Jon Joseph

The Pac-12 has only 5 teams ranked in the top 100 Pomeroy Offensive Ratings - a points-per-possession measure of efficiency on O. 8. Arizona 15. UCLA 36. USC 48. OREGON 90. Utah. Based on the latest ESPN Bracketology projections, the conference will send 3 teams, Arizona, UCLA and USC to this season's basketball tournament. Projections for other conferences - B1G 9/ Big East 7/ SEC 6 ACC 5. (What in the heck happened to B Ball on Tobacco Road?) After a terrific run last season, Oregon State is 3-22, 1-14 in conference. The 2020 tourney indicated that the conference was on the rise in basketball. The quality of play in 2020 was not sustained into 2021. Football? I can 'get' the bad results based on the low number of 'big fellas' in the conference footprint and the generally poor CFB recruiting results we see in the Pac-12. But what's the excuse for being crummy in basketball? Perhaps one of the 3 conference representatives will win the title this year for the first time since seemingly, forever? But with only 3 teams in the mix it's hard to like the odds of this happening.

No shame. That's the SEC and smart playoff scheduling. BTW, because of the Michigan cancellation of the H+H with UCLA, no team has an easier OOC schedule in 2022 than has the Bruins. Meanwhile, Oregon plays 'at' UGA an also plays BYU at home, Playoff? How can you have a so-called Playoff with this kind of difference in scheduling?

But through thick and the thinnest of skins, UW fans show up for the home games in Seattle. Despise UW as an opponent? Yes. But UW fans at least give a whip. There is many the Pac-12 team I'd diss on before UW. How does it look for Stanford when it can't sell out the stadium for the Notre Dame game? When SC/UCLA do not sell out?

Has there ever ben a better Playoff from the quarter finals. including my Pats being blown out, than this season's NFL playoff games? But for a terrible TO, Justin Herbert would have carried on.

Man, the Cougs fans would love that! I believe WA ST is coming into the season under ranked and underrated. I think the game in Pullman is going to be a witch.

But Cam Ward transferring into WA ST to play QB is likely a very good 'get?' And Ward's HC at Immaculate Word is also heading to Pullman to be the Cougars OC. Ward was named the best player in FCS in 2021; he threw for close to 5,000 yards!

Note that with an 8 game conference schedule every SEC team has at least 2 scheduled Ws vs lesser opponents OOC and many have 3 scheduled wins. Without that 9th game, 7 SEC teams have scheduled their way out of a potential loss. Look at the ACC schedules, another conference with 8 conference games and the OOC schedules are much the same as the SEC.

2 Pac-12 teams make ESPN's list of the 10 teams hurt the most from players transferring out: CAL and Colorado. Over 20 players have departed the CU program. CAL bringing in QB Plummer from Purdue is not considered to be that big of a deal. In 2021, Plummer lost the Boilermakers starting QB job. Auburn is an unenviable No.1 in this ranking. Oklahoma comes in at No. 8. Largely the result of losing QB Caleb Williams and top WR Williams (no relation) to USC. USC remains in the hunt to score the best in-coming group from the portal.

Marc Antony, from the play 'Julius Caesar.' I'm embarrassed I had to look this up? Thought is was a line from Hank 5? "Cry 'havoc' and let slip the dogs of war," was a line from Antony's funeral oration for Julius Caesar in the play, Julius Caesar, writ by The Bard. A better line than Antony's finish and eventual loss to Octavian. Antony and friend Cleopatra was the rest of CFB versus Octavian's SEC,

OK George, then why did the Pac-12 vote against playoff expansion after years of asking the field to expand? I am seeing statement after statement coming from this guy that are seemingly adverse to the desires of the people he works for,

Maybe? I'm concerned that SC will leave the Pac-12? An NBC Notre dame-like deal could be in the works for USC?

The blame regardless of what GK posted, is on the Alliance. The ACC, B1G and the Pac-12 all voted to delay playoff expansion. These were the 3 dissenting votes. Is George in tune with the conference CEOs he works for? It's fine to say the Pac-12 is OK with any and every playoff expansion plan. But how do you negate the Pac-12 voting no? Who is in charge of this circus? Who decided to leave $30M dollars on the table? Clearly the ACC voted no but the Pac-12 followed suit. Both Oregon and UW are short-changed by this silly decision. The coming playoff will be the B1G champ versus the SEC champ.

It started with the SEC driven one true champion BCS and moved on from there to this BCA x 2 and monetizing CFB football. . The Pac-12 in particular never should he e thrown CFB;s most valuable asset in to the mix without assurances that the Psc-23 champ would be in a true playoff. From Hanse making this decision forward to today, the Pac-12 has made bad after bad business decisions.

The referenced article deals with the reasons Wilcox turned down the job. Wilcox was not pleased with the conditions that went with the offer. I wonder if the offer to Wilcox was made simply to satisfy alums and was conditioned so Wilcox would decline? Lanning popped up pretty darn fast after Justin turned the gig down.

I read this. Great take, thanks for highlighting a very interesting read. Now, if Dan can come through like the assistant coach Arizona hired from Gonzaga to coach its basketball team? In the committee's 1st release of its top 16, Zona is on the 1 line.

And does specializing help? Mahomes among other top NFL QBs, played baseball. It wasn't football 24/7.

As least Arizona made the 1st seed line in the basketball committee's early release of its top 16. The conference needs to win a money-ball tournament and not just grab titles in Olympic sports.

With no intent of disparaging anyone, $50K is more money that a lot of the player's parents and guardians make in a year. I am fine with kids getting paid via NIL However, if it could survive a legal challenge I'd like to see at least 50% of the money put in trust until a player exhausts his eligibility or leaves early to go pro.

The 'phantom' injuries are under review by the competition committee. So tough because you do not want to incent a truly injured player to play on. One rule change under consideration is that if go down with an injury you have to sit out the remainder of the series on O and D.

Best position group on the team. Please let Flowe stay healthy + play ball.

Great comment. You beat me to it!

Great article. Cry havoc and release the hounds! Or in this case, release the Ducks D! Bill Connelly's SP+ stuff is among the best CFB computer model prediction programs. However, I don't like SP+ ranking Oregon 32nd in the preseason rankings. Hopefully, Danno will make this ranking look like havoc happened in Bill's algorithm.

Thanks for the post. Name of today's game, you have to be in the NIL game to recruit and pick the top guys from out of the portal. Oregon, thank goodness and Uncle Phil, has the resources to compete in this day of pay-for-play and free agency. Merchants in Pullman of all places, pooled NIL deals to attract QB transfer Cam Ward; the young man who won the Walter Peyton Award in 2021 for being the best player in FCS. But does WAZZU and a number of Pac-12 schools have the resources to go big time NIL for recruits and existing players? There is no doubt that B1G and SEC schools do have the resources to do so. On the coaching level, MS ST had the money to take the Pirate from WAZZU and MI ST had the money to take Mel Tucker from CU and with the help of 2 boosters, to pay Mel $9M a year. Arizona lost its baseball coach to the SEC. SC lost its women's T+F coach to the SEC. The slope is as slippery as walking downhill on ice in no-traction slippers. The NCAA can grumble about all of this but having lost in the Supreme Court 9-0 in the futile attempt to sustain the argument that college football and basketball players are 'amateur athletes,' there is little or nothing the NCAA can do. That's why the NCAA basically told the G5 and P5 to regulate its own big time sports. A Transition Committee co-chaired by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and the Ohio University AD, are in the process of drafting proposed rules and regulations for the G5 + P5 schools. I think there can be some reasonable notice requirements placed on portal entry, but good luck trying to control NIL without getting sued. And good luck winning such a suit after the NCAA was shut out by the Supremes.

STOP unleashing the LOGIC! Kidding. Love your takes my friend.

Thankfully, Larry is a goner; but not soon enough.