Commentary

FBO: Pac-10 is still on the run

The trend of great RBs out West is primed to continue this season

Originally Published: August 25, 2009
By Bill Connelly | Football Outsiders

Every conference develops its own personality over time, and that reputation tends to reinforce itself: The SEC has defense and ridiculous speed, the Big 12 (and, before it, the Big 8 and SWC) has cutting-edge offenses and the Big Ten has the big guys in the trenches and the power rushing attack. The Pac-10, meanwhile, has had the running backs, from O.J. Simpson to Chuck Muncie to Marcus Allen, right on through to Reggie Bush, Steven Jackson and company in the 2000s.

With a couple of household names at RB in the conference now -- and a handful of lesser-known stars -- this reputation won't be changing anytime soon.

With normal household statistics, it is always difficult to differentiate between truly great performances and simply decent performances against lesser teams. Football Outsiders tries to give credit for the former while discounting the latter.

To read about Football Outsiders' running back rankings and the stars of the Pac-10, you must be an ESPN Insider. Insider


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