HDuck

If those guys are jabbering about Rushing, he played high school football 2.6 miles from Arizona Stadium. Assume that means his parents are closeby, and his brother is already on the roster. How many guys do we read about who enter the portal to "play near home" their last season? A bunch. Each situation is different. Love him, or not, Taggart broke thru a barrier that said the Ducks couldn't recruit east of Dallas. But, geography still plays a big role when a staff identifies potential recruits, willingness to leave family behind, etc. Some guys you can't get in the game to commit, some guys leave the impression they are open to committing, etc. but still in the end stick close to home. We all know it's difficult to recruit to most West Coast venues, especially smaller cities. But, there was definitely a change starting with Taggart, then Cristobal, and bless his heart Lanning seems to be continuing it. There's a bunch of 4 star or better recruits that scratch the Ducks early, some wait to late, some commit. But, there's a heck of a lot more considering Eugene now than there has ever been. Every school's staff has disappointments after putting energy and time into landing a guy, you can't get them all. Hopefully for the kid their choice works for them.

Oops, sorry. Thought conjecture about SMU or SDSU as potential members in the Pac12 would be of interest, regardless of slant a sportswriter might take. Not really aware of what others may have already read or not read about certain topics. I don't have any problem with it being removed if you want to.

San Diego State not part of Big 12 expansion plans as Aztecs face uncertain future with Mountain West, Pac-12 - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM SDSU once believed it had two Power Five conferences knocking down its door Dodd just never quits his negativity toward anything west of Lubbock. Must of bit his tongue in half when BYU was added a week ago.

GameDay has become too bloated with fill material. It should be shortened by an hour. If it started one hour later that would probably assist in considering more Pacific Time Zone venues as an option. I don't blame the staff for avoiding the early Pacific Zone hour they have to get out of bed, leave the hotel, etc. to make the East Coast start time. An hour later might soften their objections. But, knowing ESPN, if they shortened it an hour they would probably keep the same start time and require the kickoffs to begin an hour earlier. Over time, it has become a promo for ESPN affiliated games. As frustrating as that is for us Pac-12 fans, it probably makes financial sense to them. And, that is why Commissioner K should be doing whatever he can to get a linear deal with ESPN. Unfortunately, with ESPN's staff cuts, budget reductions, etc. that ship may have sailed. GameDay likely has higher production costs when it sends the crew, equipment, etc. to the West Coast and diminished coverage of the West is probably somewhat related.

As noted above, it is a rare season when the Pac12 champ had 1 loss (or zero) and the 2nd place team was within one game of that record. I won't suggest a 13-0 champ and a 12-1 runnerup wouldn't both make it, but statistically those records have been rare. Comparing a 3 loss B1G or SEC team to a two loss (11-2) Pac12 will historically be a preference to the B1G or SEC. And, if they are comparing Pac's 11-2's with the ACC and Big12? The perception of a weaker Pac will endure for years. And, Playoff media rights holders will finger point at the diminished value of the Pac in comparison to viewership they could attract for participants from other conferences.

In the Pac-12 era, since 2011, only once has the conference had two teams with no more than 2 losses, and within one game of each other. 2012: 12-2 Stanford (Rose), 12-1 Oregon (Fiesta) As rare as that has been, and given the politics of team selection for the Playoff, I think two teams from the Pac would be rare too. The Pac will not have the media value that accrues to other conferences, nor as large a share of Playoff revenue. From a strictly money standpoint, membership in the BigTen would have value...and likely a third team from B1G will be more likely in the Playoff than a second from the Pac. Earlier 2010: 12-1 Oregon, Stanford 2005: 12-1 USC, 10-2 Oregon, UCLA 2001: 11-1 Oregon, 10-2 WSU 2000: 11-1 UW, OSU; 10-2 Oregon On another topic, given Oregon's leadership in W-L in the Pac-12 conference games since 2011, it is more than a bit frustrating to have so many B1G pundits throwing shade on the Ducks. 75-30 - Oregon 72-33 - USC 65-40 - Stanford 62-41 - UW

Win, you're in. In the Pac-12. Finish second or third in the SEC or BigTen, and you still have a high probability. Plus, the extra money from media shares. Lose, you're out. In the Pac-12. Win, you're in, Pac-12. At least in the initial eligibility/qualifications when the 12 begins. But, in the future?

19 matchups have been played in Autzen since 1970 (opened in 1967) Ducks are 8-10-1. (8-9-1 with Vacated result in 2005) USC W-L overall by win percent: 16-0 - Colorado 62-10-4 - WSU 64-12-4 - OSU 38-8-0 - UA 72-33-6 - Cal 65-34-2 - Stanford 25-14-0 - ASU 39-22-2 - UO 52-30-4 - UW 52-33-7 - UCLA 13-9-0 - Utah IF, Toejams beat Fuskies at home, and lose in Autzen, the percent order would flip.

Practically the entirety of sportswriters and pundits have focused solely on football. Aside from a few finger pointers in Pac-12 territory, none of these folks wants to delve into what the change will be like for basketball, volleyball, softball, baseball, soccer, etc. That is a much ignored, under-covered, story and really don't understand why. Yes, football is the "glamour" sport with the highest viewer quotient for new matchups; and, it is the moneyman driving the bus, but at some point you would think it would get some serious attention? Likewise, the competition and notoriety aspect for athletes? If you are a softball player considering UCLA, do you want to compete in a conference like the Big Ten, or where you can test your competitive posture in the Pac12. I suppose men's basketball might think differently, but are they ready for the travel? The evolution of the story for minor sports at the L.A. schools will be interesting. Vindictively I hope no West Coast school helps them.

Aside from the impression that the Pac will likely never have more than one Playoff participant due to the politics of team selection, did USC/UCLA have a choice when faced with "the money?" Joel Klatt says USC, UCLA were ‘forced to leave’ for Big Ten to stay relevant - On3 WWW.ON3.COM .

Well, I'll be surprised if there is more than one CFP share to split 10 or 12 ways, as we move forward. Joel Klatt predicts how 12-team College Football Playoff will shake out - On3 WWW.ON3.COM .

Mountain West: San Diego State left the conference and owes an exit fee WWW.SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.COM The Mountain West withholds a $6.6 million distribution due the university until the board meets later this month to decide SDSU's 'status' in the conference

Please, let this man play golf. Next, he'll have time for the flowchart. The sad part of this conspiracy theory is about 25% of it is accurate, which is about 20% too much and why the Pac12 is in the fix it is in. All conspiracy theories have an element of truth. And, therein lies the rub.

Well, as much of a shill that Pollack is for the SEC, he did say this in October 2022 after 45-30 Ducks. "What kind of stupid, idiot, dumb dumb, would pick UCLA over Oregon? Im sorry @oregonfootball I was wrong!" Pollack tweeted. In 2018, before the WSU game, about Herbert, "hmmm, well he throws a pretty ball."

Some stream numbers. The number below includes quite a bit of set it, forget it, program selection such as movies or 60-120 minute single program. The issue for many sports fans will still be, "how many different streamers do I have to subscribe to? And, how easy is it to change multiple times mid-flight?"

Pollack out is not a loss of substance. McAfee may not be the perfect addition, but the Pollack loss is probably an upgrade. On another topic, Amazon membership really does not mean much. It is the Amazon subscribers who will watch that will be the numbers to track. There are a LOT of subscribers who are there for much different reasons. There are a lot of Prime viewers who wouldn't know a football from a volleyball. Unless there is a "consolidation of streaming services" under a single membership umbrella, i.e. a cable system of streaming, the resistance to streaming will be firm. Folks do not like a multitude of single charges per month. But, hopefully the market responds for that, and for picture-in-picture, quick service/channel changes, video quality, instant replay, record to watch later, etc. services that come with a DVR and cable/satellite. High speed Internet is still dismal in many parts of the nation, and system infrastructure will need upgrades to handle multi-million simultaneous viewers. Success will depend on addressing all those issues in months, not years.

A somewhat "similar" topic is the demise of AM radio. Something I don't like since those stations are being replaced with FM versions which have a fraction of the geographic range. I enjoy listening to AM broadcast of the Ducks' post-game show, or tuning in Cal Bear broadcasts, etc. as I drive home in the evening/night. Something that FM can't provide. Nor, sufficient cell tower coverage in the mountains for an Internet stream. Fortunately, I have vehicle satellite radio which provides the game broadcast, but not the post-game. Even the new FM stations are cutting anything other than the actual game. The linked story, and the comments that are tacked on at the end, describes some of the issues on this topic. Is AM Radio Dead? | Jeff Geerling WWW.JEFFGEERLING.COM Like to watch Duck games on DISH/cable and listen to radio broadcasts that often have the play 5 secs. or so before the TV. Have found the sync between radio streaming and TV is not as good thus forcing me to abandon it altogether and listen to a TV broadcast crew which does not have the "insider" info provided by Jorgy/Jerry. Streaming MAY be the future, but right now is you live outside a major metro with reliable high speed connections it is problematic. Likewise the technology has a lot to do to catchup for quick channel change without lag, picture in picture, multi-channel view, immediate DVR rewind, etc. etc.

"Amazon Prime 161.7 million, 24.3%" Prime got 11.3 million viewers average for the 15 Thursday NFL night games. Obviously NFL gets more viewers than college games. That would be about 7 percent of AmazonPrime subscribers per game. The average for all NFL games last season was 16.7 million so traditional access had to be greater than that amount to offset the 11.3 on Thursday night. That is down from 17.1 in the prior season which did not have Prime in the average. Amazon’s games were the lowest rated Thursday night since 2013 when the NFL Network exclusively aired TNF. Last season Thursday games averaged 16.4 million viewers.

In addition to the travel issues that will become more apparent for UCLA/USC, I believe we'll see another issue come into focus in the near future. That is, with expanded conferences there are going to be an expansion of teams with mediocre records and waning fan support. The SEC has tried to deal with that by keeping conference games to 8 and some creative scheduling non-conference and within. SEC understands keeping W-L records up, and fans engaged. Take as a lesson for my point of possibility, the Boston College program. It was a darn competitive program in the Big East and as an Independent, but after it joined the ACC....now 14 teams plus Notre Dame....it has become a .500 program. Boston College Eagles College Football History, Stats, Records | College Football at Sports-Reference.com WWW.SPORTS-REFERENCE.COM Check out the Boston College Eagles College Football History, Stats, Records, Polls, Bowls and More College Football Stats at Sports-Reference.com I can foresee that happening to more programs as conferences expand. What were once mid-tier programs that could get regular minor bowl appearances will have to scratch and claw against more conference opponents to make it. Yes, more money will be nice, but it will likely come at a cost in W-L, fan engagement, morale. And teams, like Boston College, that could occasionally fly like eagles will have a much harder time doing so. There are numerous B.C. programs that could have a rude awakening. The smaller, regionalized conferences may see quaint now, but fans of mid and low-tier schools may soon look back on them fondly.

....you double down on Mistake by the Lake. No porta-pottys in evidence here.....

I would just add to the UCLA (return?) discussion that most of us fans on the West Coast have not yet really grasped the level of resistance the current Big10 programs have to additional travel to the West Coast. It is very real, and very deeply held. Even if UO/UW could add almost equivalent media value as mid-tier BigTen programs...there is still tremendous resistance. It's so deeply held, it is almost irrational. But, I don't believe most of my fellow Pac12 fans yet comprehend the B1G members feelings. So, will UCLA become disenchanted with so many travel games across its sports spectrum? Can the B1G come up with some options? Such as scheduling nearby opponents back to back which hasn't been a B1G scheduling thing in the past. Maybe UCLA playing Illinois and Northwestern in basketball, both in Chicago, for example? Maryland and Rutgers both in D.C.? Football is a different animal, not sure there will ever be a compromise that would be in UCLA's interest unless more West Coast opponents are added....but, I don't think that is going to happen anytime before 2030. By then, the difference in media shares between the Pac12 and B1G will be even more pronounced and UCLA will be trapped. Perhaps the B1G would add 2 in the West and 2 in the East? Not just for markets, but to avoid travel to the West as much as possible? There would be two more travel sites nearby in the East, and two more teams to split the travel requirement to the West. If there were 4 teams in the West, that would be 18 total home games in-conference. 6 of them could be filled by the 4 playing each other, leaving 12 home games that a 20-team B1G's other 16 teams would have to fill. That's less than one trip per year to the West. If it is just 2 in the West, then the other 14 teams have to fill 8 home games in the West. Again, less than 1 trip per year. Yet, current B1G programs are irrational about it. Current B1G teams may want to adopt an SEC type schedule with permanent opponents to make sure all West teams face each other thus reducing trips to the West for everyone else?

Which College Football Team Does North Texas Root for? WWW.NBCDFW.COM As college football season continues, Vivid Seats is looking at fandom across North Texas based on ticket sales. Open link and scroll for map. Royal Blue is SMU.

Shocking ACC schools tabbed as major targets for Big Ten and SEC in realignment FANSIDED.COM The two ACC schools the Big Ten and SEC might want the most are North Carolina and Virginia. While Clemson, Florida State and even Miami might make more se... Update for that link.

An interesting color coded map of "fan interest" in NorthTexas/Dallas area when you open the link. One of the maps you can point your mouse at the area to determine the team. i.e. blue is SMU, red is Tex Tech, purple is TCU, orange is UT, etc. Unfortunately, in cases like this, the No. 2 in each geographic area is also relevant, but not shown. Which College Football Team Does North Texas Root for? WWW.NBCDFW.COM As college football season continues, Vivid Seats is looking at fandom across North Texas based on ticket sales.

Quite a bit of "chatter" about this today, some jokes, some serious...