I don’t think the Pac 10 is soft (but the Cal loss to Tennessee certainly didn’t help). The SEC and the Big have an argument, but the Big 12 doesn’t. The Pac-10 is widely considered to be better than the Big 12.
Outside of Texas, you have the following:
• An Oklahoma team with no QB – pretty much an 8 win team.
• Nebraska – pretty good, and getting better, but not considered anything more than a 8 win team at the moment
• Texas Tech – a circus sideshow passing offense and no defense
• Colorado – lost to a D-IAA team
• Baylor – LOL
• Iowa State – good at beating Iowa and no one else
• Oklahoma State – bring back Barry Sanders!
• A&M – biggest disappointment this side of Cal
• Missouri – even with Brad Smith they were bad
• The Kansas schools – don’t deserve to be broken out separately
Associated Press agrees:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../608190364/1019
Look, the Pac 10 is nothing to write home about this year (though I think Oregon will surprise some people), but they are still better than the Big 12.