re: PAC-10 SOS's;

Picking an accurate means of measuring schedule strength is pretty dicey at best IMO...

but I surely agree when PAC 10 teams play nine conference games and only three out of conference games (that may include one bcs team and a good midmajor).. that makes for a stronger computer schedule than:

1) a big east school with five out of conference games to fill (typically with creampuffs) or
2) a texas tech or 08 lsu schedule


For at least the bad teams in a conference it is surely in their best interests to play more cupcakes in an effort to get bowl eligible and build some sort of confidence... then even if they are truly below average teams they (barring a unlv/asu result) are unlikely to be embarrassed out of conference by teams of at least average quality

For better teams in a conference the reason not to play four creampuffs out of conference is self interest for a different reason... you can screw yourself out of the bcs bowl game you are hoping to reach... something which actually recently happened to 2004 cal when they were edged out by 2004 texas for mostly schedule strength reasons

As for the pac in 2008 I think the wounds are self inflicted as much as anything really... they just should have won more games out of conference than they have... certainly if you play only crappy teams out of conference you run up a better record... but just as certainly they have shown themselves to be not as good as might be expected this year