Conference, schmomference.

So, one question: Why do people make such a big deal out of how "good" a certain team's conference is?? Specifically when heading into the postseason. I hear so many people beating their chests about how deep the Big East is, or how strong the ACC is at the top. Who the f- cares about the conference? Call me weird, but if I were a Duke fan, I would pretty much hate all the other teams in the ACC (except maybe Virginia) with a passion. I would never want them to win a game, because that would mean they were happy and feeling good about themselves. Fans should have nothing but disdain for conference opponents. Why would I want an enemy to feel even the slightest bit of joy? Hmm, don't know. Maybe somewhere in The Art of War, there's a passage about respecting thy foe or preventing humiliation for fear of retribution, or some other nonsense. Wouldn't know, never read it. But, I do know that none of that crap has any place in the spirit of the college sports fan.
Now, there are some theories out there - like, the "stronger" the conference, the better prepared a team will be for the postseason - or something like that. Or, the infantile, "My team plays in the Big East, so My team has it tougher than your team". Or, "if we didn't play in the ACC, we'd be in the tourney . . ." PLLLLLLBBBBTTT!! All this BS is like the "woe is me" state of a scorned 50-year old woman, sroking one of her 25 cats while belting out lines to the song playing when she walked in on her husband in a rock hard 69 position with the 23 year old au pair. It's all pathetic really. People that subscribe to these philosophies are really just displacing their insecurities - you know, reaching for any possible way to make their team appear better than the actually are. How sad. Or even worse, complete denial - this loss doesn't feel bad because my team plays in the Big 12. Ho hum.
Can't we all just see a team's conference for what it is - a strange combo of luck and circumstance. Some committee of geeks put a group of teams together to try and make money for themselves, their schoools, and the business community. The teams beat each other up all year and do just that. People get rich. Then the mystical powers of athletics play tricks on them (and us) during the NCAA tourney. And we all find out which teams, not conferences, are the best. Who is the best team on that particular day is all that matters. I mean, can't we all pretty safely observe that "strength" of conference means absolute jack based on this year's tourney? Hello, 2 Big Ten teams (nearly 3) in the Final Four. Yeah, they were a great conference. Sure, and that lady's husband will come begging her back any day now . . .