The Hoosiers aren't looking to make friends within their conference this week. \nAfter a 15-day hiatus following their seventh-place showing at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate -- a tournament IU hosted -- the Hoosiers are back in action today in Brandon, Ore., for the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge. The Hoosiers play alongside five other Big Ten schools as well as some of the nation's top-ranked teams. Nine teams are ranked in the top 50. UCLA, one of the squads representing the Pac-10, is ranked No. 1 in the nation, according to the most recent Golfstat.com poll.\n"This is the shot that we've been waiting for," said sophomore Drew Allenspach. "Our team's ready for it." \nThe Big Ten has the short history of the challenge on its side. Today marks the beginning of the third golf competition between the two conferences, and the Big Ten has won each of the previous two. Minnesota edged USC in a tiebreaker in 2004, and Northwestern won last year's event. Rankings give the edge to the Pac-10, as the same Golfstat rankings that list UCLA No. 1 also have two other Pac-10 schools in the top 15. Minnesota's 28th ranking is highest among the Big Ten schools. \nTo continue its dominance in the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge, the Big Ten will need a solid effort from all its competing teams. For the Hoosiers, however, helping the conference win is not a top priority. \n"If you finish at the top, you beat everyone," said sophomore Seth Brandon. "I don't really go into this tournament thinking about 'I want to, as the Big Ten, beat the Pac-10.' I want to, as IU, beat everyone in the Big Ten because we just want to beat everyone, period." \nIU coach Mike Mayer said his team's fall schedule ranks among the most difficult during his time as head coach. This event might be the toughest of the season, and while IU hasn't played at the level it reached last spring, Mayer said he is confident the Hoosiers can improve on their average Big Ten/Pac-10 performances from the past two seasons. \nSo far this fall, IU has yet to live up to its own expectations. Sophomore Jorge Campillo has finished in the top five in all the team's events with the exception of his sixth-place finish at Wolf Run, but the rest of the lineup hasn't shown the consistency and depth that carried the team last spring. As the team heads into a competition loaded with the best teams from the respective conferences, the Hoosiers' recent struggles aren't restricting their optimism. \n"I think we're playing better as a team," Mayer said. "At this given point, at this snapshot in time, we're taking our best five players. We have a lot of talent on this team"
Hoosiers begin Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge
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