(10-09-2021 08:55 AM)AuzGrams Wrote:  

(10-09-2021 08:10 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(10-09-2021 06:58 AM)AuzGrams Wrote:  Every conference needs an average to “dead weight” program to make USC, Oregon, Washington and whatever other up and coming school (Utah) to look good.

In a conference of 10 or 12 teams, someone is almost always going to be the dead weight. If the SEC kicked Vanderbilt out, either Tennessee, Kentucky, or one or both of the Mississippi schools would become the new dead weight. There were dead weights in the Big Ten before Rutgers got there, Northwestern mainly was the dead weight in the 80's before Gary Barnett got there. If Rutgers and Maryland left the Big Ten, Ohio State would still beat up on Illinois and the Indiana schools (and these days Michigan )

Dead weight has more than one meaning and football isn't everything. Maybe Oregon State and Washington State can be competitive with the California schools in football. So what? So could 20-50 other schools in the country. What makes them more special than say San Diego State other than historical ties? The California schools (especially Stanford) take great pride on academics, and Oregon State and Washington State are pretty bad academically according to USN&WR rankings. And unless Corvallis and Pullman are nicer places than I think they are, why would UCLA and Berkeley want to go there every other year or however often they do? If the California schools have Oregon and Washington (the clear cut #1 schools in those states, do they need the "little brothers"?)

The SEC and Big Ten can ask themselves the same questions about conference members but they are being paid well despite having to share with the Rutgers's and Vanderbilt's so they are OK with it. Texas and Oklahoma were dangled with more money so they left. Can the California Four get more money leaving behind some schools?

Kinda a shame that Tennessee for football these days is considered dead weight but it’s true. This type of **** is why they need a 5-1-2 playoff system. Plus, 8 teams keeps the regular season important.

And Washington/Washington State & Oregon/Oregon State are good rivalries. The PAC-12 is a little more than the California schools. You know better.

That’s okay. The PAC-8 aka the new WAC would look good without USC/UCLA/Stanford/Cal.

I’m not trying to hate but Berkeley, CA is a little overrated compared to what you think of Corvallis. Nothing I’ve seen indicates that town is a shithole.

Actually, South Carolina is more dead weight than Tennessee, IMO, but Tennessee isn't much better.