With conference play ramping up in earnest in a couple of weeks, it's time for me to take a spin at rating the six power conferences. Like any type of poll or ranking, such exercises are highly subjective. Despite that fact, there are a few common factors to look at in evaluating a conference's strength.
The common factors most important to me are:
- Number of elite-level teams;
- Number of quality teams;
- Number of postseason-worthy teams.
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| Levance Fields and his Pitt Panthers are in the talk of the Big East's best. (US Presswire) |
Despite the subjectivity of the top 25 polls, they are usually a good place to start in evaluating conferences.
Other common factors:
Non-conference strength of schedule and success against that schedule. Who have teams played, where have they played them and how have they done?
Jay Bilas, the fine analyst at ESPN and a CBS colleague, has a measuring tool he calls "real record." It's a team's record against opponents ranked in the top 75 of the RPI. To me, that's a reasonable way to filter out conference strength.
Competitiveness within the conference: How closely contested are the games? How hard is it to win league games on the road? How closely contested is the race for the league title?
Coaching: The success, style, philosophies, innovations and adjustments of coaches add to the strength of a conference, not to mention its perception and profile.
Postseason success history: This is a moving target from year to year, and I view postseason success as more about individual team matchups than which conference a successful team plays in. So I don't value this factor as much as I do some of the others mentioned. However, it is worth noting that in most cases, teams that fare well in postseason play have been challenged in strong conferences.
So, here's how I'd rank the conferences today with a pick for the regular-season champ:
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1. Big East: Surprise, surprise! I'm with the "hoops-heads herd" on this one. This league appears to have the most of the three team types I mentioned at the top of this column. UConn is my pick to win it, with Pittsburgh or Georgetown emerging if the Huskies falter.
2. ACC and Big 12: The ACC is home to the nation's best team, North Carolina -- also my pick to win the league. Wake Forest, while a bit unseasoned, is talented and has the kind of frontcourt size to perhaps challenge the Tar Heels more than any other team in the conference. Duke will be right there, and keep an eye on Clemson and Miami.
Oklahoma and Texas carry the banner for the Big 12, but Baylor is dangerous and Oklahoma State could surprise. It's too close to call between Texas and Oklahoma for the league crown, but when in doubt about two good teams, I go with the best player. And that's Blake Griffin of the Sooners.
3. Big Ten: Michigan State is my pick to win it. The loss of Goran Suton to knee surgery is big, but I think this team has the talent, depth and coaching to overcome it. Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio State are the teams most poised to surprise.
4. Pac-10: UCLA's defensive prowess makes the Bruins my pick to win the league, and I think the offense will continue to smooth out because of the leadership of Darren Collison and Josh Shipp. And Jrue Holiday is a potential star. Arizona State should challenge UCLA, and Arizona could surprise. The Wildcats' Jordan Hill is a force inside.
5. SEC: This league is a bit young and in transition with a lot of its teams. Tennessee is my pick to win the conference, but I'll be keeping a close eye on Alabama, Florida and LSU, too. All three have talented, unproven but hungry rosters.
