Jon Joseph

Not sure that I would worry about Moore's stats as a true frosh for a UCLA team without good to great receivers and terrific DL but not so on the OL. At Oregon, Moore would be surrounded by better coaches and with guys who can get downfield.

The best conference? Week 11 AP, Pac-12 5 ranked. SEC 6 ranked. You can beef about 3L LSU but we also have 3L Arizona picking up the pieces from an LA lost weekend. But the deepest QB conference? Heck yes. Do not sell SC and an outstanding competitor and QB, Caleb Williams, short. This young man is doing all he can to overcome a dumpster fire defense. 256 yards rushing by UW RB Dillion Johnson last week, 199 yards before contact. Have Mercy! Bucky, James, and the OL have to be salivating.

And saved a brand that took close to a decade to build. Kudos to Charles for calling Mari(o) early on and taking grief for doing so.

If you want to go with a Pac-12 QB, I'd rather go with true frosh Aiden Chiles. And with the B1G in Oregon's sights, RS sophomore Fafita, who beat Oregon State and UCLA would be high on my list.

Ewers is off to the NFL. Van Dyke is an injury waiting to happen. I like the idea of Vandergriff but I also like Novosad taking his lumps in 4 OOC hames before tripping to UCLA after a bye week in 2024. Dante Moore? The once Oregon lean could be there to explore. And how about redshirt frosh Tafita at Arizona? This young man reminds me of Drew Brees. Cam Ward? Kind of a TO machine. Aiden Chiles from Oregon State. This would be dammed by a lot of angry Beavers.

199 yards before contact for Johnson when he put up 256 rush yards vs. USC. The Grinch Who Stole D had to go. He should have been gone after Tulane came back to win the Cotton Bowl. Jen Cohen is a new AD but she is not completely lost in space and had to be hearing from SC boosters. On the sidelines last Saturday vs. the Dawgs, Grinch looked like a lost puppy. No one can fix this in one week. Still, with Caleb Williams, Troy has a shot at winning every game. SC has a bunch of good athletes on D playing like they are on their own. And a guy I like, Jon Wilner, had Bear Alexander as the best transfer coming into the Pac-12. Right?

Rationale. Dillon Johnson. 256 yards with 199 yards coming before contact! There is bad, and then there is the USC so-called D. But, I do think that Troy behind Caleb has a puncher's chance in every game. Including the Sun Bowl game.

Texas at TCU? I see no challenge for UT in its next 3 games unless the relief pitcher doesn't come through. After TCU, Texas is at Iowa State and finishes vs. Texas Tech. Bama at Kentucky? The Bear and Babe Parelli long ago left Lexington. Miami. Was not shut out at NC State. The Canes put up 6 points! I see Ole Miss at UGA as Mizzou at Kentucky without the grit. I hate to say this but OREGON with Texas and Bama winning on Saturday, needs UW to be 12-0 headed into the game in Las Vegas.

Desert Duck. Kind of like a perhaps not bowl-eligible team winning the 2023 B1G West? The B1G did a Larry-like muff not losing divisions in 2023. But keeping divisions could playoff help UGA and Bama.

Jared Goff salutes you!

AP Poll and the Pac-12 on the Rodney Dangerfield scale. Washington is the lowest-ranked undefeated team with better wins than Michigan for certain. UW is behind Michigan, 111 SOS, before Michigan trips to Penn State on Saturday. The power of a Power 2 conference. No Respect! But respect, rightly or wrongly, is on the way. Top 1-loss, Oregon, and 2-loss Oregon State are the top-ranked teams in the poll. Respect. 2-loss Utah moves up to #13 which helps Oregon's SOS. Respect. LSU is the top-ranked 3-loss team but 3-loss Arizona (glad OREGON is playing at ASU and not AZ) shows a lot of Respect. Bad weekend for LA. 5 Pac-12 teams ranked and 6 SEC teams ranked, have me concerned if Bama defeats UGA in the SEC champ game and both finish 12-1, Ohio State/Michigan go 13-0. FSU in a bad conference goes 13-0, and Texas with the win over Bama in Tuscaloosa goes 12-1. If the above happens with the Ducks winning the Pac-12 and finishing 12-1 we'll see how much Respect is given to a conference that is going away. 'I looked up my family tree and saw three dogs using it.' Rodney.

Week 10 provided some terrific CFB games. We are now in the 2023 season-closing stretch. 1. Can it Get Any Weirder? The name of the University of Michigan President - SANTA ONO - this is not a joke. Will B1G Commissioner Tony Petitti be visiting Ann Arbor with a sack of coal? If there is any penalty coming from Petitti I expect it will be a suspension of Jim Harbaugh. He's used to this. 2. The OREGON D - Cal, 3 of 14 on 3rd down attempts. 3.8 yards per rush. 1 sack but many impactful QB hurries. Bo - 6 TDS, 2 rushing, 386 throwing in the slop with 1 interception that was the fault of his baby brother, who had a great game - 180 receiving yards. But was anyone watching? 10:30 Eastern kickoff for the SC game. Why couldn't the clock fall back next week? 3. Was that the Ghost of Jimmy Brown in LA? UW RB Dillion Johnson. 256 yards, 4 TDs. 199 yards BEFORE CONTACT! ESPN+ David Hale - "We'd say it (199 yds. before contact) would be hard to do against 11 traffic cones, but that comparison would be giving the USC D too much credit." Alex Grinch must have some very damaging photos. Nevertheless, Caleb Williams comes to Eugene with a 'why not go for it' attitude.' 4. Cowboy Roy Rogers 'Happy Trails to You' echoed throughout T. Boone Pickens Stadium as The Cowboys ended Oklahoma's playoff hopes by winning what was perhaps the last Bedlam game. B12 refs hold no grudges, right? Ironic that the interference penalty that should have been called involved a player named Stoops. Kansas State - Kick the Field Goal! Nice for Puddles that the Sooners are now playoff later but the daily double would have been nicer. 5. After suffering the second defeat at the hands of the (sorry Puddles) Beaver State, an angry Utah took it out on ASU. I think it will be a fistfight in Seattle on Saturday. 6. Didn't the folks at A+M watch the Ducks destroy Jimbo, Jameis, and FSU in the Rose Bowl? After the loss at Ole Miss, A+M is now 0-9 in its last 9 road games against P5 competition. The $76M buyout may be starting to look cheap. (And Mari(o) lost at NC State - 6-20.) 7. The CFB Stretch Run for the Playoff contenders. SEC - Georgia - Ole Miss, at Tennesse, at Georgia Tech (Tech is 5-4 after yesterday's 45-17 blowout of UVA.) Far from a walk in the park for the back-to-back champ. Alabama - At Kentucky, Chattanooga (!), At Auburn - Has the tiebreaker over 1-loss Ole Miss. Cupcake? How about a stale bagel? Bama defeats UGA in the SEC champ game. Are 2 12-1 SEC teams in? B1G - Michigan - At Penn State (Noon kickoff so no White Out Full Monty,) At Maryland, Ohio State. Week 11 and Michigan finally plays a ranked opponent. Ohio State - Michigan State, Minnesota, At Michigan. 1 out of 3 ain't bad. Penn State - Michigan, Rutgers, At Michigan State. PSU played its best game of the season on Saturday vs. Maryland B12 - Texas - At TCU, At Iowa State, Texas Tech. Texas needs its starting pitcher back on the mound but none of these teams are ranked or will be ranked when they play Texas. ACC - FSU - Miami, North Alabama (!), At Florida. UF is likely to finish outside of the bowl money. As David Marsh pointed out a few days back, this could well be FSU 2014 redux. Pac-12 - Washington - Utah, At Oregon State, Washington State. No Easy Day. But WSU, 7-10 vs. Stanford, really? OREGON - USC, At ASU, Oregon State. USC may not be ranked come Tuesday, NR in the Week 11 AP Poll, and deservedly so. But any team with SC's O has a punchers chance in every game. Even if Oregon State loses to UW I think the Beavers will be a Top 25 team when OSU comes to Eugene. Bama and FSU are the beneficiaries of an 8 game conference schedule. This chicanery needs to end. 8. Playffs? Playoffs! Here's a troubling Playoff hypothetical. Bama and UGA finish 12-1 with a competitive SEC champ game. Texas finishes 12-1 with a win at SEC Champ Bama. One of Michigan/Ohio State finishes 13-0. FSU finishes 13-0. OREGON finishes 12-1. Which team loses the Playoff Musical Chairs Game? GO DUCKS! Beat SC!

Someone in Berkeley needs to fix the Bear trap. UW prevailed in a basketball game. Hopefully, SC will be in the top 25 on Tuesday night. Stumbling, bumbling, turned into a humbling loss for Coach Wilcox. (Hope the young man was not seriously long-term injured.) No let up. As Charles notes above, this team under this coach does not play down to the level of the opposition. Think Utah was ticked off today about last week? Utes didn't dally in beating down Dilly. Go Ducks, Beat SC!

One of the beauties of the 2024 season is The Big 10 Network. BTN is closing in on 70M subscribers. A viable entity, unlike Larry's functionally insolvent network. BTN has provided more extensive coverage of the 'Pac-4' B1G teams than the Pac-12 network has provided in over a decade. And this includes coverage of nonrevenue sports. It's like watching color TV after years of watching black + white TV. CBS, Fox. and NBC will all be sharing in the B1G game inventory. It's a New B1Gger and brighter day.

You go you hairy Dawgs! I think a ranked Mizzou coming to Athens like a ranked Kentucky is going to find it tough going 'Tween the Hedges. I want FSU in a Rose Bowl playoff redux and a champ game vs. the Dawgs in Houston. Quack and Woof!

Mic, 1986, the Sox came back from 0-3 vs. the Yankees. But lost to the Mets. Another blankity - blank team from New York. Bill Buckner. SIGH. In 1984 after 86 years was the redemption tour for the Olde Towne Team. How could anyone cheer on George Steinbrenner? That's like rooting for Jeff Bezos to make more money. Kidding! Probably the greatest rivalry in MLB. I am blessed to have seen The Mick, Roger Maris, and Teddy Ball Game play in Fenway Park. In the B1G, I think Ducks baseball will thrive. BTW - You cannot get a decent bowl of clam chowdah in NYC.

LSU at Bama is a must-watch PO game for Ducks fans. LSU wins and Bama and LSU both have the 4-team PO kiss of death 2 losses. And FSU gets a big SOS boost. FSU in a conference with only 2 ranked teams is going to ACC-way its win into the final 4. This 8 conference game stuff has to end. The committee best pays attention to the conference games SOS in 2024. Will it do so?

One last B1G scheduling barf from Moi. The Tony Soprano Schedule You Can't Refuse. The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, plays 5 conference home games in 2024 and misses Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. After all, Coach Schiano is a Pisano. Arrivederci and Cin Cin!

Great comment, Annie. Follow the Money?

Thanks, Charles for hosting this fun competition. OREGON Score - 45 - 24 Cal TOs - 3 Sacks by Ducks - 3 Passing yards - 250 And USC defeats UW to set up a huge game in Autzen next weekend. The UW OL is hurting, the D was lost in space in Palo Alto, and Penix hasn't looked the same since being mugged by the Ducks D. And I think that UCLA goes down in Tucson and Oregon State escapes Boulder with a close win. BTW, Texas Tech defeated TCU in Lubbock last night, 35 - 28, to go 4-5 on the season. But bowl eligibility with games at Kansas, UCF, and at Texas will not be easy for the Red Raiders to achieve. TCU is also 4-5 and could miss a bowl game after playing for the Natty in 2022. Beat Cal!

The Athletic (paywall) - 10 Thoughts on the 2024 B1G Schedule - (I apologize for the length but I cannot link this take which includes thoughts from the B1G schedulers.) 1. USC at Michigan - "... the most anticipated game on the 2024 slate." Really? The LA juice is flowing. The week before this game, Michigan plays Texas in Ann Arbor and SC plays LSU in Las Vegas. 2. Travel - No back-to-back road games for 'Pac-4' teams that cross multiple time zones. 14 teams that trip West, 8 have byes the following week and 6 have home games. 3. Rivalry Games - All rivalry games will be played on the final weekend of the season except for USC/UCLA which will be played on the penultimate weekend every other year. In 2024, SC finishes with Notre Dame in LA and UCLA plays Fresno State. 4. Bye before the OREGON/UW game for both teams - This comes at the request of the two teams in the possibility the Civil War and Apple Cup are renewed. 5. The Galloping Ghost Game - On 10/18/1924, Illinois on the Saturday of the dedication of Illinois' Memorial Stadium, defeated defending national champion Michigan, 39-14. Red Grange took the opening back 95 yards for a TD and in the game's first 12 minutes, Grange also scored on runs of 67, 56, and 14 yards. He later added a 5th TD on the ground and threw a TD pass for the 6th TD accounted for by The Galloping Ghost in this game. Love the tradition in the B1G. And how the conference respects the traditions. 10/19/2024 - Michigan plays at Illinois. 6. Friday Night, Labor Day Weekend, and Black Friday - When Fox came up with the (discounted) money for OREGON and UW, the B1G in turn agreed to at least 9 Friday night games every season beginning in 2024. It has yet to be determined which games will be moved from Saturday to Friday night. Labor Day Weekend - In addition to the Saturday slate on Labor Day weekend, a game will be played on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Also with the teams TBD. The Sunday night game will be broadcast on NBC in prime time. In addition to the Iowa vs. Nebraska game on Black Friday, played on this date for the last 11 seasons, another game TBD will be played on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Thus, the final 2024 opponents are determined but the dates of the games are fluid. 7. Week Zero - One conference game will be moved to Week Zero. In 2024, it will not be an Oregon game, the Ducks play at Hawaii in Week Zero. 8. Penn State Gets A Home Opener Plus 1 - Penn State has opened the B1G conference schedule on the road in 13 of the last 14 seasons. In 2024, PSU opens at home versus Illinois followed by a home game vs. UCLA. PSU fans, how's this for 5 games in a row from 10-5 through 11/9? UCLA, at USC, 2nd 2024 Bye, at Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Washington. WOW! 9. Bye, Bama - And a Bye Before Puddles Comes to Town - Wisconsin plays Alabama at home on 9/14. The Badgers then have a bye before tripping to USC on 9/28. In 2024, Wisconsin has Alabama, USC, Penn State, and Oregon on the schedule. Wisconsin's 2nd bye week comes before its home game vs. the Ducks. 10. Flex Protect - Iowa has 3 permanent opponents, and Penn State has none. All other B1G teams have 1 or 2 permanent opponents. Lots of football left in the Pac-12's ultimate season to be savored and sweated out. But it is fun to look ahead to life in the B1G conference. Beat Cal!

A bit of a deeper dive into Oregon's 2024 schedule. What teams do B1G opponents play before playing the Ducks? Illinois - Michigan Maryland - At Minnesota Michigan - Michigan State Michigan State - At Ohio State Ohio State - Iowa Purdue - At Illinois UCLA - At LSU - Oregon has its 1st bye the week UCLA plays in Baton Rogue Washington - UCLA - Like Oregon, UW has a bye on 11/23, the Saturday before the Cascade Clash on 11/30. Oregon will trip to Wisconsin the week before the 2nd bye. Wisconsin - At Iowa 2024 B1G Champ Game - No Divisions in 2024 and going forward. The top 2 teams in overall conference standings play in Indianapolis on December 7, 2024. Scheduling will matter. I have no idea what tiebreakers if necessary, will be used to determine the top 2 if there are ties in the final standings.

Yes. No divisions. The top 2 teams play in the 2024 B1G champ game. December 7, 2024, in Indianapolis.

JJ here. I can neither confirm nor deny that was a spy. Is there $ in it?

Like David, thank goodness I don't teach math. The 1st bye comes after 4, not 5, conference games. No bailout coming from friend Darren Perkins as there will be no 5th OOC game. This is not the ACC or the SEC, it's the B1G.