I completely agree. And it has nothing to do with any fascination over national perception, it is all about money.
When the “perceived” powers, in the Pac-12, USC, Oregon, Washington and Stanford, who play nationally significant oppoenents, like Alabama, Texas, Notre Dame, Auburn, and regulaly lose, as has been the case recently, it hurts the perception of the conference. This in turn, influences whether PAC12 schools are considered for the national playoff, and what bowls invite PAC12 schools. This in turn, impacts that amount of money the conference earns.
It is the same with Basketball. When UCLA, and Arizona fail early in the tournament, or fall to other nationally/historically respected programs during the non-conference schedule, it impacts the perception of the conference, and ultimatly the number of teams that get into the NCAA tournament, and the amount of money the conference earns to split with it’s members.
I have no love for any of the so-called bluebloods, or historically respected programs, but I cheer for them to win ALL out of conference games, always!
And it’s not just about the money. It’s also about the perception of Utah. We don’t regularly play significant OOC oppoenents. So, ultimately, the national perception of Utah, depends upon the national perception of our conference oppoenents. When we beat USC in football, I’d rather beat a USC that ends the season with an 11-1 record, than the 5-7 they ended with last year.
.
