HDuck

There is an old saying, "Envy is the enemy of honor." For many in the Beavis community it probably is also "envy is the enemy of happiness." No doubt, Beavis has quite a bit to worry about right now. Not only football and basketball, but how might realignment affect baseball which has been a touchstone of happiness from the W's that have eluded football and basketball. The Mt. West has 7 programs that play baseball. The Big West has 11, more competitive teams, and would be a better fit for the Beavs. Might it be possible in the future to have a structure for sports no longer tying everything to a "conference?" Along with the uncertainty over the future of Cal and Stanford, it is an unsettling time in Beaverville. It's akin to watching your handsome brother join the Homecoming Queen inside at the prom, while you park cars outside the country club. But, hating on your brother because it gives you temporary relief will not bring happiness. Still rationality goes out the window when you can't control your emotions. Personally, I don't like seeing Beavis in this quandary. I don't. But, life ain't always fair and attempting to detract from, or penalize, someone a step or two up the ladder isn't going to change the ladder. It's better to get control of your emotions and make the best situation possible for yourself where you are at.

"....video was clearly shot intentionally, low angle. Was this part of Sanders crew that follows his every move?" Or, one of the women student assistants, generally 5-2 ft tall? I don't discount this was a bit of showmanship on Prime's part. He seems to be someone who might have a short temper over stupid penalties. And, fighting would fit that category.

(1) the incompetence of the Presidents/Chancellors in letting Commissioner K string them along for so long...real executives would not have allowed that, and as a result, at the end, 6 programs acted without reservation to save their hides, and 4 got screwed over. It should not have come to a life rafts moment. (2) ASU's late reluctance to leave. I would have thought they would have been on the first boat out.

Well, the whole BigTen schedule will have to be re-worked, again. Just a couple months ago they announced how they were going to integrate USC/UCLA with most teams having protected annual rivalries, but there was significant variation. All the way from Penn State with zero, to Iowa with three: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska. The latter never making much sense to either Iowa or Nebraska fans, though the first two are definitely Iowa rivals. I think it may be difficult now to have more than one each. Two at the absolute most. But, it may get a bit complicated if the B1G says the West Four will each play each other every year. Glad I don't have to be the one to figure out the scheduling.

My guess (who knows?) was Arizona. They were inclined to go to the Big12 anyway, and would be worried about any other school which might drag down the value of a $$ share each of the new members would receive. On the other hand, the Big12 was touting full shares for new members. But, I think that may have been conditional on no more than four adds?

Fish: It also comes down to exposure and availability to Oregon football, do I want it primarily streaming, or most on TV for now? Streaming, or the Fox Big-10 match of the week? Exactly correct. If the Pac members had accepted the purgatory of streaming on Apple, they would have been completely out of the conversation each season, and their value would have DROPPED even further before the next round of media contracts. For UO/UW it would have meant even smaller shares percentage wise if the B1G still wanted them. Further, for UO/UW to act now, it keeps the B1G from extending those slots to ACC teams. I really don't understand all the handwringing. UO/UW correctly saw the downsides of waiting. Act now, at a discount. Or wait, for an even bigger discount or no offer at all. And, during the interim, how many of us believe the Pac-12 is suddenly going to have a smarter commissioner and smarter presidents? And, UO's recruiting would sustain at a high level with a streamer? Or, that coaches wouldn't bail out for easier recruiting, better opportunities, elsewhere?

Fred, so you're saying we should only look at the Pac10 years. The Pac12 was not a happy time for USC. And, 12 seasons of it was sufficient time for some self-correction. Obviously they have a shot in 2023 to leave a bit better impression than they did in the prior 12. Do you have any comments on UCLA football? Seriously, do you have some analysis of what has happened? Last football title in 1998. Donahue was great.

Combined championships, men's basketball TOURNAMENT and football regular season in the 12-team era (since 2011-12): 7 - Oregon - 8 in regular season (4 football, 4 basketball) 5 - Arizona - 6 basketball regular season - UO/UA tied basketball regular season 2017 3 - UW - 4 in regular season 3 - Stanford 2 - Utah 1 - UCLA - 2 basketball regular season 1 - USC 1 - Colorado - 0 in regular season 1 - OSU - 0 in regular season 0 - ASU, Cal, WSU The one net difference between regular season and Tournament numbers was 2020 - there was no Tournament. UO/UW had 12 combined in regular season. USC/UCLA had 3. Why many of us were grumpy about the B1G plucking USC/UCLA a year ago as the "premier programs."

They should be equally as worried about Ohio State, Michigan and some other B1G's, if not more so. I do think there is still a DeAnthony Thomas effect in play. Not sure how much longer Oregon will be able to ride that. The answer is to have W-L success as the Thomas factor fades. Getting him was big at the time, but not sure most Ducks fans truly understood how big.

The BigTen rule about FCS allows an FCS opponent only during seasons with 4 conference B1G home games as they thought it might be too difficult to schedule 3 major school opponents for home games to get to 7 at home. In 2026, if OSU is in the Mt. West then their San Diego St game can be shuffled. Oregon could buy out Portland St. Similar maneuver in 2025. It is likely the game would have to be early just as Iowa State and Iowa play the second game of the season. Sometimes it's just pettiness. Iowa and Iowa State did not play each other from 1934 to 1977.

I'm almost to the opinion now that the Pac-12 should just focus on making its product really attractive to West Coast viewers/attendees and forget trying to twist itself into a pretzel vs East Coast viewers. We all see the difference in perception...such as weather events on the Eastern seaboard are disasters on TV news, while similar events in the West get 5 seconds. Rinse and repeat on a variety of news topics. While Prime has about 150 million members in the USA, Prime Video is less than that, and about 9 million on average watched NFL Thursday night...but that was NFL which gets more viewers. Very few college games...regular season or bowls...come close to that. There will be an adjustment period for college fans who love channel surfing and jumping to watch multiple games, record to DVR, instant DVR replay of key plays, seeing no lag that exists often in streaming, etc. Hopefully, there will be some consolidation of streaming services to effect a consolidated price reduction vs individual subscription by streamer. And, jumping and lag problems will be solved. I too hope streaming will lead to better kickoff times, but conference value to a streamer(s) will drive that just like it does for ESPN/ABC, Fox, NBC.... If the Pac-12 wants the money, they will have to accede to streamer demands.

Spin? Chuckle. I feel we're all now beyond tumble dry and have burnt edges.

And, back in 1995

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