How bad is the Pac-10? Bad enough to not earn one at-large bid

[madinmaryland]

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_glockner/01/11/bubble.watch/index.html

Bubble Watch is back! And just in time to break down the start of what could be an epic run to ignominy out West.

Check out the current nonleague performance (as of Jan. 10) of postseason-eligible teams in a certain conference that rhymes with "MAC men" (and could get the same number of NCAA bids as them):

Record against RPI Top 50: 2-24

Record against RPI Top 100: 9-31

Record against all other BCS teams: 8-21

Nonleague Top 100 wins: Texas A&M (Derrick Roland shattered-leg game), San Diego State, Oakland, Western Michigan, Louisiana Tech, Portland, Murray State, Pacific, Colorado State (twice).

Now what happens if Cal settles in and rolls to the regular-season title, Washington continues its downward spiral, the second-place team (or, gasp, ineligible USC) finishes 11-7 or so with a nondescript overall profile, and Cal wins the Pac-10 tourney and gets the league's auto bid?

(Crickets ... tumbleweeds rolling by ... uncomfortable coughing ... )

Well, you could get what you nearly had in today's bracket. Yup, the Pac-10 could become the first BCS conference in the 65-team era not to get an at-large bid to the NCAAs. As is, the league stands a strong chance of matching its 1988 version, which is the last BCS league to get only two teams into the field. And yes, that would mark the latest return of 2Pac.

The "Premier Athletic Conference"??? :rofl:

[PVnRT]

1. The Big 10 is doing quite well this year

Not IU, unfortunately, but Wisconsin could be a dark horse.

[Upton]

2. Check it out

The Pacific-10 Conference continues to uphold its tradition as the "Conference of Champions" ®, claiming an incredible 166 NCAA team titles over the past 19 years, including 11 in 2008-09, averaging nearly nine championships per academic year. Even more impressive has been the breadth of the Pac-10's success, with championships coming in 26 different men's and women's sports. The Pac-10 has led the nation in NCAA Championships in 43 of the last 49 years and finished second five times.

Spanning nearly a century of outstanding athletics achievements, the Pac-10 has captured 380 NCAA titles (261 men's, 119 women's), far outdistancing the runner-up Big Ten Conference's 222 titles.


http://www.pac-10.org/school-bio/pac10-school-bio.html

Now, unless you, or maybe the detective, can come up with something that disputes the above figures...the Pac-10 does indeed fit the definition as America's Premier Athletic Conference.

[madinmaryland]

3. Just pointing out how pathetic the PAC-10 Mens basketball is this year.

WWJWD?? Switch to the Big 10?

Did the Ace Reporter send you that link?

[Upton]

4. Pac-10 basketball might be lacking this year

I'm not a big basketball fan, not until March at least. I guess we'll see then, instead of taking the word of some east coast biased nut.

BTW, I've used that Pac-10 link with Condem, yourself, possibly even the detective...and I have yet to see anyone dispute the accuracy of the site's figures..

Leading the NCAA in championships 43 out of the last 49 years..

Pac-10=America's Premier Athletic Conference