Jon Joseph

? 1 season when Watson was hurt, Clemson lost at Syracuse, made and won the playoff. A number of Clemson ACC games have ended in 1 score games. Line the top 12 ACC teams up in a theoretical matchup with the Pac-12 and who do you think would come out on top? UCLA got a COVID break last season not having to play NC State. Instead of losing to Miami, WAZZU lost to Central Michigan. Clemson last season lost against Pitt, NC State and Georgia. The ACC in CFB is a deeper and better conference than is the Pac-12.

The entire Alliance is an alliance in name only. GK does want 8 games and the ACC wants to continue playing 8, but without the B1G going to 8? These three cannot even agree on what a post-season playoff expansion should look like. And 2 of the 3 including the ACC, need the expanded playoff money. B1G Commish Warren is getting a lot of grief from many in the B1G for agreeing to an alliance with 2 conferences that have nowhere near the financial resources that the B1G has. I will be very surprised that within the next 5 years or so, the B1G doesn't add Kansas, Duke, UNC, UVA, Pitt and Georgia Tech; all AAU members. I also believe that the SEC, along with OK and TX, will add Clemson, FSU, NC State and VA Tech or Miami. Follow the money to the creation of 2, 20 team Super Conferences. And this will lead to a 'merger' of some kind between the Pac-12 and B12, which, IMO, should be happening now and has to happen sooner rather than latter for football 'in the west' to survive at a competitive level.

4 starters back on the Trojans OL. 2 were Pac-12 honorable mention. A big OT get from UVA out of the portal. Run game was best in 4 years in 2021, 4.4 yards average. And this was without Dye and Stanford's best RB who both transferred in. Plus, Caleb Williams is incredibly elusive and a much bigger broken-play run threat than both Dart and Slovis. London is a big loss. But the WRs coming in from the portal, especially Williams (no relation) from Oklahoma, make SC in 2022, very dangerous on offense. In the pac-12, how many great Ds will SC have to go up against? The DL and D in general is a problem but even with an average D, USC is a threat in 2022 to win the South and the conference. Recall, the Ohio State O put up 48 points versus Utah in the Rose Bowl and won a shoot out. I do not think many teams in the Pac-12 will be able to score enough points to keep up with SC?

It's still about the Jimmies and the Joes. Gattis had the top OL at Michigan last season that he won't find at Miami. He had a QB who was steady and did not make mistakes. Who replaces QB King at Miami? How did Gattis' O look versus UGA? And Steele? I would judge his career as inconsistent at best. At Auburn, he had better players on the D side of the ball than he will have at Miami. One of the top Miami DL guys portaled to ASU. I don't get all the love being thrown at 62-60 Mario and at the Miami program in general.

Great post. With next season's schedule, we'll see early on how Dillingham fits at Oregon. 1st game out of the box 'at' the defending champ and the 3rd game vs a ranked and experienced BYU.

Great take Darren. Clemson is in a 'weaker conference' that plays its games on the east coast when folks are still awake. It is also a conference with a network owned and operated by ESPN that runs 2 daily shows dedicated to Clemson and CFB in season. And Clemson is in far better recruiting ground than is Oregon. Also, when Clemson has QBs like Watson and Lawrence it uses them and does not bury them like Mario buried Justin Herbert. And Clemson in the last few seasons has sent a number of stud DL guys to the pros. Clemson was down last season but played great D, finished 10-3 and ranked in the AP Final top 25. How 'down' is the ACC compared to the Pac-12? The ACC had 4 teams ranked at the end of the 2021 season; the Pac-12, 2. And although they have not played like it as of late, in people's minds FSU and Miami are still blue bloods. When it comes to blue bloods in the Pac-12, folks east of the Rockies think USC, and that's it. Where do Pac-12 fans think Clemson, Pitt, Wake and NC State would have finished in 'the Pac-16' last season? IMO, none of these teams would have finished in the bottom half of the conference.

Agree totally, 30, Cincy at Ark was a very strange choice IMO. Cincy coach, Luke Fickell, just got a nice pay bump to $5M a season but Houston is the favorite in the AAC coming into 2022. Both should be playing in the B12 as early as next season.

No way. Thanks for stringing the thread along.

According to ESPN+ (pay wall) CFB Playoff guru, Heather Dinich - the below listed games will impact the 2022 playoff. 1. 11/26 - Michigan at Ohio State - Will Harbaugh go back to back vs the Buckeyes? 2. 9/3 - Notre Dame at Ohio State - Kelly's gone. Can Freeman find the luck of the Irish? He lost the Shamrock in the 2nd half of the Fiesta Bowl. 3. 9/3 - OREGON (Let's Hear It!) 'at' Georgia - Dawg gone tough game for Danno's opening act. [Not on the list but 9/3 - Utah at Florida - Can Utes swamp the Gators? ] 4. 10/3 -Texas AtM at Alabama - With the amount of $ spent on buying the all time best recruiting class, Aggies may have to take the bus to Tuscaloosa? 5. 10/1 - North Carolina State at Clemson - Big game on the Dabo rebound tour. But a big game overall? Oh well, ESPN does own the ACC Network. 6. 10/15 - USC at Utah - This game could be a shoot out ala the Rose Bowl. Both teams have a decent chance to come into this game without a loss. Game Day in SLC? 7. 10/29 - Michigan State at Michigan - Can Mel Tucker portal his way to another top 10 finish? At 2 games over .500 and making $9M a year, Mel is already a big winner. Right, Jimmy? 8. 9/17 - The Fighting Mario's at AtM. Believe it or not, Miami is the 'toughest game' on the Aggies 2022 OOC schedule. 9. 10/9 - Oklahoma State at Baylor. - Two Pac-20 teams battle it out ... What's that? These are still 2 B12 teams? OK, I guess? 10. 9/3 - Cincinnati at Arkansas - Me thinks that Heather started hitting the Bloody Mary's well before posting THIS? Interesting: No Oklahoma vs Texas; Utah at Oregon; Penn St vs Ohio State/ Michigan; Florida vs Georgia; Bama at Ole Miss; Iowa vs Wisconsin; UW vs Anyone? Sorry, but as Charles noted this is a SLOW CFB news day. And more to follow before spring ball.

Mario's signal: PUNT!

How Swede it is!

Great take. I think SC has a very good chance of being 6-0 heading into Utah and that the Utes if Utah can start fast out of the box, can take down Florida in the Swamp. Bot 9/3 in the Swamp? It will feel like being in a Swamp.

Good take. But I see SC battling Utah for the South? I don't see many Pac-12 teams scoring at the pace of SC in 2022? Maybe Utah can hold down the SC O in SLC but Stroud and the Buckeyes lit up the Utah D and Utah AA LB Lloyd is off to the NFL.

I'm glad you missed it because I was WRONG! Peach and Fiesta Bowls are next seasons semifinal sites. Pac-12 champ will be playing on 1/2/23 in the Rose Bowl.

And when he matriculated at Pitt he was around 250 pounds and thus, a 3* recruit.

WRONG! RB is NOT a semifinal site next season. Peach and Fiesta Bowls are the semi sites.

I do think Nix gets the start at QB and he has played under Dillingham before. Under DL, I think Dillingham will be more than an ornament on the sideline. I don't see and hope we won't see, DL micro-managing during the week and on game day.

Great take. They also smothered a very good Michigan team. SEC champ game was the first time UGA was punched in the mouth. Bama had to win this game to make the final 4 and UGA did not. But the Dawgs mad one heck of a 2 game comeback after the loss.

Mr. Home Alone? LOL!

Fun Take. But Chase worked out pretty well for the Bengals.

The ACC is hobbled by its agreement with ESPN through 2036. I think the B12 by adding the Houston, Cincinnati and Orlando markets and the national following that BYU has, may well eclipse the Pac-12 in its new media deal? The B12 is now far more of a presence, with W VA, Cincy and UCF, in the eastern time zone. We'll know in a few years? But as of now we do know the Pac-12 as currently constituted will fall financially farther being the B1G and the SEC and IMO, will not be able to continue to prop-up a financially insolvent network.

Playoff - 12/31 - PEACH - 1. Alabama vs 4. Clemson 12/31 -FIESTA - 2. Ohio State vs 3. Georgia 1/9 - CHAMP GAME - Los Angeles - 1. Alabama vs 2. Ohio State 12/30 - ORANGE - Wake Forest vs Wisconsin 1/2 - COTTON - NC ST vs Houston (G5) ROSE - UTAH vs Michigan SUGAR - Oklahoma State vs Texas A+M 3 ACC teams in NY6 Bowls? Sorry Brett, I don't see this happening. IMO, it is far more likely that 2 B12 teams will be in the NY6. 1 of NC ST/Wake will not be in the NY6. SUN - UCLA vs VA Tech LAS VEGAS - Washington vs Ole Miss ALAMO - USC vs Oklahoma (Think OK fans would like to see this match-up?) HOLIDAY - OREGON vs FSU ( Brett has Miami vs Baylor in the Cheez-it Bowl; RATS!) LOS ANGELES - ASU vs Air Force Academy NEW MEXICO - Oregon State vs San Diego State RED BOX - If this bowl is not played ESPN is likely to find a replacement sponsor for a game in San Francisco which could include a Pac-12 school) So, Brett has 7 Pac-12 schools going bowling. I think Washington State is more likely to make a bowl than is UW. I can see CAL +/or Stanford getting to 6 wins in 2022? I don't know if he has Oregon going to the Holiday Bowl because it played in the Alamo Bowl in 2021; or, if he believes USC will finish with one fewer loss than the North champ Ducks? WHO CARES? This is a way too early prediction that I would not post except in the CFB 'dead season.'

MY BAD! The Playoff semi-final sites for the 2022 are the Fiesta and Peach Bowls. The Pac-12 champion will play in the Rose Bowl that will be played on January 2nd (the 1st falls on a Sunday) 2023.

MY BAD! The Pac-12 Champ does play in the Rose Bowl this season. Peach and Fiesta Bowls are the semi-final sites. The Rose Bowl will be played on Monday January 2, 2023; the 1st falls on a Sunday.

FWIW (very little to nothing) Latest AP Top 25 BBall Poll 3 Arizona 6 Kansas 7 Baylor 11 Texas Tech 13 UCLA 14 Houston 17 USC 25% of Pac-12 ranked. 40% of Pac-20 ranked.