Jon Joseph

Rising's ACL is a big deal. Utah had its best season er in recruiting but the QB room is thin. For the conference's sake, the Utes need to beat Florida in the opening game in SLC. BTW, from what I have read many of the ND fans are not sorry to see Rees go. I thought Rees was a very odd hire by Saban as was the hire of Steele as the Bama DC.

Well worth the thought Dave but it doesn't pencil out. Oregon even with a very strong brand will not get the CFB playoff love shown to ND. It will not have a playoff vote and under the format for the 2024/25 seasons would not have a chance at a conference championship and a 1st round bye. Also, I do not think the Ducks for its other sports could find a deal like Notre Dame has with the ACC. All sports other than football and hockey (B1G member for hockey) compete in the ACC and the football team is guaranteed 4 to 6 ACC games a year which makes CFB scheduling far easier. And Notre Dame football is covered exclusively by NBC for broadcast purposes but is also covered by the ESPN-owned ACC Network.

Simple message. No matter what pond Puddles swims in the Oregon brand nationally and worldwide is strong with a capital 'S.' Puddles will land on its webbed feet no matter how recent events on the media front revolve and evolve. One if not the largest role of sports media is projecting outcomes. In today's world, the projection of negative outcomes is to be expected. Oregon will be competitive in CFB, CBB, and many other sports well into the future. The Ducks young football coach is 10-3 and Oregon is on a trajectory to compete for championships in CFB, CBB and any other number of sports. As the great Alfred E. Neumann often expressed: What! Me worry?

Rees as OC and Steele as DC are both head-scratching hires by Saint Nick. Headed into 2023 Alabama is ranked 125 out of 133 FBS schools in returning on-field production. As for Mario, your record is what you are. He's a .500 recruiting champ, coaching chump HC. I like the Ducks 'new guy.' He can recruit up there with Mario and to date, he has a record of 10-3.

Whoa, Nellie! Based on recent news regarding the Pac-12's new media deal and conference expansion, it does not appear that Amazon is all that interested in jumping into the world of college athletics. The B12's Yarmack has played the game perfectly. $37M per annum for B12 members in 2 seasons with all games available on linear TV through FOX and ESPN. And Oklahoma and Texas will be paying $100M to exit the B12 after the 2023 season. Much of this money will be disbursed to the 8 schools that stayed with the B12 after OK/TX gave notice they were headed to the SEC. While GK dithered the B12 moved aggressively. If GK cannot come up with a new media deal close to $37M a year why wouldn't the 4 Corners Schools consider making a move to the B12? Why would SDSU join the Pac-10 in such a situation and not the B12? I am far less bullish on the future of the Pac-10 conference and the potential benefits of streaming than I was a week ago which makes me angry and sad at the same time.

If the conference was a public company I definitely would be selling the stock short.

Great take Charles. I imagine the huge number of edge rushers on the roster will drop on May 1 when the transfer portal reopens. I expect some of these players will be encouraged by the Oregon coaches to enter the portal. Roster management in CFB today is a witch. But that is the CFB world in which we live so I for one am going to sit back and enjoy it.

David, even though the ACC is staying at 8 conference games I do believe come 2025 when Oklahoma and Texas finally join the SEC that the conference will drop divisions and go to a 9 game conference schedule. This means one of the current 4 games against potential donut hole teams will disappear. The SEC schedule with 9 conference games will be more difficult for some SEC teams than others. A number of SEC teams will be playing 10 power 5 games including FL/FSU/ Clemson/USC(e), Kentucky/Louisville, UGA/GA TECH. Even at 8 games I believe the SEC plays a more difficult schedule than does the B1G with its 9 conference games but only 3 teams ranked at the end of 2022. And take a look at Michigan's OOC schedule. For the second year running it's a joke. Ohio State plays at Notre Dame and Michigan gets 3 lollipops at home.

Slightly OT but with 2 references to Texas Tech, the Ducks' 2nd-week opponent, I thought I'd mention that this will be Tyler Shough's 3rd season as a starter. The Red Raiders are 8-0 when Shough starts and finishes a game. TX Tech smoked Ole Miss in last season's bowl game and is ranked in the top 25 in both the recruiting and transfer portal rankings. This will not be a walk in the park for Oregon. This will not be the day the music died in Lubbock but it could be the day the Ducks 2023 playoff hopes die? On Topic - Once again via inaction the Pac-10 fouled up. The B12 was smart to jump ahead of the Pac-10 to cement its all-linear new media deal. We have heard for months that first, the Pac-10 will complete its new media deal and then expand. This no longer appears to be the case. Will the Pac-10 with a new member or 2 new members equal or exceed the B12 deal of $37M for each B12 team? And once OK, TX departs in 2025 there will be 12 teams. Unless the B12 can with a better media deal convince Pac-10 members to sign up. If the Pac-10 comes close to the B12 media deal and no school Pac-10 school leaves then I expect the B12 to make a big play for SDSU, Fresno, UNLV and possibly, Colorado State or Boise. This would get the B12 and ESPN into the '4th broadcast window.' FOX with one of USC or UCLA playing at home is already in the '4th window.' I fervently hope the Pac-10 can stay together but I have serious doubts.

Add SDSU, Fresno, UNLV (keep the B12 out of lucrative Pacific time zone markets) SMU, UTSA, and Tulane. Now is the time for the Pac-10 conference to be bold. None of these 6 are receiving media income near what the new media deal will bring in and all would come in for a smaller piece of the pie. This would bring in the 2022 MW, AAC, and CUSA champs. PODS- NORTH - OR, OR ST, UW, WSU WEST - CAL, FRESNO, SDSU, STANFORD CENTRAL - AZ, ASU, UNLV, UTAH EAST - CU, SMU, TULANE, UTSA

Add SDSU. Fresno. UNLV. SMU. UTSA and Tulane. Block the B12 from garnering any lucrative west coast schools. All of these above 6 can be added for less than a full Pac-10 share. As an example, MW teams are receiving $4M per annum in media revenue. AAC members Tulane, SMU, and soon-to-be UTSA are also receiving far less media-wise than Pac-10 members. The above 6 would bring with them the MW, CUSA, and AAC champs. A huge college sports untapped market in San Antonio that is not watered down by professional competition.

I live in South Carolina and I receive the Pac Network on Dish.

And I believe that one-off game purchases will be more easily facilitated via streaming. ESPN, CBS. NBC and ABC are forking over a bunch of money to the NFL, CFB, MLB, NBA, NHL, etc. But what if the NFL Network via streaming offered NFL games exclusively or as part of a package buy? Via their existing partner Amazon platform or otherwise including the NFL's own production facilities. This is ultimately, in my less-than-learned tech opinion, the way that the NFL and other pro leagues and perhaps, college Moneyball sports are headed. I just do not see subscription fees for cable TV being viable. I don't see network TV and ESPN being able to find the advertising dollars to broadcast linear instead of charging a fee to watch a game(s) as is the case today with folks paying to attend games live. But this comes from a tech 'out-of-iy' old-timer.

Great points. Here is what I would ideally like to see. Add SDSU, UNLV, Fresno, SMU, UTSA and Tulane. The MW teams are getting $4M in revenue so all can be brought in for a lesser amount than the Pac-10 teams will receive under the new media deal. This would add the MW champ, the Sun Belt Champ and the CUSA champ. Tulane and UTSA are moving up to the AAC but that's still less money than they could receive as Pac-16 members. San Antonio is a huge market with no pro competition and along with SMU brings football mad Texas into the equation. Tulane brings in SEC territory and a good sized New Orleans market. Fresno brings in a competitive CFB program in the "Bay Area." These additions from the MW and the central time zone can be bought 'on the cheap' (no team added on would get a full share as SC/UCLA is getting from the B1G) and expand the territory for streaming coverage. I imagine that many fans of these teams already have some kind of contact with Amazon? 16 teams break down to 4 easily definable pods. NW - OR, OR ST, UW, WSU. South -.SDSU, CAL, Stanford, Fresno. Central - AZ, ASU, Utah, CU East - SMU, UTSA, Tulane, UNLV.. This would serve to cut down on non-revenue sports travel. I think in addition to going with streaming and the upside potential of doing so, it is time for the Pac to go big (not B1G) or go home. Again, all 6 could come in on a graduated share of revenue proceeds. However, it is easy to play Commish but not so easy to do the deals. First and foremost the Pac-10 will hopefully see a media deal equal to or near to what the B12 teams will be pulling down; $37M a year. Again thanks for the terrific article and I apologize if I have gone too far off-topic.

To expand without, hopefully, over-expounding, next season's schedule is a witch. Texas Tech will be a preseason-ranked top-25 team. Ditto for UW (could be top 10?) and Utah, two tough places to play. Drawing USC is not a good break and Oregon State if DJU improves? Watch out. Plus tripping to the desert to play Dilly's wholly rebuilt team will not be easy. CU? Who knows what Prime will be bringing to Eugene? CAL and Stanford should be lay-ups but also play hard against the Ducks. And, Bo Nix has to stay healthy so he can run the entire O including RPOs. No real experience behind Nix.

I think SDSU is a no-brainer. I'm not sure that UNLV might not be the better play over SMU. Large and growing population. Home to the NFL, NHL, and soon, most likely the MBL Athletics and probably the NBA. Tied at the Pac-10 hip with the CFB champ game and the basketball tournament. Improved football facilities thanks to the casino owning Frettita's large contribution. Play in an NFL arena for football. Thomas + Mack is a large and on-campus state-of-the-art venue for basketball. Not so long ago UNLV CBB was the toughest ticket in town and UNLV has had great success in baseball, golf, and other non-revenue sports. With the opening of the medical school, UNLA's academic bona fides have improved. In the Pacific time zone and home to the Pac-12 commissioner. A huge number of relatively inexpensive flights in and out of the city and a huge number of places to stay. Get football rolling and there are many NIL opportunities. SMU? I don't see it without bringing in another central time zone partner like UTSA or Tulane.

Great take Darren, thanks. However, the portal is a nightmare for those who enter and are trapped without a new offer and a new scholarship. Also a roster management nightmare for the coaches. Something that does not exist in the NFL because of the NFL's agreement with the NFL Players Union. (Probably why a CFB Players Union is coming?)

ESPN's (Pay Wall) Bill Connelly has ranked the returning production on both offense and defense for the 133 FBS teams playing ball in 2023. These rankings reflect incoming transfers from FBS programs but not FCS or lower programs. Accordingly, Oregon receives no credit for the valued OL player transferring in from Rhode Island. Pac-12 RANKINGS: 14. USC - 76% 16. UTAH - 76% [No explanation as to why teams with an equal percentage of returnees are ranked one above the other] 22. WASHINGTON - 73% 44. CAL - 68% 53. OREGON STATE - 65% 54. OREGON - 65% 59. UCLA - 64% 78. WASHINGTON STATE - 62% 90. ARIZONA - 57% 93 - COLORADO - 57% 109 - ASU - 53% 129- STANFORD - 53% #1 is FLORIDA STATE - 87% (FWIW, I expect FSU to lose its opening game to LSU.) USUAL PLAYOFF SUSPECTS - 5. MICHIGAN - 81% 7. A+M - 80% 19. TEXAS - 74% 36. CLEMSON - 69% 48. OHIO STATE - 65% 80. GEORGIA - 61% 125. ALABAMA - 40% Out-of-Conference Oregon foe TEXAS TECH is ranked 64. 64% in returning production. Connelly lists 8 teams on the rise including USC, UTAH, and WASHINGTON. Connelly's SP+ Rankings will be released next week and I expect Georgia, ranked 80 in returning production to be SP+ #1. Connelly does have both ALABAMA and TCU among his five teams expected to regress. No Pac-12 teams are expected to regress. As Connelly notes his SP+ Rankings are an indicator of success; returning production does not directly correlate to wins.

10-2.

I have really enjoyed all POVs presented in the comments section. I reiterate in saying that I believe Charles's comment was prescient. There is likely to be an early decline in viewership but viewership based on potential audience size will grow. I get the angst shared by 'advanced middle-aged folk' such as me. I also note that many of us older folk with kids and grandkids note that for the younger generations, this is all par for the course and a piece of cake. Thus be it ever with new technology. As a famous person once noted: to a less advanced civilization all modern technology seems to be 'magic' come to life. My grandmother was born in an age when few households had telephones. She lived to watch men walk on the moon. We are on the threshold of quantum computing and tech we cannot imagine. I am certain that high-tech companies that venture into broadcasting live events will do all they can to simplify the process. As an example, I believe we are now on Windows 11. The hard truth is that the Pac-10 without streaming will be looking at dropping down to the level of G5 conferences. A rehash of how this came to be is counter-productive. It is what it is and IMO streaming, especially with tech giant Amazon as a partner is a risk the conference must take to remain viable and revenue-wise in '3rd place' behind the SEC and B1G. The Left Coast has consistently been the leader in high-tech development and implementation, and I believe this will continue to be the case. If being the beta site for broadcasting money ball sporting events works out, it could be the Pac-10's salvation and launch the conference to new viewership and financial heights. One thing for certain. The Pac Network's distribution problems with cable will not be an issue with Amazon.

Love it. But Notre Dame is far better than all but 3 and possibly 4 B1G teams. Yeah, 2 B1G schools made the PO last season but that's 2 out of the 3 ranked at the season's end. B1G W champ Purdue had 60+ hung on them by LSU in the bowl game. 2023 will be another year with divisions in the B1G. Unless Fickell turns things around in a hurry at Wisconsin and maybe the same for Ruhle at Nebraska I expect the B1G W champ to again be walloped by the B1G E champ in the champ game. Also, I think 2023 is yet another year where we will see overrated B1G CBB teams choke in the Tournament.

Especially, the non-revenue sports athletes.

How about the UW OC saying 'NO' to Saint Nick who ended up with IMO the uninspiring hire of Tommy Rees from Notre Dame. It is reported that the UW OC, Grubb, will be paid $2M in 2023, the highest assistant coaching salary in the conference. I'm afraid UW is starting to 'get it?'

BUMMER! But in today's environment who wants to recruit when you can coach in the pros, make the same or more money and not have to recruit 24/7 including recruiting your own players so they don't transfer out?

Great comment. But without a streaming component, the Pac-10 will not be able to equal or exceed the B12's $37M a year. make no mistake in big-time CBB and CFB today it is every man for himself. If a move to the B12 could bring in significantly more dollars for Team X then such a move will at least be considered by any administration and its athletic department.