[BostonCard]

I think this is one of those thoughts that becomes more relevant if, say, we were 6-0 with 2-3 wins over creampuffs.  Then we could compare ourselves to teams like UCF and wonder just how good we really are.  And we could complain about lack of respect for the conference.

It's always hard to say if the "traditional" lack of respect shown the Pac-12 is due to 1) our 9-game conference schedule, causing us to beat up on each other one more time than some other conferences; 2) relative lack of exposure to the East Coast media due to the time zone difference and the TV money forcing us to play at night more often than not; 3) overall OOC performance and SOS (I don't have data on this); 4) this is a down year for the conference overall; 5) no "super" teams this year in the conference (i.e. too much parity); or 6) all of the above.

My comment about Cal was more about interest in the game and rivalry itself than in the playoff implications.  I've never been much of a playoff fan, and I don't tend to give too much thought on the "do we want team x to beat team y in order to improve the perception of the conference so that we can go to the playoff with one loss if we beat team x".  Mostly, as a regular season ticket holder, I want the conference season to be exciting and fun, and part of that means having a competitive game between Cal and Stanford for Big Game.  Unlike some other teams, which I derive some joy if they don't go to a bowl game *cough* USC and Notre Dame *cough*, it doesn't bother me that much if Cal goes to the Vegas Bowl or Chicken Bowl.  Basically, as long as a) they don't go to the Rose Bowl and b) they don't beat us out for a bowl, I wish them reasonably well.

BC

[BostonCard]

I think this is one of those thoughts that becomes more relevant if, say, we were 6-0 with 2-3 wins over creampuffs.  Then we could compare ourselves to teams like UCF and wonder just how good we really are.  And we could complain about lack of respect for the conference.

It's always hard to say if the "traditional" lack of respect shown the Pac-12 is due to 1) our 9-game conference schedule, causing us to beat up on each other one more time than some other conferences; 2) relative lack of exposure to the East Coast media due to the time zone difference and the TV money forcing us to play at night more often than not; 3) overall OOC performance and SOS (I don't have data on this); 4) this is a down year for the conference overall; 5) no "super" teams this year in the conference (i.e. too much parity); or 6) all of the above.

My comment about Cal was more about interest in the game and rivalry itself than in the playoff implications.  I've never been much of a playoff fan, and I don't tend to give too much thought on the "do we want team x to beat team y in order to improve the perception of the conference so that we can go to the playoff with one loss if we beat team x".  Mostly, as a regular season ticket holder, I want the conference season to be exciting and fun, and part of that means having a competitive game between Cal and Stanford for Big Game.  Unlike some other teams, which I derive some joy if they don't go to a bowl game *cough* USC and Notre Dame *cough*, it doesn't bother me that much if Cal goes to the Vegas Bowl or Chicken Bowl.  Basically, as long as a) they don't go to the Rose Bowl and b) they don't beat us out for a bowl, I wish them reasonably well.

BC