SEC/Pac-12 Roundtable

After Conference Championship weekend, Michael Castillo of the 110 Report, some SEC Bloggerss and I held a little roundtable discussion about the state of affairs for the Pac-12 and the SEC. These were the questions:

1. For years, the national perception of the Pac-12 is that it’s a defenseless, pass-first league. Has the running games of Oregon, Stanford and USC done anything to change that?

2. Despite USC winning at Auburn and Arkansas in the Pete Carroll era, and Cal, UCLA and Oregon combining to beat Tennessee every year from 2007 to 2010, what is it going to take for the Pac-12 to gain respect in SEC country?

3. The SEC is notorious for scheduling FCS teams, and the majority of its members opting to schedule a full slate of winnable non-conference games. While it’s done to make more members bowl eligible and counter tough conference schedules, the SEC has never teamed up with the Pac-12 for a bowl game, choosing to play conferences like the ACC and Big Ten. How much would you welcome a Pac-12 vs. SEC match up of second place teams, if a bowl like the Cotton Bowl were to reformat their automatic bids?

4. At the moment, both the Pac-12 and SEC have three top-10 teams in the AP Poll, and both have really poor bottom tiers. Which league top to bottom has been strong this season?

5. The Pac-12 just completed it’s first season after expanding to 12 teams, and it appears as though it will still take time for everyone to feel out the new format. How’s the SEC going to work with Missouri and Texas A&M coming to town?

6. How great would a USC vs. Alabama National Championship Game be someday? 

BamaHammer said:

Anything that brings the history and tradition of college football to the foreground is great. Having traditional powers like the Tide and Trojans in the big game would be a sportswriter’s dream. Kiffin seems to be putting the pieces in place for a run, and Saban figures to keep the Tide in the hunt every year. Here’s hoping. 

110 Report said:

 I’ve always thought that USC, Notre Dame and Alabama are the most special schools in college football, as they’ve been historically the most dominant teams. Everyone knows the history between USC and Notre Dame, but the Trojans and the Tide have history too, and it would be absolutely blissful to see them face each other for all the marbles. They split a title in 1978, and the 1970 game between the two schools changed the way Bear Byrant recruited, as USC’s Sam “Bam” Cunningham proved that Alabama should recruit black players. There’s just too much history, a BCS match up would almost be too much to handle. I for one, can’t wait to see it happen. (Paging Matt Barkley).

Saturday Blitz said:

I’d rather see Arizona than USC, but since that isn’t happening… last year’s championship game was exciting because top tier SEC vs. top tier Pac-10/12 games have been rare. The great Trojan teams under Carroll never played LSU, Auburn, Georgia for the BCS title, the closest being a Week 1 game against an Arkansas team that turned out to be top 15. 

Oregon – Auburn lived up to the hype. Imagine that excitement, then multiple it when you have two of the most historically rich programs playing for the biggest prize. 

And Reign fo Troy said:

IT WOULD ONLY BE THE GREATEST THING EVER! See you in Miami next season for the Orange Bowl. PS Matt Barkley or Robert Woods for the Heisman, 2012/2013. 

Remember to check out the other sites for the rest of the answers to the questions!