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| 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. |
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.
