Is is too soon for college football talk?

[Timbalaned]

Ethan, I feel like you kind of have to add Portland into that when you look at both UO and OSU for that matter cause that is where everyone that is watching the games comes from.

[Sonny]

There is no chance the Pac-10 would add Boise and Fresno State. Those teams don't add any TV markets.

As far as TV markets go:

55. Fresno
118. Boise
120. Eugene

No rank: Pullman, WA

Not a sermon. Just a thought.

Virtually all of the recent 1-A conference additions have added new TV markets and/or expanded the footprint of the conference in question. Just look at the Big 10 (Penn State), ACC (Miami, BC, Va Tech), & Big 12 (Texas, TTU, TAMU, Baylor). The SEC added new geographic footprint schools in So Carolina and Arkansas (even if those TV markets are relatively small).

Fresno is obviously in the state of California with 4 other Cal schools in the Pac-10 (Stanford, Cal, UCLA, USC). The Pac-10 already has the Fresno/55th TV market as they have "saturated the state."

While tiny TV markets, Eugene and Pullman are already in the Pac-10 conference and have been a member of the conference for quite some time. They have already punched their ticket to the "1-A big boy club" with membership in one of the six 1-A conferences.

A conference championship may be "sick" but unless it can produce enough extra revenue to support the extra mouths to feed (i.e. Schools # 11 and 12 in the Pac-10, School # 12 in the Big 10, etc.) - it's a complete non-issue. The coaches don't want to play these extra games in the first place and neither do the university presidents.

Furthermore, I don't envision any scenario where Cal, USC, Stanford, and UCLA want to compete with Fresno academically or athletically. Unless someone writes a much larger check then they are currently receiving annually from the Pac-10. I would expect those four Cal schools to block anyone else from joining the Pac-10 table from the Golden State. And that is 40% of the votes right there.

[DanGenck]

You hit the nail on the head, Sonny. Especially about the extra games.

You and I may never be best friends about politics, but doesn't it make you happy that we can watch college football together?

[GrayBear]

The young QB, Juice Williams, is elusive, quick and fast, and likely has the strongest arm in the B10. Problem is, his accuracy issues are very real, and his success will be directly correlative to the play of the O-line which, frankly, is very suspect AFAIK.

Although next year . . .

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=169&p=2&c=653838

[bste_lax]

The young QB, Juice Williams, is elusive, quick and fast, and likely has the strongest arm in the B10. Problem is, his accuracy issues are very real, and his success will be directly correlative to the play of the O-line which, frankly, is very suspect AFAIK.

Although next year . . .

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=169&p=2&c=653838

"Juice" Williams also has a ginormus head.



That's all I got.

[scooter]

Um.....WVU/Wisconsin/Arkansas/Aurburn as national champs....

maybe...maybe?

[GrayBear]

That's all I got.

I have no doubt about that.

[KnoxVegas]

Ron Zook? Please! Just be glad you have basketball season to look forward to.

[Beta]

Hey now, strength of schedule means nothing. It is a trivial accessory to the college football season and if a team wants to play nothing but cream-puffs then ya know what....they deserve a BCS game at the very least.

[nhoskins]

Hey now, strength of schedule means nothing. It is a trivial accessory to the college football season and if a team wants to play nothing but cream-puffs then ya know what....they deserve a BCS game at the very least.

I'm sending you a Boise State t-shirt.

[nhoskins]

ESPN's picks for easiest schedules:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2924383&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos2
(Note Ohio State and Texas..)

And hardest schedules:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2923693&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1
(Note USC and ND..)

[Beta]

Hmm no small-conference schools have a hard schedule. Ahh weird.

Although I think it's a bogus set of lists for the easiest. Like Arkansas. Im pretty sure you're allowed to schedule a couple cupcakes when you have to play Auburn, South Carolina, @ Bama, @ Tennessee and @ LSU. What an easy schedule!!!

[Sonny]

Interesting:
http://www.armchairgm.com/index.php?title=College_Football%27s_Top_Fifteen_Uniforms

[Danny Hogan]

with the exception of louisville's inclusion i like that list.

[Sonny]

Only one I would quibble with on that list is Penn State.

An ugly girl with a nice body is "Penn State." Nice uniform, but the helmet sucks.