So between the ninth conference game and the willingness to play a 10th quality opponent, the Pac-12 has set the bar in terms of strength of schedule.
"I know the SEC and rightfully so, they should claim themselves as the best league in the country because they've earned it and they've done it,” Rodriguez said. “But to go through the Pac-12 and win a national championship may be the most difficult thing to do. … So a lot of teams have a championship game, but they don't have non-conference games. We have both. So I think it makes us unique. That on top of the fact that every program in our league, I think, has gotten better, or getting better than they've ever been before, makes our league a pretty good spot.”
It makes the Pac-12 the best spot – at least on paper – in 2014.
