On every message board and every website you hear arguments about strength of schedule (SOS).

But I have to ask what components make up SOS?

Some people argue things like wins and losses.

The problem there is the quality of the teams. What I mean is in a pure wins and losses set up a nine win Western Michigan means more than a seven win Clemson.

Or even a 10-2 Weber State gives a team more win/ loss points than 8-5 Kansas.

But ask yourself if you were in an argument about SOS, which one would you take more seriously?

There is the argument of playing x number of bowl teams as well. I don't like this one either.

If you made a nonconference schedule of Fresno State, FAU, Navy, and North Carolina State and then had one that consisted of Illinois, Stanford, Tennessee and Kansas State, which one looks harder? The first is a bunch of teams that were all in bowls while the second are teams that missed eligibility by one game.

Rankings makes sense, or at least in theory they do.

Do you go by the ranking of the team when the game was played or do you go by where the teams finish the season ranked?

The problem with ranking at the time of the game is, does it still count as a game against a ranked team if they bomb after word?

LSU was No. 7 to start the season but they did not finish ranked. On the other hand Utah was not ranked to start and finished No. 2.

So does that mean that teams that played LSU to start the season say they played a ranked LSU team while the teams that played Utah to start have to say they played Utah who finished No. 2? And what counts more to SOS?

There is also some perception problems for some teams. Some people can't get it out of their head the bad years of some teams like Stanford. Stanford went 5-7 in 2008. Are they then, any worse than other teams that went 5-7 that have a traditionally higher profile.

Say like Tennessee?

Many people would believe that a 5-7 Tennessee is better than a 5-7 Stanford. Maybe they are, but there is really no way to prove it. The only mutual opponent was UCLA and both lost by three. Neither team beat a ranked team at the time they played, but Stanford did beat Oregon State who finished in the top 25.

So was playing Tennessee or playing Stanford the harder opponent?

I honestly don't know if there is any one good way to determine strength of schedule and there may never be one. For every argument that can be made, a counter argument can also be made.

If anyone else has some insight in to how to gauge SOS, let me know.

In 2008, the Pac 10 had deals with seven bowl games. Only five teams became bowl eligible.

For this year's Hawaii Bowl, the seventh selection of Pac 10 teams would have faced a WAC team.

That has now changed because the Hawaii Bowl has decided to pull out of it's deal with the Pac 10 and sign a deal with Conference USA.

They were worried, and rightfully so, that the Pac 10 would again fail to supply a team to their bowl.

A Conference USA team, other than the champion will now have a spot in Hawaii.

The bowl lineup for the Conference USA in 2009 now consists of the Liberty Bowl, GMAC Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, Armed Forces Bowl, New Orleans Bowl, Texas Bowl and the St. Petersburg Bowl, provided they don't lose a spot anywhere else.

From what I know, this is a one year deal for 2009.

When asked about memorable games most fans will always remember the big wins. Me, I remember everything. Big wins and losses.

Here are a few lists.

Important games in Oregon Duck football history. The games every true Oregon fan should know.

The heartbreakers. Losses that no matter how much we want to forget we can't.

Important games in Civil War history. It is a rivalry and every game is important but some are more memorable.

Finally is a list of games from my 29 years of life. These are the games I will always remember.

All Time Games that Should be Remembered

10. 1894 Albany College at Oregon- Oregon's first game and Oregon's first win.

9. 1916 Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Pennsylvania- This was Oregon's first Rose Bowl. They won 14-0

8. 1989 Independence Bowl: Oregon vs. Tulsa- Oregon had not made a bowl since 1963. The Ducks won 27-24.

7. 1967 Idaho at Oregon- This was the first win at Autzen Stadium, a 31-6 victory.

6. 1971 Utah at Oregon- Bobby Moore rushes for 249 yards, an Autzen record, in a 36-29 Duck win.

5. 2006 Oklahoma at Oregon- The now infamous onside kick. Oregon won the game 34-33. No asterisk.

4. 2007 Oregon at Arizona- The Ducks were No. 2 in the nation and were on track to play for the National championship. Then star quarterback Dennis Dixon was injured and lost for the season. You could hear the tears from Duck fans across the country.

3. 1990 BYU at Oregon- BYU had already defeated No. 1 Miami and was up to No. 4 in the rankings. Led by Bill Musgrave, Oregon won 34-16.

2. 1970 Oregon at UCLA- With less than five minutes left in the game, UCLA led 40-21. In a matter of minutes Oregon scored three touchdowns and won the game 41-40.

1. 1994 Washington at Oregon- Every Oregon fan alive today can tell you this one will always stick with them. "KENNY WHEATON'S GONNA SCORE!"

Most Memorable Losses

10. 1983 Pacific at Oregon- Oregon wasn't what it is now back in the early 80's but that doesn't excuse losing to Pacific University, a school that no longer has a football program.

9. 2006 Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon vs. BYU- Oregon just got strait up embarrassed in this one 38-8.

8. 2002 Arizona State at Oregon- Oregon opened the season 6-0 but after this loss to the Sun Devils went 1-6 to finish the season.

7. 2003 Washington State at Oregon- Oregon just came off of one of their biggest wins ever with the upset win over Michigan the week before. Some blame the SI cover jinx.

6. 2000 Oregon at Wisconsin- Oregon was unranked and Wisconsin was No. 5 in the country. Oregon lost by three points.

5. 1994 Rose Bowl Oregon vs. Penn State- Oregon hadn't been to the Rose Bowl since 1957 and hadn't won the Pac 10 in the same time. Actually it was the Pacific Coast Conference then.

4. 2004 Indiana at Oregon- Mike Bellotti only lost one home opener in his 14 seasons as head coach.

3. 2000 Oregon at Oregon State- The season ended in a three way tie for the Pac 10 title with Oregon's two most hated rivals Oregon State and Washington. Oregon beat Washington. Washington beat Oregon State. Oregon State beat Oregon.

2. 2007 Oregon at Arizona- Losing Dennis Dixon hurt more than losing the game.

1. 2001 Stanford at Oregon- Oregon's only loss for the season. If Oregon would have won they might have made it to the National Championship game. Most Memorable Civil War Games

10. 1894 Oregon State won the first ever Civil War game 16-0.

9. 1985 Oregon won the second Civil War, their first win in the series, 44-0.

8. 1902- While most Oregon and Oregon State fans remember the 1983 game, it wasn't the first 0-0 tie. The first ever happened before the game turned 10 years old.

7. 1994- The only thing standing between Oregon and the Rose Bowl was Oregon State. Oregon pulled out a three point win to go to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1957.

6. 1988- Oregon State won the Civil War 21-10, for the first time since 1974. The win ended an Oregon win streak of 12 out of 13. The 1983 game was a tie.

5. 1972- Oregon won the Civil War after losing the last eight, 30-3.

4. 2000- Both teams came into the game with one loss. Oregon State won 23-13.

3. 2007- After 10 season where the home team had won, Oregon State won at Autzen Stadium. Weirdly, it has started a streak of two in a row where he visitor has won.

2. 2008- Oregon won with the highest point total by either team in the history of the rivalry. By beating the Beavers, Oregon denied Oregon State the Rose Bowl.

1. 1983- The Toile Bowl- the last 0-0 tie in the history of the NCAA. No body wants to remember it but we all do.

My Most Memorable Games

10. 1983 Civil War Oregon State at Oregon- AKA the Toilet Bowl. It's not like I was there or anything but I will always remember the stories and hearing about it.

9. 2006 Onside Kick Oklahoma at Oregon- I still say the game wasn't over when it happened. Oklahoma still had the lead and could have stopped Oregon, but they didn't.

8. 2003 Michigan at Oregon- Michigan was ranked No. 3 and Oregon 22. Oregon jumped out to a first half lead of 21-6. Michigan almost made the comeback but fell short. Oregon won 31-27. The phrase "Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." was first used after this game.

7. 2007 Arizona State at Oregon- 127.2 decibels and rising. Oregon wins 35-23 in one of the loudest games ever. Anywhere. It also had one of the quietest moments when Dennis Dixon was injured.

6. 2000 Oregon at Arizona State- It took two overtimes for this game to end. Oregon was down 49-35 with four minutes to play. I was watching in my dorm and was pissed off and hit record and left. When I came back, boy was I surprised to see a crazy finish to a great Oregon win.

5. 2002 Fiesta Bowl Oregon vs. Colorado- I still remember Maurice Morris spinning off the Colorado defenders back and scoring.

4. 2008 Oregon at Oregon State- Oregon won 65-38. Neither team had ever scored that many points on the other in the history of the Civil War. Oregon dashed Oregon State's Rose Bowl hopes with the win.

3. 2007 Oregon at Michigan- Michigan was coming off possibly the most embarrassing loss in the schools history, losing to DIAA Appalachian State the week before. Oregon came in and handed them their worst home loss since 1967.

2. 2007 Oregon at Arizona- Two weeks after the Arizona State game Dixon appeared ok. Then, with no contact, he went down, and with him the season.

1. 1994 Washington at Oregon- I wish I could describe the smile that comes to my face and the tears of joy that come no matter how many times I see it, hear it, or even read about it.

It doesn't matter how long they talk about it and you try to prepare yourself for it, it still comes as a shock.

I feel like I just got punched in the stomach and my dog ran away at the same time.

After 14 seasons, Oregon Ducks head coach Mike Bellotti is calling it quits. He will take up new residence in the athletic directors office.

Offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly will take the reigns as head coach.

The transition was announced last December, but there was never a date set as to when it would all happen.

Kelly will be the head coach in spring practices when they start at the end of March.

Bellotti will work with current athletic director, Pat Killkenny, until June 30. Bellotti will then take office on July 1.

I grew up in the Rich Brooks years. I have only known two coaches at the University of Oregon. The first built the program up to where they were at least playing in bowls. Brooks was a good building coach.

Bellotti took that success and built on it further.

Bellotti has a record of 116-55 as the head coach of the Ducks. He is the all time winningest coach in Oregon history.

He has taken Oregon to 12 bowls in 14 seasons.

Bellotti guided Oregon to their highest ranking in school history, No. 2 in 2001. Bellotti is also the only coach in Oregon history to win 10+ games in a season.

The time was right for him. He leaves on a high note. Oregon finished 2008 with a 10-win season, a top 10 ranking and wins over rival Oregon State and a Holiday bowl win.

He leaves the team in good shape to a hand picked successor. Kelly has been the offensive coordinator for two season and Oregon has finished with off the charts offensive numbers.

Still, as good a coordinator Kelly has been, he is an unproven head coach. Then again, for the most part, so was Bellotti when he took over for Brooks.

Thank you Mike Bellotti, for everything you have done.

The question, as of late, is the same every year, "Can anyone challenge USC for the Pac-10 title?"

The funny thing to me is, someone always challenges, it's just that no one has succeeded in beating USC for the title outright. There have however, been several shared titles.

The consensus around the internet among sports writers and analyst is that Cal, Oregon, and Oregon State are the main challengers for the 2009 season.

Stanford and Arizona have been deemed the teams to cause problems but have a low probability of winning the conference.

Arizona State and UCLA are looking to improve on lack luster 2008 seasons where both missed being bowl eligible by one game.

Washington and Washington State are bringing up the rear, but with coaching changes, WSU in 2008 and UW in 2009, they could start climbing back up.

Over the last few seasons we have seen that USC is beatable.

In 2006 it was Oregon State and UCLA.

In 2007 Stanford and Oregon did it.

Last season Oregon State did it again.

After being disrespected and hearing how the only team out west worth anything is USC, the rest of the Pac-10 is catching up to them slowly but surely.

I am at a place where I believe that yes, USC is possibly vulnerable this season due to personnel losses and some coaching staff changes. At the same time, USC reloads and has very good talent stepping in to those roles vacated by players graduating and heading to the NFL.

I am not just going to say this because I am an Oregon fan, I really truly feel that the Pac-10 race will be one of the better ones in all the conference next season. I would not be at all surprised if in the final weeks of the regular season, there are still three or four teams still in the hunt.

There was a lot of noise made by the rest of the country about the fact that the Pac-10 went 2-6 against the Mountain West.

A closer look at that record shows that four of the six wins were against Pac-10 teams that were under .500.

The Pac-10 vs. Mountain West only has a few entries for the 2009 season .

 

San Diego State will go to UCLA

Oregon State travels to UNLV.

Last seasons Mountain West champion visits Oregon.

It looks like the Pac-10 will likely be favored in all three but, as we learned last season, that doesn't mean they will win them all.
There was also a lot of noise made about the Pac-10 going 5-0 in bowls. That was more from the west coast and the Pac-10 fans though.

Yes it is nice and gave a bit of redemption to the conference but it by no means made the Pac-10 even close to the best conference.

Really, the Pac-10 couldn't even fulfill all of their bowl agreements leaving two bowls to find replacement teams.

If the Pac-10 wants more respect, they need to be able get more than half their members to bowls.

Like the Big East, the Pac-10 is going to be having a new commissioner soon.

Tom Hansen will step down July 1, 2009.

Unlike the Big East, a successor has yet to be named.

There have been all kinds of rumors as to who will be the next commissioner from Condoleezza Rice to Sandy Alderson of the San Diego Padres, have been tied to the position, but the position is still vacant.

Hansen has been widely criticized for the lack of exposure the Pac-10 receives due to poor television deals. The criticism also includes that bowl deals the Pac-10 has and how, out side of the Rose Bowl, the Pac-10 does not have another bowl in January.

The incoming commissioner is going to have these and a few other issues to deal with right away. It is important to remember that the commissioner still has to serve the member institutions.

So while some expect some changes like expansion, if the schools don't want it, it doesn't matter who the commissioner is.

A lot of people would say the conference was down in 2008, so here is to hoping the conference rebounds and 2009 is one to remember.