David Marsh

Seattle and UW have the same problem as the bay area and to a larger extent California college sports teams have... They have a very strong pro scene. Granted Seattle doesn't have am NBA team STILL considering it's been well over a decade since they lost the sonics. However, they do have the Seahawks which attracts a very strong fan base around football season. As a Portland resident I don't have an NFL team... I mean geographically I am nearest the Seahawks (blech!) And the 49ers (not feeling a connection) or Vegas (I wasn't a raiders fan to begin with).... I guess if I had to pick an NFL team I'm a chargers fan ONLY because of Herbert but I really couldn't be called a fan by a long shot. I'm an Oregon duck fan and a college football fan. Not all that interested in pro sports in larfe part because I don't have a team based close to me. The Huskies have to compete against the Seahawks and they are losing that fight.

I'm glad that you mentioned this... Because a couple years ago I wrote an article about how the state of Washington was a no y zone for Ducks recruiting. Oregon Has Failed to Recruit the State of Washington FISHDUCK.COM When J.T. Tuimoloau, a five-star recruit out of the state of Washington, announced Oregon as one of his... Yeah I wrote it after JTT went to Ohio State instead of Oregon so that was before the 2021 season. But a bunch of other Oregon communities started to bring up the point that Oregon couldn't seem to land recruits out of Washington after I wrote the article. Lanning has done a supurb job in breaking into the state and really making it an extension of Oregon's backyard. On another note... One of the football coaches at the school I work was recently at a camp where there were some Duck coaches and I believe Trent Furguson was there too and he looked like a monster. I wouldn't be surprised to see him get the bump at some point as well.

Washington did well with the portal last year. But I don't think a program entirely built off the portal is sustainable. Sure, get key pieces to fix areas of need. Washington fans should be nervous... Need to still build a program with some high school recruits.

Reassuring numbers for the Ducks. 2024 UCLA numbers will be VERY interesting to watch with their travel. UCLA will in many ways be the guinea pig for whether Oregon should even look at joining the B1G in the future. Yes... If Oregon were to join the B1G their expenses wouldn't be as high as 2024 UCLA'S because at that point there would be a western pod and the ducks would have one to two away games on the west coast presumably but the rest of the conference away games would be expensive in terms of travel. I'm just not seeing the advantage of oregon going to the B1G outside of some perception of prestige and earning more money I gross before expenses which would be bigger.

Absolutely!!!! I'm 34 and I don't have cable and I don't want cable or dish and I am probably going to get away with getting YouTube tv and using a VPN to access Pac-12 network international on YouTube to watch duck games. It will also work! Adding apple tv or Amazon (I have Amazon right now as is) or even Disney+ (which bundles in ESPN) for the football season I don't see as a barrier but actually more convenient. As I don't have cable I don't want to deal with Comcast to get it because I don't want it outside of football season. And if I do that's also fine but I love how hassle free it is to cancel. My generation and those younger than me look at media more and more like this. I know for those who have big cable or dish packages will see streaming as another big thing they'll have to add or that it would be more work for them but that's where things are trending and trending fast that way. I saw an article from a big SEC media personality and former player about heo the PAC going streaming is a death sentence. It might be but I doubt it and it might actually be a life line... Especially if they can negotiate something flexible. Start low but as number increase the PAC gets more.

The equipment is a BIG expense because that stuff is usually driven to the game site. I know at least Oregon usually drives that stuff to the game because it's cheaper than flying it by plane. The amount of gear that is packed up and shipped for a game is a semi truck full. So USC and UCLA equipment trucker drives must be really really angry about the conference change. They get to drive those 15k+ miles.

Next piece of info we need... What's the monitary cost of this? Because it's going to be expensive for all that travel... And then add in the other sports.

I doubt the PAC gets 50 mil... But I'd love to see it. If the PAC does get that much or even 40, I think the big-12 poops their collective pants. The PAC product is in a far better position to grow over the next several years than the big-12. The end goal for the PAC right now is to survive and have a few relevant teams. Once the B1G is back up for media rights then swoop in and secure UCLA and resecure the la market. Maybe get USC back at that point... Or let them rot in the B1G.

You seemed to have summed up my last article to a degree. If Moving to the B1G is so Great, Why is Oregon Out-Recruiting USC? FISHDUCK.COM It's hard to ignore USC fans these days, as most of them seem far too happy about joining the B1G. They... This is going to be an interesting year and I think there will be a lot of furious fans if USC doesn't take the PAC which they have already written off as weak and dead. If USC can't take the PAC then how are they supposed to take the B1G?

I think B1G members are probably fine with one game on the west coast every other year and that game being in sunny LA. Its a nice trip to some warm weather and even a chance to get in on some of that Southern California recruiting. But I would agree with your statement that they probably don't want multiple games on the west coast a year. Sunny LA is nice for a game... what about rainy Eugene or Seattle? Probably a lot less nice... especially with a long flight attached.

If these games were non-conference games I would think USC would be pretty competitive because they wouldn't be traveling a ton and they could spend more time preparing. I think USC with their big-12 style game plan could give Michigan some problems like how TCU did. However, these aren't conference games or bowl games. USC will have one week to prepare and often that would mean a significant road trip to then play against a style of football Riley isn't used to going against on a regular basis. Also not a style of foot all the recruits in their backyard are used to playing against. It will be a brutal learning curve. I mean just think... They get to play Michigan at home then turn around for a road trip to Penn State or Maryland or Purdue. Maryland and Purdue aren't big hitters and I'd say USC should be favored against them... But what about after some big road trips? Maybe not.

That travel time is going to be brutal.

I don't think Canzano said that they signed a GOR but have come to a verbal agreement about it. So nothing that would be officially announced by the conference.

Also "look" whose NOT on that list anymore. Yeah I know I'm trying to have you spot a negative which isn't possible but I assure you it's actually a great big positive. Washington is no longer on this list!!!! They have been giving around 50% since the Petersen era and after Petersen left they still held on but no more! They are still a dangerous team but with our improved defense this year we should hope to see a return to Duck dominance in this game.

I don't see the pac fully dying to be honest. I can see the PAC being the MW+ sort of thing where they have some bigger brands and therefore able to garner a bigger media deal but they wouldn't be a power conference any longer. A PAC with say Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, Washington State and SDSU with maybe UNLV and SMU and probably Fresno State would be worth more than the MW. Not in the same realm as say the B1G and SEC buy probably able to get around 15-20 mil per school I would think. Which is still wayyy more than the roughly 4 mil the MW gives out. Which is why even a partial media payout for SDSU would be a huge boon for their program.

Football has already been expensive. It's just been wrapped up in a cable bill with some other stuff you may watch as well. ESPN has been 10-20 dollars of your cable bill for years. Stuff on ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX is free with an antenna so those games are already wrapped into a cable package for ease. FS1 is probably at least another 5 dollars of the cable bill. Pac-12 network only seems apart of packages that are a level or two up from basic so if you're only getting it for the football that will cost you. I know I got rid of my cable and I haven't missed it. I really only used it for football and it was costing me far more than I wish to say. Football and sports viewing has always been expensive. For someone like me if I can focus my streaming services then it might actually be cheaper. If you are someone who intends on keeping cable or dish no matter where the sports go then it would probably be more expensive. Also... Other note on peacock. If you have Comcast you get peacock for free.

Back the Ducks first. Also I only think it would matter on a larger national scale of this was football or basketball. Hate to say it but baseball won't move the needle on the national perception of the conference.

I'm not sure entering into the public arena helps anyone but gives the fans something to dissect and speculate on. I do feel there are things being told to various media outlets to create rumor and speculation to try and undermine and disrupt the process. The big-12 wants to see the PAC die. Fox and ESPN wouldn't mind seeing it die because that could bolster their own pet conferences. So what does George K gain by coming out and saying anything other than... "We are working on it and we are making progress" with the assumption they are making progress.

TCU has an incredibly small student body last I checked. So yeah they have probably been one of the more successful programs in the Big-12 but they don't have the same following as the big brands do. They certainly have a regional following but their foot print is nothing compared to what the Big-12 lost in Texas and Oklahoma. To me it does feel like the Big-12 is parading around claiming to be bigger than they actually are. For all hurt the loss of the LA market is the Pac does have a bigger market footprint than the Big-12. However, when media companies would much rather watch the conference break apart than pay it what it's due that doesn't seem to matter.

On the football front I don't think Colorado has much hope on the PAC in terms of meeting some of their desired goals. Right now we talk about how Oregon is going to be just fine regardless. Oregon in a weak PAC will have access to the playoff. But I can't see really any other teams than the top team in the PAC getting in on a regular basis, there will be too much big league bias. The big -12 is really now a G5+.conference. BYU, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are their big brands. Those are still smaller than Oregon, Washington and Utah (though Utah is probably on par with BYU). I think even San Diego will be more valuable in the long haul. Colorado holds a good media market but they have had one good season upon entering the PAC. I think some of the calculus with the big-12 is they may become a bigger fish in a potentially less talented pond. Though they'd never say that. But if Colorado leaves will the PAC survive? Thats a bigger question.

Well it couldn't happen to a more deserving team.

Case and point one of the biggest targets on the west coast and in southern California and... No USC hat in that lot. B1G is represented though... By Ohio State.

I don't think Utah is a principal rival... I think they are a rival. I think UW, USC and Oregon State get to take a front seat to them. In the mid 2010's I would have said Stanford held that spot but they have since faded.

Didnt ucf join the big-12 and their media rights are locked up for some time now?

Go Ducks! I have a couple colleagues at work who are beavers and I know they probably won't appreciate this so I'll try not to rub it in too much. Especially when baseball is their sport. Talk about building a program at Oregon. Baseball went from non-existent to winning the conference in a relatively short time.