David Marsh

I don't think the conference was going to sit at 10 teams no matter what. I think San Diego State was always in line for addition, and I say this even if the LA schools didn't defect. It might have been slower but in the end I think SDSU joining the Pac is something that is inevitable. SDSU will add value to the conference over time. SMU, Colorado State, Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State, UNLV, and Nevada though... those are all schools that are far more difficult to determine their value to the conference.

I think a big portion of it has to do with the recruiting side of things too. It is a lot of work to recruit a top ten class and Cristobal has been able to achieve this at both Oregon and Miami. He does work hard and is an incredible recruiter. I think when you pair the hard work of recruiting with the clashes on scheme and game planning it makes him really difficult to work for... but he does still have those around him that have stayed with him and will continue to stick with him so it is certainly all about finding his guys... but the problem for him is that are there even enough qualified coaches out there who fit his mold and would want to work with him? I doubt it.

The problem right now is that I do think prospects for the conference and top teams for the conference do expand once the playoff expands. But waiting until that point is not ideal. What would probably the conference's best hope right now is a short deal right now with the prospect of a bigger deal after the playoff expansion takes place. This does have a lot of problems with it though... basically taking a smaller payout now rather than trying to lock in something bigger and better for the long term. It also means that if other schools look to jump conferences they wouldn't have to wait as long in order to do so. The Pac-12 is improving in football at a pretty rapid pace. The bottom isn't as bad as it has been in the past and the conference is getting more teams ranked, even when excluding the two LA programs. But the conference needs time to continue to up its profile and get into the playoff. I think Oregon actually has a decent shot at the playoff this next season and depending on the timeline that this media deal needs to reach it may be worth waiting as long as possible to show the conference's potential... but I don't think they have that kind of time.

That's why the SEC plays an fcs opponent in the back half of the season. It's basically a week's rest but also making sure you still have an extra win... Though it shouldn't count because it's not a worthy opponent.

I don't think it would have mattered in the old way of doing things when it was about regionality and rivalries actually counted for something. Now it is about money and creating the biggest footprint possible to make that money.

Maybe not enough upside in terms of television eyeballs? I don't know how Utah State compares in terms of academics but I would imagine they would run into the same problem as they wouldn't expand the Pac-12's footprint.

I won't pretend to have any names on a list or anything... but I wouldn't be surprised if Lanning goes for an NFL guy. Klemm was in the NFL at the time when Lanning hired him, sure Klemm has a record of college football coaching and recruiting. I could see Lanning going to the NFL and finding someone who can coach linemen at a high level and leverage that into recruiting if needed.

Like you I am not convinced SMU is a good option for the Pac-12. Sure SMU gets the Pac into Texas but I'm not sure they bring much to the Pac-12 even compared to what other G5 schools that are already in the Pac-12 footprint. I think Utah State or Colorado State could be better options. I think probably the best option is UNLV and maybe even Nevada. But none of those get the Pac into Texas.

I can see holding onto Stein for 2-3 years reasonably... unless he is so good I'm proven wrong overnight but if that's the case then I guess we had one really good season.

I feel we do need some who become long-timers. I think we will probably have Stein and Hampton (both new Coordinators) for a good few years. They are both young and I feel they will probably like to move up into a head coaching job at some point but they just made the leap from G5 to P5 so they probably have a few years before a head coaching opportunity comes around that they want, especially since both programs they came from had successful seasons. Dillingham was already a P5 coordinator for a few years before he joined Lanning at Oregon so it is not a complete shocker that he took a P5 HC job when he could. I think Martin and Adams could be around for quite awhile if given the right incentives.

I feel the coaching side of things last year was pretty good. I mean that offensive line was dominant and they weren't nearly as good under the previous staff. Granted... we lost Klemm to NEP. Defensive line and linebackers need work but in truth they were also a mess under the previous staff really. The secondary has improved quite a bit as the year went on. The secondary usually struggled when the defensive line got zero pressure. I think Lanning is figuring out the coaching side of things and I feel like scheme and planning is where the real test will be. The old Oregon model is great for building a program... But the problem is that you really need those big recruits to win it all.

One nitpick with the title... I don't think the players will regret joining the B1G as they didn't have any say in the matter. They will be forced to feel the consequences of a decision that hurts them but they had no say in the matter and gain little to no benefit from it. The players will absolutely suffer for their AD's decisions. You did lay it all out fantastically Charles. Oregon should be just fine, at least in terms of football. The only problems will come when/if the playoff is monopolized by the B1G and SEC only, but in that case we will see a drastic shift with the scenario I laid out last Summer with The Great College Football Schism is Coming and The Eventual College Football Renaissance

I would be shocked if Lanning hasn't already called those on his short list about their interest in the job. Lanning knew Klemm was leaving before we learned of it, as that is usually the case.

I believe Oregon withdrew the scholarship on Peevy because we had other prospects commit. Those two offensive linemen recruits kinda stung early in the cycle to be honest. But the big difference is that Oregon just went transfer portal and got some BIG time players out of the portal. At the time we did feel the sting but that quickly faded and if you count the portal Oregon did well complementing both the new recruits and the portal players. My understanding is that USC did well at some skill positions in the portal again... But we cleaned up in the trenches.

I guess she gets her own Iones-shoes I couldn't resist making that pun.

Especially when there isn't even a runningback threat in the backfield! Sometimes there will be those type of runs with certain opportunities and the QB just sees it and takes it... But running a quarterback out of an empty set is just a bad idea... And is pretty much always a bad idea.

That seems about right... I keep reading that Oregon is often making competitive offers for top athletes but not necessarily trying to outright buy them. USC has worked to become relevant again by throwing money at recruits and seeing what happens. Texas and Miami have done the exact same thing so far and we'll see how that works for them in the long run as well.

Another case where mom and the girlfriend win again. Really hard to win against those pressures. But keep in mind we may see Harbor again through the transfer portal. Granted five stars are a lot rarer in the portal because they usually get plenty of playing time and eyeballs on them.

Gotta get top 10 classes to compete for national championships. Lanning is building his roster and we should see some good things next year. Let's get that defense sorted out and the offense should be humming. The schedule is pretty good for us too so should be able to make a run for it.

That first one threw me through a loop... Is Lanning supposed to be trh frat boy and not Riley? Because if you had to choose between the two I'm pretty sure it would be Riley. Just look at their respective houses. Also... Trojan tears are delicious. Keep them coming.

Going 1-1 on big time athletes is a good place to be for the Ducks. Also beating USC is always a good thing.

Update on an article from 247 National Signing Day 2023: Oregon 'in good position for' 5-star Nyckoles Harbor, over South Carolina 247SPORTS.COM ... Also Oregon now apparently has a 247 person logging a prediction for Oregon to land Harbor... so who knows what is going on????

Scapegoat #1 goes down at Maimi. Tune in next year for scapegoat #2.

I think this was the biggest problem last year. No pass rush meant that the secondary could get picked apart all day and some days they did. The secondary has its problems but over the course of the year the secondary really did improve quite a bit.

But you don't have to recruit at the NFL level and recruiting is absolutely brutal on the work-life balance.