Tradition, competition make for one tough conference

By Hannah Gordon
Daily Bruin Reporter

Long considered lightweights in comparison to the hog-gobbling
farmboys of the Big Ten, Big XII and South Eastern Conference, the
Pac-10 teams are gaining respect.

The self-proclaimed “conference of champions” lived
up to its name last season when three teams (Washington, Oregon and
Oregon State) finished the season in the top 10 of the AP and
coaches polls.

“A national championship (for a Pac-10 team) is right
around the corner, it’s just a matter of time,” said Al
Borges, former UCLA and current Cal offensive coordinator.

Washington was the last Pac-10 team to win a national
championship in 1991, but the conference remains competitive.
Against the 10 other Division I-A conferences, the Pac-10 has
an-all time .635 winning percentage.

“The record of the Pac-10 speaks for itself,”
Stanford head coach Tyrone Willingham said. “It has been one
of the best for a long time. It has produced outstanding athletes
and outstanding coaches. If you add the tradition, the players, and
the coaches, you get one of the strongest conferences.”

The Pac-10 has produced high caliber athletes with seven Heisman
winners since 1962 and 48 athletes among top ten vote-getters.

What makes the Pac-10 unique is that it does not boast just a
few stand-out schools ““ the whole conference is strong. Last
season, there was a three-way tie for first place and nine of the
ten schools have been Pac-10 champion or co-champion in the past
decade.

“In the old days, three or four teams were good; now, no
one’s a breather,” Borges said.

Sport Illustrated seems to agree, ranking the Pac-10 as the
second toughest conference after the SEC and ahead of the Big XII,
which includes two top-10 teams in Virginia Tech and Nebraska.

“From top to bottom it’s an outstanding
conference,” UCLA Head Coach Bob Toledo said. “The
lower teams are as good as the best teams in some
conferences.”

Just don’t tell those Hokies and Huskers, east of the
Rockies.