Long and Suite Preview: The Pac 12

Stanford needs to replace some big names on both sides of the ball, but all-purpose threat Ty Montgomery should have the Cardinal in the mix for another Pac 12 championship.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe) with a cameo by Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

When debating the best conference in college football over the last decade, the conversation pretty much started and ended with the SEC.

But, thanks to some dramatic developments out west, the Pac 12 (formerly 10) enters the fray this season. The conference finished 2013 with two teams (Stanford and Oregon) ranked in the Top-5 of Jeff Sagarin's postseason computer rankings, and boasted seven teams ranked in Sagarin's final Top-25. That's one more than the mighty SEC, for those of you keeping track at home, and the Pac 12 finished an astounding 31-6 in non-conference play.

If you're wondering, Sagarin already pegged the Pac 12 as the best conference in college football last season (most computer models seem to agree), though he listed the SEC West as the strongest division in the country.

With those same seven ranked teams coming off 8-win seasons or better, and only Cal looking like a lost cause, the Pac 12 may be the nation's deepest conference, and (depending on who you ask) features between two and four national title contenders.

Your College Football Weekend Primer: Time for UF and ND to Wake Up

Gator coach Will Muschamp may have the best "anger face" in college football.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Look, a win is a win, and I'm just as guilty of saying "the U is back" as the next guy, but the Hurricanes didn't beat Florida two weekends ago. Florida beat Florida, as five turnovers and 10 penalties led to the Gators losing a game that saw them outgain the Canes by over 200 yards and possess the ball 17 minutes longer.

Luckily for the Gators, it seems like every time they need a wake up call, they get a bye, or they get to play Tennessee/Kentucky. Well, rest easy Gator fans, because after that ugly loss to Miami, your team gets a bye, followed by a home game against the Vols (A team that hasn't beaten Florida since 2004), and a trip to Lexington to play the Wildcats (A team that hasn't beaten Florida since the Cretaceous Period).

Long and Suite Preview: The Pac 12

Will Stanford's stingy defense again coral Oregon's explosive offense in 2013?

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

So many significant things in history have gone east to west (America, the sun, Jackie Chan) so I wanted to buck that trend with my college football preview.

In the first installment of what promises to be a far-too in depth look at the upcoming 2013 season, I tackle the Pac 12, with a little help from conference insider David Lombardi. As I mentioned in my early college football gambling preview, I like a pair of Pac 12 schools as national title bets. I still feel that way about Oregon and Stanford, but the Pac 12 is largely unknown beyond those two.