The Battle Between the SEC and the Pac-10

At the beginning of the 2009 season, the Washington Huskies' football team was riding a 14 game losing streak. They were winless in the 2008 season. Their daunting task was to start the '09 season against an SEC power, LSU Tigers, who won the national title as recently as 2007. Wow! How could a winless Washington team, with a brand new head coach (3rd youngest in major football), compete at all against the #11 team in the nation with so much talent just in the last two years of recruiting that would put the whole Pac-10 conference (with exception to USC) to shame? Robert Smith is quoted by saying, "Washington doesn't have a chance!" With LSU being from the SEC and the conference that is known for its defense and running the ball, there would be no way a no-talent program like Washington, who was compared by Robert Smith to the Detroit Lions in similar lack of talent, to even be in the game at all. LSU would be flying home with their 10th consecutive 'W' against a Pac-10 team by inserting their 3rd-stringers into the game mid-way through the 2nd quarter. It will be that ugly for the Huskies.

Okay, so I like to lay it on a little thick. However, I would like to ask those SEC fans how they explain the lack-luster play of their precious LSU squad. Maybe they can tell me how the greatest defensive conference could give up 478 yards and 36:52 in time of possession. That doesn't sound like a superior team ranked at #11 playing stellar defense against a 14-game losing streaked team with a brand new head coach, coaching his debut game. How can any ESPN writer say that the game ball should go to Jordan Jefferson who passed for only 172 yards and 3 TD's? Jake Locker, who is NOT known for his passing abilities, passed for 321 yards and 2 TD's (plus another TD, only the other team caught it and returned it for a TD). That is an amazing stat, there. Locker "only" rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries. Maybe Washington didn't have the 11 penalties for 83 yards, and didn't give up a pick-six, and didn't let Terrance Toliver catch two TD's for 45 and 39 yards, respectively. Would there have been a different outcome - possibly; but there is no way you can take huge plays away from a game - that's what they are all about.

Les Miles has a great record against Pac-10 schools since his arrival to LSU. He traveled to Arizona State to play the 15th ranked Sun Devils as the #5 team in the nation and beat them 35-31. Seems a little too close, but not as close as the year before when the Nick Saban-led Tigers played a home game as the #4 team in the nation taking on the unranked Oregon State Beavers and "pounding on them" by coming from behind to put it into OT and finally winning it in OT 22-21 because the true freshman kicker, Alexis Serna missed the PAT (and a field goal try a time or two earlier). In 2006, LSU played another home game against an miserable Arizona squad as the #8 team in the nation. I sense that LSU does not like to travel much to the West and they like to pick on the lesser Pac-10 schools. The ranked ASU team in 2005 ended the season 7-5 while LSU ended up 11-2. ASU didn't meet up to the expectations of the AP or Coaches' Polls. Why doesn't LSU schedule a game with USC or Oregon? Those are the two most consistant schools in the conference these days. Why not? Are they afraid of losing? I'm shocked that LSU hasn't tried to get a game with Washington State. LSU gets pretty easy schedules, besides, Les Miles said that the Pac-10 is the "Big Easy" for conference competition anyway. So, you would think that LSU would stop scheduling Louisiana-Lafayette, Appalachian State, Troy, North Texas, Middle Tennessee State, and Arkansas State. Shoot for some Pac-10 blood, Miles! I dare you!

So, in other news, it was great to see UCLA travel to Knoxville and pull out a win over an SEC school. I know SEC fans will say "But, Tennessee is far from the class of the SEC..." as it was, say, when it won the national championship. Duh! However, the SEC fans will turn it around in their favor when talking about the difficulty of conference scheduling and say that a particular team has to play Tennessee - which, in my opinion, is still a tough match-up. It's not like having Vanderbilt on your schedule!