The PAC Forum at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Weekday games. Enough said.

are folks in the SW just not that into college football?  i mean, the ones that are really are, but... the general populace?

It's the West as a whole - Bay area, state of Washington, etc - but, short answer, yes.
And the list of reasons can go on and on:


- For one, most of the Pac 12 markets are in large cities where pro-sports vastly overshadow the college game. In PHX all of the coverage goes toward the Cardinals. Turn on the radio in Seattle and the Huskies, even in strong years, are fighting with the Mariners for a single radio segment on a morning show that's 95% Seahawks coverage. In the Bay area it's all 49ers, SF Giants, and Raiders talk. Think out east where BC and the University of Maryland receive almost no coverage in their large local markets.

 
- I also think the college football attention in the West is more nationally focused which thins out some of the regional coverage. This is due to the highly transient nature of the West. In my Dad's Tucson neighborhood I can't tell you how many license plates were from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, etc. And they all have Big Ten network and attend local Big Ten alumni groups to watch their games. It's a lot easier to find a large Iowa football watch party in Phoenix whereas it's hard to imagine much of a UCLA viewing in Detroit. FWIW, the PHX/Tucson sports bars love the Big Ten fans because they can make a killing off group brunch specials during the earlier Sat morning hours where business is typically nill. 


- To a lesser degree I think the weather/geography of the West takes away from sports attention as a whole. While Boston locals are cramming their sports bars in January to watch the Celtics, Westerners can hit the beaches and hiking trails. They aren't by force of nature, tied to their TV sets in bitter winter.

What about Utah? That's a Pac-# team.

Wish our ticket prices were less.

If I was a devil fan I would be in full on panic and meltdown mode.

The stats are actually far far worse than they look: 
ASU didn't just barely get by a midmajor, NMSU only won 10 games in the past TWO seasons combined!
ASU didn't just barely get by a terribad midmajor and give up over 500 yards, they did it while having a 2 turnover advantage.
ASU didn't just give up 7 sacks, they gave up 7 sacks to a team that only got 11 all year last year (3rd worst nationally).
The D didn't just suck late, that's just when NMSU managed to finish long drives (TD drives in 4th qtr were only 142 of 549yds)
The D didn't just suck, they sucked playing the first string D all night long (first sub in 4th qtr and only b/c injury)

Panic.  Time.

The D didn't just suck, they sucked playing the first string D all night long (first sub in 4th qtr and only b/c injury)

Panic.  Time.

Was listening to the post game radio call-in show and a big point was made that Graham refused to give the second string any playing time because he wasn't impressed with their effort in practice. If that's the case I'm wondering why the second string practices apart from the first string? By the start of the season defensive staffs are usually practicing and playing both the starters and their backups as a cohesive 2 deep. 
My guess is that Graham wants six wins at all costs and has already resorted to unblancing his roster for hope in the short term.

Must resist schooling in the south jabs...Must resist... 

Seriously drew, are you putting the ball on the tee just to drive some activity?

If not exaggerating for effect, then I guess the nicest thing to say is that you may be a product of a previous era.  I know a few lovely and adorable school teachers in the south from my days bopping around down there and only one gave any hoot about football.  Given the usual product of university level teacher programs I very much doubt they are a minority these days.  Of course teacher ambivalence would still give the southland a more friendly posture than the derision or outright hostility of most teachers in the Bay Area and LA suburbs.  Where I live in SD is a little different since it is a Navy town and a more athletic oriented beach town.  I don't know AZ football culture well, but I lived in NM for a few years in college and it had a bit of Texas football about it but it faded the more north or west you went.  The only part of P12 country that really gets into top gear with its football culture is the Pacific Northwest--it is not SEC-like but is kinda on a similar par with B1G or B12 (outside of Texas) levels.

Yeah, I think most of what we had left got lost in the abrupt shut down.  The old boards had been dwindling for years anyway.  I spend most of my time on EDSBS and SBNation hangouts. 

With first week mostly done now, though, I gotta say I love how the first week shoots about half of what I and everybody else thought we knew right in the head.  Supposedly terrible Cal looking pretty damn serviceable, supposedly playoff-ready UW and USC both looking pretty pedestrian against second tier opponents, supposedly down Oregon looking like Oregon of old, and supposedly down and out Arizona looking like the better of the two desert teams.  Couple lingering games left like UCLA-A&M, but I already can't wait to see how week two busts what we think we know.