We now know that the Pac-12 does not have the best team in the nation. That title unfortunately belongs to the Ohio State Buckeyes as they wrecked Pac-12 representative Oregon Ducks 42-20 in the National Title Game. Though Oregon may only be the second best team in the country, it says a lot when trying to answer the question of which is the best conference in the nation?
First off, let us take a look at the final AP Poll:
The Pac-12 has tied the SEC with the most ranked teams in the poll. Here is the break down of the Power 5 Conferences:
Pac-12 (6): #2 Oregon, #10 UCLA, #12 Arizona State, #19 Arizona, #20 USC, #21 Utah
SEC (6): #4 Alabama, #9 Georgia, #11 Mississippi St., #14 Missouri, #17 Ole Miss, #22 Auburn
ACC (4): #5 Florida State, #8 Georgia Tech, #15 Clemson, #24 Louisville
Big Ten (3): #1 Ohio State, #5 Michigan State, #13 Wisconsin
Big XII (3): #3 TCU, #7 Baylor, #18 Kansas State
UCLA Bruins
It says a lot for both the Pac-12 and the SEC to each have six teams in the final AP Poll. It also says a lot that the Pac-12 was able to maintain six teams from the Preseason Poll. Though Arizona and Utah clearly emerged as two of the better teams in the conference as opposed to Stanford and Washington, it was better than what the SEC did with their expectations.
Along with the teams listed above (except for Mississippi State) South Carolina, Texas A&M and LSU had all dropped out of the poll even though they were ranked in the preseason.
Clearly the SEC was overrated, proving once again that there is undoubtedly an SEC bias. But that is not all!
As far as overall conference bowl records between the Pac-12 and SEC, here is the final tally:
Pac-12: 6-3
SEC: 7-5
Though the SEC had more wins, they also had more losses than the Pac-12. But even these records are a bit deceiving as they include wins from teams that cannot even sniff the Top 25. So here are the records for both conferences that only include their six ranked teams:
Pac-12: 5-2
SEC: 2-4
Jan 2, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Jim L. Mora celebrates with the trophy following their victory against the Kansas State Wildcats in the 2015 Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. The Bruins won 40-35. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
So when it came time to step up and show the nation who the better conference is, the Pac-12 is the clear winner. Every team in the Pac had beaten up on each other which only made them better every week. It was not necessarily that way with the SEC teams, especially with their lopsided Divisions and their scheduling of cupcake teams late in the season to pad their stats and records. You did not see the Pac-12 doing that. They took a challenge every week and made no excuses for any set backs.
Though this argument will likely see no end, even after season is well behind us, it is good to know that the Pac-12 Conference, the Conference of Champions, has made one hell of a bang this year.
Go Pac-12!
Jan 1, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) and linebacker Tony Washington (91) celebrate with the Leishman Trophy after defeating the Florida State Seminoles in the 2015 Rose Bowl college football game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports