Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
I'll admit it. I grew up a devoted college football fan in the Southeast and didn't think much of the Pac-10, even though I went through a phase rooting for USC because of the Trojans' cool uniforms.
Soft, I thought. Hollywood. Or, even worse, granola. Football is a part of the Southern soul. Out West, I figured, it's just a hobby, an entertainment option among many.
After covering Auburn for two tumultuous years for the Mobile Register -- think Terry Bowden and a nefarious booster -- I thought I'd found easy street taking over the Washington beat for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1999. Instead, I found myself fearing for my life in a swaying Husky Stadium press box as Washington fans went nuts.
Wide-eyed, frenzied passion obscuring logic? Found an Auburn-Alabama equivalent when I had the audacity to write about what a wonderful coach Oregon's Mike Bellotti was. My in-box overflowed with angry missives from Huskies boosters, one of whom included a 1,000-word essay explaining just how lame the Ducks really were. Some never forgave me.
And then, in 2000, I watched Washington physically manhandle an intimidated Miami team that would spend much of November whining about not playing for the national title.
And then I watched scandal consume the Husky program, thinking, hey, this feels just like the SEC.
And then I watched USC become the king of college football, blistering all comers from every corner of the nation.
Over the years, I watched the Pac-10 consistently prove that it was every bit the match of any conference, both on the field and in the stands. And sometimes even during the tailgate. I must confess, however, I've never found a Pac-10 match for the postgame at the War Eagle Supper Club.
So it came to pass: I'm now a Pac-10 guy. I love the traditions out here. I love the way of life. I love going to college football games in places as diverse as Los Angeles and Eugene, Ore., and Tempe, Ariz. I love the high-flying offenses and 45-43 final scores.
I love how a guy who went to Berkeley and speaks English as a second language can write me a long, eloquent e-mail from his Silicon Valley office that is filled with such pathos over the Bears' implosion last year that I almost tear up. That's uniquely Pac-10.
I hope this becomes an irreplaceable destination for Pac-10 fans -- and for fans from other conferences who don't mind losing arguments.
We'll talk games, personality, strategy, personnel and human interest. And we'll talk a little trash. Whatever feels right.
Should be fairly cool.
Ted Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
