We're No. 4

Please also see who Phil Steele has ranked as some of the top players in each conference, and it will show you much credence this guy "doesn't have". I guess this boy must listening to Hugh Hewitt's moronic show. Fight On!

The problem with the Pac-10 isn't at the top, it's everybody after USC. Disagree with the Big Ten, but historically, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, LSU and Tennessee outclass Arizona State, Oregon, Washington, UCLA and Cal.

I know the SEC's argument usually leads them to compare their top 4 or 5 teams to those of the other conference but I saw an interesting take comparing the conferences top to bottom.

Since the SEC has more teams than the Pac-10 they took the top five teams and the bottom five - meaning they eliminated the #5 and #6 teams and matched them up to the ten Pac-10 schools.

At the top, the SEC would have the Vegas odds in a majority of the games but the Pac-10 dominates the lower match-ups.

Vegas picks Stanford over Ole Miss doesn't sound like an interesting matchup but if you ever get into it with an SEC backer that argument gets them all bunched up.

Sounds about right for '08. Pac 10 lost a lot of talent from the '07 class.

Big 10 though is the only one I don't agree with, but Steele does a lot more research than any of us on CFB.

I picked up Phil Steele's preview this week and this guy is out of his mind!

He has South Florida ranked #8, over Georgia at #9, LSU at #13 and Texas at #15. South Florida plays who again? Their schedule consists of 2 decent games - Kansas, who I feel is way over-rated as it is, and West Virginia. Otherwise, they play Tenn Martin, Central Florida, Florida International, NC State, Pittsburgh (which is always more hype then substance every year), Syracuse (who really, really sucks), Louisville (without Brohm at QB, don't expect much), Cincinnati (another crappy Big East school), Rutgers (nothing without Rice) and UConn (another crappy Big East school).

I am so tired of the media thinking that just because a team goes undefeated, it should get a bid into a BCS game. How about taking into account the schedule?

Look at what happened to Hawaii, it got destroyed by Georgia. Enough already with all this hype for South Florida!!!

Don't even get me started on how lousy the Big 11 (opps...I mean 10) is. Ohio State is it and they are getting dominated by the SEC and USC should get a W off of them as well. BTW, didn't USC play a Big 10 team in the Rose Bowl and destroy them too?!?

Nice call USCDude. Fight On!

Yeah, I can't justify putting the Big XI over the Pac 10.

What makes Steele think that conference will be any good? OSU gets spanked in every big game they play, Michigan lost their entire team (plus new coach), and Illinois lost their big RB.

If the Pac-10 isn't better than the Big Eleven this year, I'll run around the block naked... and nobody wants to see that.

I think you guys are forgetting about perennial powerhouses Northwestern, Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota.

SEC- I am not saying they suck- well yes I am, because they say it about the PAC 10 every chance they get. Every year they puff up teams and half of those teams get their asses handed to them by questionable teams in the only OOC traveling games they play. Conversely South Florida got rocked by a PAC Ten team and it earned them no respect. Tenn got it handed to them by Cal and it was a momentary blip; it earned no respect. If Cal, Oregon had the same year but they were Southern state flagship schools they would be in the top 10.

What guys go by is the bubba effect- if it sounds like it should be a team where there are gold toofus, no talking players, coaches with mirrored sunglasses, and braggadocios fans then it has to be good football. Seriously though, any school whose name first brings fb to mind including SC, gets love no matter how they stack up at the moment. I think some of us follow this logic. If a PAC 10 team does well OOC but loses in conference they must really suck though they got lucky.

The Big 10 and Big 12- ha! That is just like a more implausible, watered down version of the same thing.

PS- I agree w everyone, even Matt. I do think their programs "outclass" us even when they are not better. They do put out a often more watchable product- frat cheering sections good ol' boy commentators, etc. Even when Cal won and played more exciting football I liked the Tenn fans more than some of Cal's fans. Dirty hippies. ;)