[ColoradoTree]

A disappointing weekend.  As a good friend constantly reminds me, Stanford just needs to worry about itself and focus on winning each game, because an undefeated Stanford team obviously makes the playoff.  Yet I can't help being frustrated by UCLA's messy performance (where is that promised toughness, Mora??) and SC's complete no-show, because when it inevitably comes time to decide between 1-loss or 2-loss champs from different conferences, perception of conference quality matters, and SC and UCLA had the biggest opportunities to show off how good the teams in the Pac-12 are.  Losing to a FCS team is unforgivable, even if Wazzu has made a habit of it in recent years (and it didn't seem to matter to them by the end of the year when they were red hot, but losing that first game last year put a stink on Wazzu so bad that it took several weeks to wash off).  BYU is no slouch, but Arizona just didn't seem to show up. 

I'll give Oregon State a pass on losing to a decent and experienced Minnesota team on the road, and by only a TD.  That game was in the balance until the very end, and I wasn't expecting an OSU win. 

That said, I'll give Colorado more credit for beating CSU than others might.  That's a brobdingnagian rivalry in these parts, and it's usually a very competitive game, even when the talent levels aren't the same.  They'd split the last four matchups, CSU has been to 3 straight bowl games, and this was the biggest win in the series since 1956.  Not sure how well that will translate for CU in conference play, but maybe--just maybe--CU is finally making the same leap into a respectable Power 5 team that Utah was from the moment it joined the conference.

But in the final analysis, we'll be judged by our games against other Power 5 teams.  And that record in Week 1 wasn't great: 2-3 or 2-4, depending on how one counts BYU (obviously not a member of a Power 5 conference, but the playoff treats them as Power 5-caliber for evaluating schedule strength).  1-0 versus the Big 12; 1-1 versus the Big Ten; and 0-2 versus the SEC.  That SEC number won't change, but next week gives us a couple more opportunities: Arizona State hosts Texas Tech and Oregon hosts Virginia, both games the home team should win.  And in Week 3, Colorado goes to Michigan (which feels like playing with house money, frankly--keep it somewhat close and it's a moral victory), Oregon goes to Nebraska, and C.al hosts Texas.  I'd love a 3-0 Pac-12 record vs. Big 12 teams come playoff time.

Of course, it was a mixed bag everywhere else, too. 

* The Big Ten was 2-1 in its 3 Power 5 non-conference games (not counting Northwestern's home loss to Western Michigan), but Wisconsin beating LSU is a big perception boost.
* The ACC was 1-1 in its 2 Power 5 non-conference games, with UNC losing to Georgia and Clemson narrowly beating Auburn (FSU plays Ole Miss on Monday evening). 
* The SEC was 3-3 in its 5 Power 5 non-conference games, with A&M beating UCLA, Alabama beating SC, Georgia beating UNC, LSU losing to Wisconsin, Auburn losing to Clemson, and Mizzou losing to West Virginia (Ole Miss plays FSU Monday evening).  Doesn't factor in Tennessee almost losing to Appalachian State (Appy HAD those guys) or Mississippi State losing to South Alabama.  6 SEC teams took a loss in Week 1. 
* The Big 12 was 1-1 in its two Power 5 non-conference games, with WVU beating Mizzou (which doesn't count Oklahoma losing to Houston).  Big 12 scheduling continues to underwhelm.  TCU struggled against South Dakota State.  We'll see how Texas does hosting ND this evening. 

[ColoradoTree]

A disappointing weekend.  As a good friend constantly reminds me, Stanford just needs to worry about itself and focus on winning each game, because an undefeated Stanford team obviously makes the playoff.  Yet I can't help being frustrated by UCLA's messy performance (where is that promised toughness, Mora??) and SC's complete no-show, because when it inevitably comes time to decide between 1-loss or 2-loss champs from different conferences, perception of conference quality matters, and SC and UCLA had the biggest opportunities to show off how good the teams in the Pac-12 are.  Losing to a FCS team is unforgivable, even if Wazzu has made a habit of it in recent years (and it didn't seem to matter to them by the end of the year when they were red hot, but losing that first game last year put a stink on Wazzu so bad that it took several weeks to wash off).  BYU is no slouch, but Arizona just didn't seem to show up. 

I'll give Oregon State a pass on losing to a decent and experienced Minnesota team on the road, and by only a TD.  That game was in the balance until the very end, and I wasn't expecting an OSU win. 

That said, I'll give Colorado more credit for beating CSU than others might.  That's a brobdingnagian rivalry in these parts, and it's usually a very competitive game, even when the talent levels aren't the same.  They'd split the last four matchups, CSU has been to 3 straight bowl games, and this was the biggest win in the series since 1956.  Not sure how well that will translate for CU in conference play, but maybe--just maybe--CU is finally making the same leap into a respectable Power 5 team that Utah was from the moment it joined the conference.

But in the final analysis, we'll be judged by our games against other Power 5 teams.  And that record in Week 1 wasn't great: 2-3 or 2-4, depending on how one counts BYU (obviously not a member of a Power 5 conference, but the playoff treats them as Power 5-caliber for evaluating schedule strength).  1-0 versus the Big 12; 1-1 versus the Big Ten; and 0-2 versus the SEC.  That SEC number won't change, but next week gives us a couple more opportunities: Arizona State hosts Texas Tech and Oregon hosts Virginia, both games the home team should win.  And in Week 3, Colorado goes to Michigan (which feels like playing with house money, frankly--keep it somewhat close and it's a moral victory), Oregon goes to Nebraska, and C.al hosts Texas.  I'd love a 3-0 Pac-12 record vs. Big 12 teams come playoff time.

Of course, it was a mixed bag everywhere else, too. 

* The Big Ten was 2-1 in its 3 Power 5 non-conference games (not counting Northwestern's home loss to Western Michigan), but Wisconsin beating LSU is a big perception boost.
* The ACC was 1-1 in its 2 Power 5 non-conference games, with UNC losing to Georgia and Clemson narrowly beating Auburn (FSU plays Ole Miss on Monday evening). 
* The SEC was 3-3 in its 5 Power 5 non-conference games, with A&M beating UCLA, Alabama beating SC, Georgia beating UNC, LSU losing to Wisconsin, Auburn losing to Clemson, and Mizzou losing to West Virginia (Ole Miss plays FSU Monday evening).  Doesn't factor in Tennessee almost losing to Appalachian State (Appy HAD those guys) or Mississippi State losing to South Alabama.  6 SEC teams took a loss in Week 1. 
* The Big 12 was 1-1 in its two Power 5 non-conference games, with WVU beating Mizzou (which doesn't count Oklahoma losing to Houston).  Big 12 scheduling continues to underwhelm.  TCU struggled against South Dakota State.  We'll see how Texas does hosting ND this evening.