Jon Joseph

Being an orphan looking for bread ($) is not easy.

NJ Duck thanks for the post but this is again, without naming sources, nothing but doom and gloom rumor-mongering. I prefer to rely upon WSU and Pac-12 executive committee member, President Schulz who recently said that everything is proceeding as well as can be expected in a media market far less robust than even 9 months ago. Which media outlet will pay $30M a year each for AZ, ASU, CU, and Utah's sports inventory? Fox with the LA market locked up is IMO, not paying for the inventory of any additional B12 schools. ESPN just went through a series of new layoffs and has to come up with an additional $140M for Oklahoma and Texas. Which advertisers are clamoring to fund and advertise any of the four corners schools' football programs? Conferences are not paying the freight. Advertisers have to pay the freight. And all advertisers have been affected negatively by a less-than-robust economy. Come up with advertising money for Oklahoma and Texas. Yes. For AZ, ASU, CU, and Utah? I do not see it. If ESPN wants late-night kick-off inventory it has to make a deal of some kind with the Pac-12. Fox has shut ESPN out of the B1G conference. These 'journalists' are very good at spending other people's money.

Charles, good calls by you and Happy. I think if Clemson and FSU were to join with SEC without any other teams to take the SEC to 18 teams that Clemson and FSU would be placed in a pod with South Carolina. The SEC IMO will not separate Georgia and Florida. Yes, a schedule against the teams you mentioned would be daunting. But the SEC also has Vandy, Kentucky, MS State, and other less formidable teams in the conference.

At the very least, Clemson and FSU want a far larger revenue cut than for example, BC and Wake Forest. Wake has the smallest stadium in FBS and the stadium at BC is not much larger. Clemson and FSU (like Oregon and UW in the Pac-10) draw the most eyeballs in the conference with UNC and Miami not that far behind.

I was pondering the matter of journalism last night and an old Russian joke about Moscow's two main newspapers came to mind. Pravda (Truth) Izvestia (News): there is no truth in Pravda and no news in Izvestia.

As bad as things are on the West Coast when it comes to broadcast angst, in many ways, it is no better on the East Coast where the ACC is buried in a terrible media deal, $20M a year for each school, with Disney/ESPN. (This dollar amount is augmented by distributions from the ESPN-owned and operated ACC Network but this does not bring the ACC ahead of the B12's new media deal.) And this deal, already called out by ACC football heavyweights FSU and Clemson runs through 2036! The University of South Carolina and Florida University might not be happy about it, as Texas A+M was not pleased with Texas coming on board, but if these two schools can exit the onerous media deal, both are a slam dunk (it's the ACC, I had to get a CBB reference in there) to join the SEC. I don't like it but I believe that CFB is likely headed to a Power 2 Super Conference. Meanwhile, sit back, relax, and enjoy Ducks football. Clemson, Florida State teaming up to challenge ACC’s Grant of Rights FANSIDED.COM Clemson and Florida State are looking to take on the outdated ACC Grant of Rights they signed. Don't be shocked if Clemson and Florida State are the t...

The delay in implementing this rule could benefit a Texas Tech team that ran the most plays in the nation in 2022.

Nearer My Bankruptcy to Thee? And like The Ship That Couldn't Sink, there are not enough lifeboats on the good ship Pac-10. 'Captain, we are bailing water but the pumps are failing!'

The SEC is expected to go with 'pods.' 2 or 3 permanent opponents. If it is 3, Bama is expected to play Auburn of course, and Tennessee and LSU every season. Oklahoma, Texas, and A+M are expected to play every season. Saint Nick is not happy about this, boo-hoo. The Kentucky rung of the SEC wants to stay at 8 games but I doubt that ESPN will be on board with not playing a 9th conference game and being stuck with having to broadcast an SEC team versus Nothing-Burger State. You take the big media bucks and you have to pay a piece. I see Ohio State playing Michigan every season but not playing Penn State every season. USC and UCLA will play every season but will there be 2 or 3 other permanent opponents for the LA schools? I think SC and UCLA will play a majority of their conference games against what are now B1G West opponents. But Fox has to get its LA money-worth so I will not be surprised to see Ohio State as a permanent opponent for SC and Michigan as a permanent opponent for UCLA. I think powerhouse Ohio State AD Gene Smith got a heads-up on this which is one reason why Ohio State dropped UW. Michigan canceled a home-and-home series with UCLA which is one reason Michigan and UCLA had putrid OOC schedules in 2022 and have putrid OOC schedules in 2023.

And paid UW $500K to do so. Will tOSU drop the game scheduled at Oregon? Would not surprise me in the least. And if the Buckeyes are going to drop the Ducks they best do it far earlier than 1 year before the game is scheduled to be played. Giving UW one year to find a replacement stinks. I hope Mullens covered his posterior with a big-time buy-out number.

Yes, this is a WAG but I did find it interesting. According to CFN, 8 Pac-12 teams go bowling in 2023. Oregon, USC, and UW all finish 10-2. Oregon defeats USC but loses in Seattle. USC defeats UW in LA but loses in Eugene. UW defeats Oregon in Seattle but loses in LA. What 2 teams play in the conference champ game? https://collegefootballnews.com/rankings/pac-12-college-football-predictions-for-every-game-spring-version A few thoughts. Arizona - 6-6 - Wins against Oregon State and UCLA? ASU - 5-7 - Ducks win in Tempe. CAL - 5-7 -Ducks win but Oregon State takes an L in Berkeley? CU - 3-9 - Ducks win in Prime's first conference game. Oregon - 10-2 - L at UW is a reasonable prediction. But an L versus CAL? Oregon State - 7-5 - This IMO is a rock-bottom prediction for the Beavers in 2023. Stanford 2-10 - Hard to quibble with this. UCLA - 8-4 - I think the Bruins with a super soft OOC schedule win 9 games. USC - 10-2 - The loss in Eugene would be nice. I do not see SC losing to the Domers in South Bend. I don't see ND having enough firepower on O to keep up with Williams and the SC offense. Utah - 9-3 - CFN predicts the Ducks will take its 2nd loss in SLC. I am more optimistic; especially, if Rising isn't 100%. Washington - 10-2 - Huskies split with Oregon schools. Defeat the Ducks in Seattle but lose in Corvallis. With UW playing Utah and SC in LA before tripping to Corvallis, I can see this. Washington State - 7-5 - Wazzu is already a winner getting Wisconsin to trip to Pullman for a certain sellout. But defeating the Badgers two seasons in a row?

Know thy enemy - Sun Tzu https://collegefootballnews.com/cfn/washington-huskies-college-football-preview-2023-breakdown-prediction-top-players-win-total

I think McMurphy and Dodd are twins separated at birth. The Missouri School of Journalism that Dodd graduated from and wherever McMurphy graduated from should be vetted and closed down. When did rumor-mongering, outside of The National Enquirer, become journalism? I have more faith in my Magic 8-Ball. 'The answer is cloudy.;

"Facts are troublesome things." John Adams

I love this but do people in academia have the stomach to file collusion and/or anti-trust litigation? The former Oregon president is at Northwestern and the new Oregon president came to Oregon from the B1G. Any litigation would have to be approved by the conference presidents who have never been litigious. Except when dragged into litigation by the NCAA; litigation that the NCAA lost while spending multi-millions of dollars in the process. Unfortunately, sports fans do not have the required standing to bring suit against member schools and networks, and conferences that colluded to take SC and UCLA from the Pac and OK/TX from the B12. Even if "we" could bring suit I doubt that a decent law firm would take on any such case pro bono. So, who will pay the attorney's fees? The B1G and the SEC have the majority of the market share but enough to warrant an anti-trust suit. I don't see it.

McMurphy is often wrong but never in doubt. Vetted? By whom? The B1G presidents before the new commissioner hire got together and vetted the NW schools? The new commissioner settling into his job vetted the NW schools? Which of Fox, and junior partners CBS and NBC are going to come up with say, $100M or in that ballpark to finance adding Oregon and Washington? And ESPN? Fox elbowed ESPN out of being a B1G broadcast partner because Fox was ticked off that ESPN helped engineer the OK/TX move to the SEC. So why would ESPN want the 2 most-watched teams remaining in the Pac to go to the B1G? ESPN needs the west coast's late KO times. I do not see ESPN or Fox ponying up for more B12 inventory. And I don't see Arizona and CU, unless the new Pac-10 media deal is a complete loser, agreeing to take a lesser share than BYU and Cincinnati. It's a far different media market today than it was twelve months ago. I think the B12 commissioner's mouth is writing checks that can't be cashed. It's very easy for a sports "journalist" to spend other people's money. I don't see advertisers lining up to buy advertising time for AZ and CU football games. If B1G vetting is being done it has to be done by Fox, CBS, and NBC. I very much doubt that B1G broadcasters are going to approve the addition of the NW schools before knowing what the Pac-10 new media deal will be. Is there a business person in the house?

I would like to see an ACC - Pac Challenge in football and basketball. For football, it would be a home-and-home series. Both series would be more easily formatted if the Pac-10 were to add 4 teams. SDSU, UNLV, SMU, Tulane?

It is now expected that the D3 objection to the clock not stopping after 1st downs will delay the implementation of the new timing rule for at least 1 year. The earliest this new timing rule is likely to be implemented is the 2024 season. I respect D3's position but this is another reason why G5 and the P5 should regulate themselves free of the NCAA.

Just ask the fleas around Montlake. They will confirm. The husky hide is no fine. But this does not stop the 'how great are we' way over-the-top barking..

I do think a media deal close to or exceeding that of the B12 will be consummated. And I think the expanded CFB playoff, which I expect will go to 16 teams in 2016 and the NCAA Tournament going to the proposed 80 teams will help the conference survive. I also expect that Oregon will insist on Pac teams that make the CFB playoff and the NCAA Tournament will get a bigger piece of the pie instead of an equal share for every conference member. I do hope that 50% of the CFB and CBB games are broadcast on a streaming outlet. This may be dicey at first but will open a window for far more people worldwide to watch Oregon sports. The Pac Network having but 13M subscribers has been an anchor around Puddles neck. I do not see how a merger with the ACC could possibly work travel-wise. And sooner rather than later, I expect Clemson, FSU, and possibly UNC and Miami to be playing in the SEC. One thing for certain, the Ducks should want nothing to do with the crummy ACC media deal that Clemson and FSU have already called out. Personally, I want nothing to do with enabling Notre Dame to keep its independent status. The 'conference' of Notre Dame should not have a playoff vote and should be required to join a conference or at the very least required to play 13 regular season games. With 12 games ND could often slip into the playoff ahead of teams that play 13 games including the conference champ game.

This in my opinion is a cheap and unnecessary PR play. Does anyone wonder why we have a lot of young prima donnas walking around today? By the time the young man matriculates how many folks involved in the offer will be in Eugene? Shame on DL and his staff. This is the kind of stuff I expect to see Lane Kiffin involved and not Oregon.

If Notre Dame is to remain independent it has to be forced to play 13 regular season game instead of 12 and the 13th game must be against a P5 opponent. Why an AD is on the playoff committee board of directors I have no idea.

A number of Pac-12 quality coaches in a number of sports have already been poached by the B1G, SEC, and Texas soon to be in the SEC.

There's a good reason why Golf spelled backward is Flog. You never know if your A game or your D game will show up.