How long ago was the PAC 12 the weak sisters of the WCB?

[SVCBeercats]

Now the PAC 12 has 5 teams in the top 25. Three of them are in the top 4. Amazing how quickly the PAC 12 has become the dominate conference. Can the new Big East do the same with the addition of UCONN?

 

[Dokey]

Now the PAC 12 has 5 teams in the top 25. Three of them are in the top 4. Amazing how quickly the PAC 12 has become the dominate conference. Can the new Big East do the same with the addition of UCONN?

No.

 

[JordyG]

Now the PAC 12 has 5 teams in the top 25. Three of them are in the top 4. Amazing how quickly the PAC 12 has become the dominate conference. Can the new Big East do the same with the addition of UCONN?

No.

Not unless ND or Louisville have a financial and moral change of heart. Or if they lose their concerted minds.

 

[diggerfoot]

Not unless ND or Louisville have a financial and moral change of heart. Or if they lose their concerted minds.

Actually, now that you've brought up the idea, it would not be out of the realm of possibility for Notre Dame to join the Big East (again). The Big East has a better geographic footprint for their travel and they are independent in football. I mean, it's not like they would never bolt a conference they are in for something that fits their self-interest better.

 

[Sonny44]

Now the PAC 12 has 5 teams in the top 25. Three of them are in the top 4. Amazing how quickly the PAC 12 has become the dominate conference. Can the new Big East do the same with the addition of UCONN?

Dominant? Let's see if they can win something first.

 

[Plebe]

Dominant? Let's see if they can win something first.

Can we refrain from conflating conference supremacy with the team championship? Surely no one would argue the AAC was the "dominant" conference in 2014-16 just because UConn won the title those years.

 

[CompSci87]

People love to argue which conference is the best, and the arguments never end because there is no single clear definition for what it means for one conference to be better than another. Conference RPI? But we know RPI is flawed. Conference with the best team (defined how)? Conference with the most NCAA champtionships? Conference with the most teams in the top 25? Conference that is best "top to bottom" -- which means what exactly? Etc.

 

[nwhoopfan]

When was the Pac 12 the Weak Sisters of WCBB? They clearly weren't as strong as the SEC was during its peak, or the Big East at its peak, but surely there were many many conferences much worse than the Pac 12. And Stanford has been a powerhouse almost continuously for what, 25 or 30 years?

 

[JordyG]

When was the Pac 12 the Weak Sisters of WCBB? They clearly weren't as strong as the SEC was during its peak, or the Big East at its peak, but surely there were many many conferences much worse than the Pac 12. And Stanford has been a powerhouse almost continuously for what, 25 or 30 years?

Ignore that stuff. I've been a fan of West Coast teams for years, and it's about time they've received their due.

 

[bennyskid]

The answer to the question is the same as the answer to this one: "When did top west coast recruits start staying on the west coast?" For most of my lifetime, top west coast recruits went to Stanford or they went east. But OSU and UO rose to the top using west coast talent like Syd Wiese, Jamie Weisner, Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthie Hebard, and others. And now - for the first time in my lifetime - Pac schools other than Stanford are able to recruit nationally.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think the Pac-12 about 5 years ago was Stanford and everybody else. They had a stranglehold on the conference. But UCLA, Oregon, and Oregon State made good coaching hires. Plus, ASU has had a solid coach for some time. I don't expect that the conference will have 3 top-4 teams at the end of the season, but 3 or 4 top-10 teams seems possible. I think they could get more than one team into the Final Four. If they manage to get all 4 in, that would be truly remarkable.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I would say Cal and Arizona St. both took a run at catching up to Stanford, but didn't quite get there. Then out of nowhere Oregon St. busted thru w/ three straight regular season Titles, followed by Oregon w/ 2 straight. You don't have to go back very far in time to where it would've been impossible to imagine the regular season Champ being from the State of Oregon 5 straight years.


* ASU did tie OSU one of those years, I do have to give them their due

 

[Wbbfan1]

Recruiting is the Key as to why the PAC 12 is now the dominant conference in WBB. It used to be the majority of the Elite California HS Players would go East to play College Ball. Now the Majority are staying in the West. For many years there was a player on UConn that was from California, now there isn't. Westbrook is from Oregon, but she's a transfer. Next years Recruiting Class, although a great one, doesn't have any players from the West Coast.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Dominant? Let's see if they can win something first.

In the ranking they are the dominant conference. Oh, one superior team in a conference does not make it a dominant conference. Especially while all the other teams can't even beat each other.

 

[willtalk]

They were considered weak much longer than they actually were. Perception tends to fulfill itself. I remember some years back when the Pac 12 was considered weak but had some fairly good teams when every one of the four Pac 12 teams was knocked out by the eventual Champion Uconn. How often does that happen when every team in one conference ends up getting eliminated by the eventual champion?