Umm, Bama won 8 conference games that year. And "that already weak conference" is 11-9 versus the SEC this past decade. (okay, I'm done... just trying to get a rise out of you... it's been a slow day!!)
I want Utah to go undefeated...win the Pac-1...and then get bypassed for the BCS title game by a non-BCS school. :hihi:
I agree that they're "good" pickups just don't see them adding any media appeal to that conference- that was what this was all about if I'm not mistaken. I think they were and the Commissioner grabbed the Utes after the first date to the prom said no.
Bama was way over rated 2 years ago. Tenn. fired their coach after the season. Auburn fired their coach after the season. Arkansas fired their coach the year before and had to rebuild. LSU fired their defensive coordinators mistake, and we started a redshirt freshman followed by a true freshman QB all season. The SEC was way down that year. The only good teams Bama faced were Fla. and Utah, and they lost them both and were not competitive in either. Those teams were still rebuilding last year, and Bama was a much better club last season and deserved what they got, but make no mistake, the SEC West was still down, as is Tenn. who is a huge Bama yearly rival. Saban has been an opportunistic beneficiary of circumstances the last 2 years. It remains to be seen if these teams get it together, but I think they are all on their way back from a temporary lull, and I expect Bama to have a harder time this year.
It was about money; the Pac-10 is going to re-negotiate a TV deal soon. Even if the Pac-10 had been successful in enticing Texas and other Big 12 schools to join the Pac-10, the Pac-10 still would have wanted Colorado. Denver's the 24th largest city in the US, and you've got lots of Pac-10 alumni living in the Denver area. And, once the Pac-10 picked up Colorado as the 11'th team, it was only natural to go for a 12th team. At the very least, the 12 teams gives you a conference championship game and additional millions for that game.
Utah, going to the Pac 10 is a solid move on their part. They can now be in a conference that allows them to get the benefits of being a part of the BCS, they now can enjoy the revenues that come with playing higher profile in conference games, and they probably won't have much of a drop off in their W/L column's, considering that IMHO the Pac 10 is almost just as weak as the MWC. TCU and BYU are every bit as tough as some of the other Pac 10 schools, exception being USC. This might turn out to be one of the best moves by any of the programs during this conference realignment fiasco. Utah just might have set themselves up to finally get to the MNC that they have been fighting for. Boise St on the other hand probably made a move that set themselves up for bigger disappointment.
