College football fans have debated the strength of the different conferences for generations.  Pac-10 fans have long alleged an East Coast bias, costing teams like USC national championships.

With the rise of the BCS, the perception as to the quality of a conference is extremely important to placing teams in the BCS championship game. Actual game results only matter occasionally, as hype and reputation guide the selection of the BCS title game participants.

This beauty contest is not just for the team, but the conference.  Recently, USC has been hurt by the perception that the Pac-10 is weak.  Of course, the adoption of the round-robin has served as a self-inflicted wound for the last three years.