is the PAC-10 actually good?

Hey, just because USC didn’t play this weekend and I was away at Virginia Tech’s homecoming doesn’t mean that I didn’t keep up with college football this weekend. I learned something on Saturday that I hadn’t really noticed all season: damn, the Pac-10 is good.

Here’s the recap:

• No college football recap of mine would be complete without the following: Ohio State killed Indiana. *yawn*
• Virginia Tech had a great homecoming game, beating Southern Miss. 36-6. Granted, it is Southern Miss. However, the Hokies really did show up for this game. In fact, if they had played like this all season, they probably would be a one-loss team, if not undefeated. Hopefully the Hokies that showed up on Saturday will also show up on Thursday against Clemson.
• Speaking of Clemson, they sure did beat the crap out of Georgia Tech. And how exactly did the #12 team in the country convincingly beat the #13 team in the country? By completely shutting down Calvin Johnson, GT’s offensive spark. Sure, that’s all fine and dandy, but what really impressed me was the Tigers’ showing on GameDay. They showed up in droves to support their team on ESPN’s college football pre-game show. Take note, Auburn fans.
• And since I’m talking about the ACC, did anyone else notice that Miami almost lost to Duke? Duke has yet to win a game and they almost beat Miami? That win would’ve made their whole season. Hey Miami…how the mighty have fallen, huh?
• Damn you, Nebraska! All the Cornhuskers had to do was hold on to the ball for a few minutes and you would’ve won the game!!! But no! You had to fumble the ball and let Texas take possession so they could eventually kick a field goal to win the game. Come on, ‘huskers. I need you to beat some ranked teams so that USC’s win over you will look even better.
• FUCLA vs. Notre Lame. Notre Lame vs. FUCLA. As a loyal Trojan, I hate them both. But which team do I hate more? I kept asking myself this as the two schools played each other on Saturday. I figured that no matter who won, one of them had to lose (so it was a win-win situation for USC fans). However, I actually slightly preferred an Irish loss over a Bruin one. So when I heard that UCLA had almost beaten the Irish, I was not surprised (although everyone else seems to be). Why? Because many Trojans (myself included) already know that the Irish are overrated.
• Speaking of PAC-10 teams, Washington State pulled the upset against then-#16 Oregon. The game wasn’t even close (it was over by the 3rd quarter). This kinda makes me feel better about USC having a hard time against Wazzu earlier this season.
• Speaking of hard times, Cal was this close to losing to the Huskies. Guess what, peeps? Washington isn’t the same 2-win team of yesteryear (because this year they have 4 victories already). They’re definitely on their way back. Somehow they pulled off an impressive comeback against Cal IN BERKELEY and almost pulled off an impressive upset. Cal needed overtime to beat the Huskies. This REALLY makes me feel better about USC having a hard time against Washington earlier this season.
• And finally, although USC didn’t play, they were still very much on my mind. I was afraid that their Saturday off would result in a drop in the BCS standings—which it did. Strangely, after Saturday’s games, I think I have a little more confidence in an undefeated season for the Trojans. So Michigan, I hope you enjoy your stint at #2 in the BCS poll. It won't mean a thing when Ohio State beats ya in 3 weeks.
  

I'm so very sad that I missed the DC Trojans happy hour last week, but I'll definitely be at Bailey's on Saturday to cheer my Trojans to victory over the Beavers of Oregon State.