College football

Pac-10 smarting from LSU coach's criticism

USC and the Little Nine battle each other, and the perception of others

Rob Carr / AP

LSU coach Les Miles' criticism of the Pac-10 has lit a fire under the conference's coaches.

“If you look at our score spreads, in-conference versus out-of-conference, it’s obvious that our toughest games are in the conference,” Trojans coach Pete Carroll said.

The rest of the Pac-10 has fared well at the game’s elite level. The Pac-10’s .636 winning percentage (7-4) in BCS games is second only to the .692 winning percentage (9-4) posted by the SEC among conferences with more than one appearance. And the Trojans aren’t the only ones doing the damage; Oregon, Oregon State and Washington also have BCS victories.

“We certainly don’t have to apologize for the teams we’ve put in the BCS, and I think we probably should have had a couple more,” Hansen said.

It takes talent to win BCS games, and the Pac-10 is usually loaded at the offensive skill positions. This season, eight of the top nine passers from a year ago are back.

After Sam Keller lost the starting job at Pac-10 also-ran Arizona State a year ago, he transferred to Nebraska and was immediately named the starter for the defending Big 12 North champions.

The Pac-10 will have plenty of chances to improve on its reputation this season, beginning on Sept. 1, when California plays host to Tennessee in a game that has suddenly become very important in West Coast football circles.

Tennessee, of course, plays in the SEC along with LSU. And the Volunteers smoked Cal 35-18 in Knoxville last year.

“You can’t control what other people say,” California coach Jeff Tedford said. “We’re not going to be motivated by something coach Miles said. He has an opinion, and he’s entitled to that opinion.”

Pac-10 schools will play a number of other critical intersectional matchups, including Washington State at Wisconsin, Oregon at Michigan, Notre Dame at UCLA and Ohio State at Washington. USC visits both Nebraska and Notre Dame.

“It’s very, very important that we win games like that all up and down the conference,” Hansen said. “Every time you play, you’re gauged.”

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Pac-10 coaches are confident the conference will hold its own.

“I’d take the Pac-10 on a one-game basis against any team from any conference,” Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said.

It’s not unusual for Pac-10 teams to challenge tough opponents. A year ago, nine of the nation’s toughest 11 schedules belonged to Pac-10 schools, according to Jeff Sagarin’s final 2006 college football ratings. For the record, LSU’s schedule ranked 20th.

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