Realistically, Michigan and USC should be playing for the right to play OSU. The differences between the two teams are slim. Michigan has a better feature back in Hart but USC has more depth overall. Both teams have big time receivers with nice complimentary receivers. Michigan has an ungodly turnover ratio with 10 turnovers versus 25 takeaways. USC can still get burned deep which is strange for a team with so much speed but they play an agressive west coast style D. Both teams lost primary receiver for some time this year and the QB's are eerily similar with Henne having more experience but Booty has been playing well of late. USC played a much tougher schedule but has a loss against an unranked team (though Oregon State would give any team in the top 25 a game in Beaver stadium) Michigan was life and death against Ball State in a game that everybody seems to forget. (I would safely say that Oregon State would beat Ball State by 30) Also I'm not sure what game you guys watched but If Ohio State doesn't make some bad turnovers, they wipe Michigan out. I thought that it was the most lopsided 3 point game I saw all year. Regarding conferences, the Pac 10 was much better top to bottom than the Big ten. The only quality teams from the Big Ten were OSU, Michigan, Wisc, and Penn State. Iowa was a dissappointment, Michigan State mailed it in after the ND game, Purdue is average at best, Illinois is bad, Northwestern is not good, Indiana stinks, minnesota was average at best. Pac 10 has USC, Cal, Oregon state, Ucla, Oregon, Asu, AZ, Wash state, all beat quality teams. Wash, AZ, ASU were not great but much better than Ill, NW, and Indiana. Stanford was the only real doormat in the league.
One thing that I give USC credit for is playing a tough non conference schedule. At Arkansas, Nebraska, Notre Dame is much tougher than Michigan playing Vandy, Central Michigan, ND, and Ball State. That alone should be the deciding vote. If Michigan wants to schedule cupcakes fine, but if strength of schedule is going to be a factor, then hold it against them and maybe they'll get a little more aggressive when they fill out the schedule.
|