph

[Tandaian]

Deep breath Jon.  Click bait article.  I think he knows exactly what he is writing, but like you I also think after the top 4 every conference is mediocre.  Every once in a while, a conference will have more than 4 strong teams, but that is an exception, not the rule.

 

It is kick the PAC while they are in flux over the TV deal for now.  If the PAC 12 does what they are capable of doing, the talking heads will be more positive.

 

Pac 12 teams and their OOC record.

Arizona 2-1          N. Arizona, UTEP and Mississippi St.

ASU 1-2               S. Utah, Fresno St. and Oklahoma St.

Cal 2-1                 N. Texas, Idaho, Auburn

Colorado 1-2       Colorado St., Nebraska, TCU

Oregon 3-0          Portland St., Hawai'i, Texas Tech

OSU 3-0              San Jose St., UC Davis, San Diego St.

Stanford 2-1        Hawai'i, Sacramento St., Notre Dame

UCLA 3-0            Coastal Car., NC Central, San Diego St.

USC 3-0              San Jose St., Nevada, Notre Dame

Utah 2-1              Weber St., Florida, Baylor

UW 3-0               Boise St., Tulsa, MSU

WSU 2-1             Colorado St., N. Colorado, Wisconsin

 

The Pac 12 top 6 teams in my opinion will go 17-1 in OOC games.  Granted, that is only against five P5 teams.  If Arizona, ASU, Cal or WSU could get an upset against their P5 team, that would be really nice.

[Jon Joseph]

Tandanian, no doubt to be on the national radar the Pac-10 will have to schedule and defeat opponents from the Power 4 and more importantly, the Power 2. 

 

After Utah's sorry showing against Penn State in last season's Rose Bowl and the late-game bowl flameouts by the LA schools, OOC results will matter; especially come 2024 when putting together the field and seeding for a 12-team playoff. 

 

It would so benefit the Pac-10 in 2023 if Arizona could get a win at Mississippi State, if CU can get a TCU/Nebraska split, for Utah to beat Florida and then not let up in Waco, for UW to win in E. Lansing, ASU to defeat OK ST in Tempe, Oregon to win in Lubbock, Wazzu to do the unthinkable and beat Wisconsin back-to-back, and for the Pac-10 teams as a whole not to lose to G5 opponents, meet or come close to your 17-1 projection with the rest of the conference doing their part. It would also be nice if Stanford can hang with Notre Dame and if Stanford Stadium is sold out, or close, for this game. Frankly, I could care less about what the LA schools do OOC in 2023 and thereafter. But if UCLA doesn't go 3-0 and SC at least 2-1 OOC in 2023 something is wrong.

 

Next season both LA schools play LSU which should be interesting. Welcome to B1G football in 2024 USC. Games versus LSU in Vegas, Notre Dame, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, at Penn State, and at UCLA with no Caleb Williams in sight. And the Bruins will be traveling 26,000 miles including a game against LSU in Baton Rogue.

 

IMO in 2024, neither SC nor UCLA make the 12-team playoff field. 

[Haywarduck]

The LA schools went after the money at the expense of the programs, and student athletes. I will, I am sure, get all emotional when they leave the conference.

[idontrollonshobbas]

Journalistic standards have changed....my guess is "forethought" is now considered cliche in the 'hot takes' era.

[David Marsh]

I feel the Big-12 is probably pretty mediocre to be honest.. I mean Oklahoma has held that conference up. Sure, TCU reaching the national championship game but they didn't look like they belonged in that game by a long shot.

 

I think the Pac-12 has a pretty strong top... Oregon, Utah, Washington, USC.

A solid middle ... Oregon State, UCLA, Washington State

But a horrendus bottom (last year in particular)... Arizona (on the rise), Arizona State (new HC), Stanford (new HC), Colorado (new HC), and Cal (we'll see)

 

So ... yeah I guess the bottom half based on last year was pretty awful. But let's get real ASU and Arizona should be turning their programs around. Jedd Fisch at Arizona I am actually pretty high on for them, this isn't an easy program to get going and he is making incremental accomplishments. The past two years Fisch has the wild cats fighting through every single quarter. I think Dilly will doe a lot for ASU but that program is also a mess.

 

Sanders will probably have Colorado fairly decent and then leave for somewhere in Florida.

 

David Shaw at Stanford hit a huge wall in the challenges of the ages of NIL and the transfer portal. Stanford is and will always be a net giver to the portal because of their academic standards when it comes to transfers into the program. So the new head coach is killing it on the recruiting trail so far and maybe Stanford can get back to being relevant.

 

Cal... oddly enough Cal's athletic department turned a profit last year but there just isn't a whole lot of focus on the athletic side of things at Cal. Wilcox needs to make some bigger assistant hires. He has gone with safe hires that he knows and those haven't worked out for him so far. But Cal could and should be better.

 

I did a ton of power rankings last year during the season... I'll probably do it again this season.

[DanLduck]

Yes it's pile on the Pac!!

 

And no, most sports writers east of the Rockies don't think before they write!

 

My only thought on OOC games is its hard to take bowl game results to serious when every team has so many opt outs.