Mike West

The PAC12 will get better when the conference Presidents make revenue sports the focal point. We already know money is driving the sport. College Football is basically minor league football. The players finally get a shot at decent paydays, which is only fair given the greed in the sport. We can go Ivy League West if we want. That is an automatic trend towards G5 status as far as I'm concerned. Let's just call a spade a spade and be done with it. We will be left behind if we continue to promote Olympics Sports as our claim to Fame (and we may end up driving them out of business as a result). Just saying.

Balance? Do you really think recruiting powers will lose their grip? It will be same as it ever was. The powerful will stay powerful, and the pretenders will get exposed. Utah is the first former G5 team to win a conference title. Took ten years. And that was because a lousy coach was on the fence about staying with an up and coming power. We will see more playoff blowout's among an occasional upset. That will get boring really fast in my opinion.

Good arguments here. My concern is how teams schedule from the time the playoffs expand. This year we saw Cinci at " No Dame "( who hasn't won a bowl game in years); MSU at Miami; Oregon at tOSU: Oklahoma State at Boise State; LSU at UCLA. Sure, players will stay if the playoffs expand. But won't we just see the G5 get annihilated time and again now that P5 teams will have something at stake ( especially if they don't get vetted by having to play two legit P5 teams)? What about a three loss conference champs? Teams won't concentrate on winning in the regular season, and will avoid challenging matchups OOC ( see the SEC already, and G5 teams will definitely avoid tough games) to pad their record. I already know Cincinnati is unqualified. The only benefit to me is my bank account expands. But we'll see garbage playoff games because a diluted playoff pool with expose an already unbalanced talent pool ( do you really think the recruiting powers are going to lose out- especially the well coached teams? I don't). Scheduling hides the pretenders till November. And November already acts like the playoffs. You have to win to qualify. So do we want to expand to see some ( fewer than twenty actually) stay another game? We already see blowouts at the semi final level. That will only look worse if some Cinderella advances. The regular season will be dead, and it will only look like a money grab since we won't see the likes of Oklahoma State vs Boise State anymore. Not to mention, three to four years of boring and predictable playoffs. Just my take.

Why do so many people say this? JH didn't have NFL caliber WRs at Oregon to display his true prowess. I'm just going to have to write an analysis article to settle this for good. And the evidence is there. There wasn't a single year JH had the kind of talent at Oregon that he has in LA. Point blank. And I'm going to prove it. I'm tired of this argument because MC has his flaws. To much bias is going on. And the biggest evidence is all over Charger highlights. There isn't a single Oregon WR in 2019 that caught up to JH's passes the way LA WRs do. I dare anyone to prove it otherwise.

Oh it was apparent this year. The problem is most coaches run their offense to suit their egos. The one flaw I saw was their secondary. A lifelong friend of mine from Ohio discussed the game this week. We BOTH thought the Buckeyes would torch that secondary. We just wondered if the Utes had enough of a run game to win the game, because we also think Ohio State can't stop the run. Utah is a hard nosed football team just outside the talent level to be lethal. They don't beat themselves, you have to outplay them. But it was clear early this year you could beat their secondary (BYU exposed them).

He's smart. My Dad loves him. I'm not convinced. And I believe Oklahoma exposed his lack of speed. He'll do fine, but his AA status truly put him in a position to exploit the Draft I wish him luck, because the NFL is ruthless. All his flaws will get exposed. And though I believe Oregon's coaches put him in bad position often ( in pre snap formations), he has shown he lacks the closing speed he needs to make enough plays in the NFL. He's a Duck. I'll always support him. He had a great year ( especially for him). I know how I'd attack him, and I believe NFL coaches are going to exploit some of his weaknesses. Let's hope he gets better coaching than he did these past four years ( same for Mykael Wright).

I believe Funa is another who k is better than he had performed so far. That guy used to seal the edge and make plays. Dinner of that is scheme in my opinion, some of it technique. I expect him to truly devour this year.

The only problem I have with that is the SEC IS GEORGIA AND BAMA. The rest of the conference isn't really that much better than the rest of the nation. They hide this by ducking strong teams in the regular season. Does anyone think A&M can handle Ohio State in September? Oklahoma? Clemson? I certainly don't. Every year two or three SEC teams are a cut above, and they use the rankings of the rest to bolster their conference. I've been complaining about this since USC trashed Auburn in 2002 and 2003. For the most part, only five or six teams have what it takes each year to win the title. We don't figure that out to mid November. But I know this, the SEC is fraudulent. Just a mirage. The SEC isn't a standalone product. ESecPN knows this. Perhaps the Alliance will destroy the narrative the SEC is the premiere conference. Perhaps not.

Can you imagine if they actually had a running game? Alabama is 84th in the nation this year running the ball. They doubled their average per game yesterday. They wouldn't have needed to pass the ball if they had their usual prolific running game in other words. I seethe like a pressure cooker at any discussion the G5 is qualified to play for a national title.

Six points. Says everything one can say about the prospects of G5 teams having a shot at competing with the real boys. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. They had absolutely no business in the playoff. None. I've said this consistently for years. Football doesn't reward Cinderellas. They lack depth, they lack ability. It angers me there is even discussion about it being fair to include them. Frankly Scarlett, it is an insult. They're extremely lucky Bama is stunningly horrific at running the ball. I seriously don't want to hear another word about the qualifications of G5 teams. They are beyond unqualified. It was predictable, and everybody knows it. All one had to do was watch this year's Cinci v. Indiana game to realize Cinci was going to get throttled by ANY true playoff candidate ( not simply the entrants, but the authentic top ten teams in college football). The only thing more upsetting is the PAC12 is heading towards G5 status. Rapidly. We better beat down BYU next year, or I'm going to start acting like Marvin the Martian. That's how little respect I have for the G5.

Canzano didn't say anything that wasn't already obvious. If you don't have a QB that can win games for you, and if your defense isn't good enough to stop a good QB enough times to do some damage yourself, you won't win championships. It does take an identity, but if you can't do those two things, you'll just have an identity. No titles. I believe it's more important to get the most out of your players. To motivate them to give their all. The rest will take care of itself if they're good enough. When we see a team that doesn't hurt itself, plays the best they can giving all they have, we'll be happy with the results. Players and coaches. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be their best. Sounds cliche. It's pretty simple, and it is the most difficult thing any organization can achieve.

Nope

Not only that, lots of experts that follow Oregon saw the WR room in the spring Game and elevated the Ducks' status. It really points out just how MC handcuffed this offense. And yes, Brown's arm strength was never a flaw. What a waste of talent. If MC wants to keep his job more than two years he better use that very good QB of his immediately. Doubt he will, butt he's be really stupid not to after seeing what happened last night.

Demonstrating they had no business in the playoff in the first place. We all knew this. Football is not basketball. There are no Cinderellas in football. You are elite, or you are ordinary. We're about to witness not only how ordinary the G5 is, but how ordinary the majority of the SEC is.

Integrity matters. Usually I blather on about subjects. This time I just want to say I don't want my University tarnished going after that elusive title.

Hard to argue your premise Jon. That first effort to add A&M, Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State was the best effort to preserve the solid reputation the conference had. Since then, the "Conference of Champions" look to sports that clearly don't fund the Athletic Departments of our "prestigious" set of universities. Meanwhile, the BCS successfully reduced USC to ashes. Nobody was in the Trojans' realm for seven full years. I do argue it was necessary to keep the SEC in it's place, which USC did at the beginning of the century. Those ole boys learned quickly to avoid Southern Cal and build their narrative in the meantime ( nobody dared face USC after they annihilated Auburn in prime time). Unfortunately, s few bad ref calls thwarted OBD when we took the mantle with Chip, and that was all she wrote for the PAC12 ( as the Fuskies didn't have a complete enough QB to finish off Bama when they clearly were good enough to). Now the mighty Presidents of our academically elite conference are slowly collapsing it into dust as West Coast Recruits obviously recognize Olympic Sports matter more than revenue generating sports. Tisk tisk.

Maybe a strategy to use to leverage ESecPN? I doubt they truly believe the SEC is a standalone product. They're too boring. ESPN would certainly block any move to their Monopoly coverage of the bowl games. I actually believe you're more correct about the Super League. I'll tell you this: the PAC12 is moving closer to the talent level of the MWC every day. I'm beginning to think the conference Presidents are too arrogant to recognize the peril they are in. USC better have a banner 2022, and I sure hope the others (including OBD) start winning their OOC games (including the bowls). There is no justification for Oregon State losing to Utah State Street beating Utah. That is more telling than USC falling from grace in my opinion.

Are you sure our brand came from airing it out? I seen to recall tOSU shutting down The Helfrich passing game, and Chip refused to pass it when required in Tucson. I believe our brand originated from explosive plays. Saban recognized it, and now used it as his weapon of mass destruction. Lanning called it out as a requirement. As far as UGA's defense. Neither UGA nor Bama can stop explosive offenses. Or anybody for that matter. Even LSU didn't completely shut down Clemson, they just took away their explosive nature. You need all three units to win. Definitely a defense that averages less than 17 ppg all year( can't stop everybody every time), backed by an offense that explodes enough to win a battle of attrition when teams they play are equally lethal. We're in uncharted territory. And unless the coaches you're concerned about have current allegations, do you believe they deserve scrutiny based on their merit overall? Especially the past two to three years? Well see soon enough what Lanning produces. I base my evaluations on the present. Hence, I'm waiting to see what MC does in Miami (I believe he will ultimately fail, but the ACC surly isn't the SEC, so he isn't in immediate danger). I also am curious about Lanning's ultimate strategy. We won't get any ideas until at least the Spring. Though I understand the dread ( so many unknown factors), I'm curious why most of us seem to drift negative at any sign of trouble. Hopium springs eternal...until further notice.

Almost. Allioti's defenses were highly under rated. 2007; absolutely 2010; and until he left. The Brand was the offense. The Brand's anchor was the defense. I still believe Allioti's defenses were far more physical than any of his successors. I have never seen players limp off the field, or receive KO hits like Chip's Natty year. Not sure I ever will.

LOL I'm not sure the Seahawks win it if they run inside. The Patriots emphasized they expected that inside run. An OZR however? Like the play that got them to the one yard line? B2B titles baby! Of course, I was rooting for the "dark side". I love the fact the Steelers and Patriots show players why they are owners. I'll never forget the response to the INT. A friend of mine who absolutely hated the Patriots said he couldn't believe he just witnessed that stupid play. I responded by saying I said the exact same thing to myself when the Patriots' Free Safety jumped over a falling WR and let him catch Wilson's pass instead of INTERCEPTING IT. The Seahawks had no business getting that goal line shot. The game should have been over on that "non interception" Ole Pete choked. He knew better than to run a dive ( hadn't worked all second half of the game- twice in third and one situations). But that great run by Beast Mode to the one yard line was the play Carroll should have run again. Guess it shows even the best mess up.

RLMAO I had to look at his name twelve times to spell it in a comment I posted yesterday.

In my opinion, all it took was NFL speed to make JH noteworthy. Go watch his 2017 highlight reel. Let me know if you saw open WRs like that in 2018 and 2019- and I'm talking about separation speed here. The 2019 WR group looked horrible against the two high caliber secondaries they faced in 2019 ( Auburn - 214 Passing yards per game and Wisconsin 187). So many scouts criticized JH for his decision making. I saw an analysis from the 2018 Fusky game ( another excellent secondary with three Current NFL players from that team). Herbert wouldn't throw into closing windows in that reel. Furthermore, even burner Carrington couldn't separate from the stingy Fusky secondary. In my arrogant opinion, JH was handicapped by his mediocre set of WRs his last two years. The kid is a natural. He doesn't think about ball placement. I saw a TD pass he threw - to a well covered Charger WR- that was pure confidence in the WR's ability to catch up to his throw. He absolutely didn't have that in 2018 or 2019. Heck, guys barely were open unless they ran crossing patterns, curls, slants or deep outs (no fades, no post patterns, no seam routes). In 2017, Carrington and Charles Nelson ran roughshod on secondaries. JH would throw into tight windows unconsciously because he knew they would get to the spot he needed to throw to. Watch the film. You'll see what I'm talking about. I even argued in 2018 and 2019 that not only would JH flourish in the NFL, but for those exact reasons.

Mind blowing article Jon. What a juicy topic. First of all, how will this effect draft status for players wanting to go to the NFL? Since most players aren't close to talented enough to play in the NFL, how will that work out? Will players stay longer than four years? Will there be a salary cap? How will that effect minimum salaries? Will players be allowed to switch back and forth between leagues? Now that we've seen the first year of NIL, I'm sure some changes will occur. For instance, Spencer Rattler and DJ Ulagalelei were disappointments while Bryce Young and CJ Stroud were standouts. What kind of NIL deals will be signed from this point on (and if labor contracts are signed, how will that play out?). Currently, it appears the wise coaches are going to pluck talent they can develop from other schools, and the recruiting rating systems are definitely going to be affected moving forward. Plenty of schools have already experienced disappointments like Spencer Rattler and DJ Ulagalelei, heck Oregon has experienced it three times the last 7 years. In the meantime, CJ Stroud and Bryce Young were standouts. NIL deals are risky business. I do believe there will be a slow transition to any such league. It's only been one year in this new system of "payoffs and free agency". I for one wouldn't shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars to teenagers yet to prove themselves, even the top 300 players rated. I believe there will be a shakeout in that area. Same goes for coaches. After all, Michigan and Cincinnati are an aberration to say the least. If the playoff expands, I believe the astronomic coaching salaries may cool off. Jimbo Fisher is a one hit wonder so far. Same for Mac Brown. In fact, the only Lion in the coaching ranks is Nick Saban. Will we see schools succeed like the Steelers and the Patriots in this new system ( keep salaries low by developing players and allow teams willing to "over pay" to pluck proven talent - yet still earn titles and playoff berths)? Athletic Directors will need to develop some serious acumen to successfully navigate this new landscape. So much to ponder. It will be fascinating to observe the changes coming to college football. Let's hope University Presidents are truly an educated group, and are capable of preserving the goose that laid the Golden Egg.

It is difficult to avoid the political aspect of the name change since the players pulled a political stunt. I'll never understand forgetting the people that support you the most when considering issues that impact them as much as they impact you. In my opinion, former players are the pillar of support for, but not the active administration of the current program. Same goes for the fans for the most part. That is until they're clearly ignored. Fans get to vote with their feet however. I believe MC got a taste of what was going to happen if he didn't listen to that booing this season. Even former players don't have that kind of pull.

We'll just cross that bridge when we get there. The only thing we control is today. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Championships are won in the off season. If the kids do the work, they'll reap the rewards. It's a very talented group. If they force teams to make mistakes, and not shoot themselves in the foot, they should win every game ( including Georgia because the Bulldogs haven't committed to scoring forty plus a game). Faith. Strength. Guts. Dedication. Perseverance. Words of winners. That's what this team will focus on. Let's see what happens instead of gnashing our teeth. OBD will show us who they are "soon enough".