Jon Joseph

Read this take by our buddy, Dennis Dodd, earlier today. Pretty good take. I guess that come 2026 we will have a 16-team field. There will be no 1st round byes. Another way to shorten the season besides all teams playing in what is now week zero, play a cupcake FCS opponent in the spring game with the results counting in the following regular season reduced to 11 games including week 0. This would allow for conference champ games to be played on Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving week with the field finalized that Sunday. Schools not in the B1G and the SEC best carefully check out the details of the expanded playoff money being distributed more to contending teams and not the same amount for P5 teams and a lesser same amount to G5 teams. Like the basketball tournament, I expect the B1G and the SEC, already way ahead of the other conferences financially, will have the majority of teams in the field season after season. Thanks for the post.

Back, back, wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy back. Should be a very good game. The game is sold out with Tyler Shough having a lot to prove.

More layoffs at ESPN. Parent Disney is reining in the World Wide Leader's spending amid cord-cutting the increase in broadcast payouts, especially to the SEC, come 2023. Chris Fowler to remain at ESPN amid layoffs, but reportedly without big raise he sought WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM Chris Fowler will remain at ESPN as the network begins widespread layoffs. You have to tip your hat, unfortunately, to the B12 for getting in line ahead of the Pac-12/10 and securing a new media deal before ESPN and Fox were looking at different and lower broadcast evaluations.

Thank you, T. Yes, TT ran the most plays in the nation in 2022. For us old timers not having the clock stop after 1st downs is back to the future. I do like the 2-minute end of the half exceptions as this will likely bring a lot of strategy into play. I also note that consecutive time-out calls will not be permitted in 2023 and there will be no untimed downs unless a penalty is called on the final play of the game. Chain gangs best be working out in the off-season. These folks will now have to hustle to get the markers down.

Great take. With the playoff expanding CFB has to limit the number of plays in a game. But 'fly by?' This will help move the game along no doubt but I still think CFB needs a change in the review process. Go to the NFL rules or limit the amount of time a review can take. Why not do this when today's reviews often take 5 minutes or more and the reviewers still do not make the correct call? And IMO there is nothing wrong with a tie game in the regular season. In regards to play calling, with fewer plays teams with good run games may look to run the clock more than is the case today. FYI, the team that ran the most plays in the nation in 2022? Texas Tech

Thanks, Alex. I'm pretty sure that Ferguson is out with an injury. This means that Oregon is down to 2 healthy scholarship TEs. So, one thing I will be keeping an eye on is whether Matayo U gets reps at TE. A position he played in high school as well as playing on the D side of the ball. Could be a heck of a season for Oregon. But Oregon has a sneaky tough game at Texas Tech and travels to Seattle and Salt Lake while SC gets Utah and UW in LA. Riley bagged the Bear, just one of the solid defenders he has taken from the portal. The new guys on D get successfully coached up and integrated by Grinch and SC's D in 2023, could improve as much as its O did in 2022. GULP! I'm hoping that Ducks fans flock to Autzen. Need to put on a show for the bevy of stud recruits in attendance.

Thanks for the detailed summary.

Ink cannot dry before the consultants and layers (and Comcast?) are paid. Steven, please offer to represent the Pac-12 vs Larry at a discount. I do note that 2 network executives fired have filed a wrongful termination suit against Larry claiming that they told Larry about the Comcast situation and Larry sat on this information. Larry, the gift that keeps on giving. Thank you, Michael (Eat) Crow and UCLA's Mr. Bloch-head.

Good call but I fully expect that players will be deemed to be 'employees' and at such time Stanford will go the way of the Ivy League. Stanford is one of the Pac schools with an endowment sufficient to pay for many non-revenue sports without football bringing in big bucks.

I think, unlike CAL and Stanford the WSU administration would like to improve but WSU does not have the $ to do so. One of the reasons why WSU will be left behind as CFB further consolidates. Good call on the media right payment to the Bruins. IMO, UCLA should have waited to sign on with B1G until the media Pac new media deal is done but I imagine that the B1G was not willing to Wait for Godot.

Plus, throw in the 'tax' to be paid to CAL and does the move even pencil out for UCLA? I agree that UCLA football will struggle but UCLA CBB could be the best of the bunch in a way overrated B1G.

But you can actually watch real jockeys and their mounts. THIS is like waiting for the Sphinx to speak.

As an AAU member, Pitt like Georgia Tech, Duke, UNC, and UVA has a shot at going B1G.

SDSU is currently receiving @$4M per annum in media money. It will not receive a Pac-10 or B12 media share. SDSU is irrelevant to FOX. Back-in-the day I could see ESPN paying $30M plus to get a piece of the SoCal market but not today. Disney has pulled in the ESPN reins. With today's cord-cutting impacting ESPN subscriptions, I expect more layoffs and salary cuts are coming ESPN's way.

Thanks, JW. Hope the young man can step up his game. But as you so correctly note today waiting in line to play often does not pay off. You are literally at risk of being behind a guy coming out of the portal and getting paid NIL-wise. Saturday will be fun. Love the see the crowd we saw in Boulder without the snow.

Thanks, PA. I keep getting bounced off the posted article. Will you please summarize? I think it was AD Rick George who was most influential in bringing in Prime. But the CU president did his part in loosening the acceptance for transfer credits. I reiterate, what broadcast entity is going to come up with $30M plus per annum to grow the B12?

Excellent take friend Not but the winnowing process likely prevents any Pac-12 team from making the final, Final 4.

The B1G or FOX, Inc.? Obviously, the B1G presidents have to approve but first, where do they find the money to further expand? Will UCLA and USC support adding Oregon? I think the 2 would prefer CAL and Stanford over the better competition on the football field they would see from Oregon and UW. And better CBB competition from Oregon. Maybe one of the B1G junior media partners, CBS or NBC steps up. It would be interesting indeed if the B1G were to get Amazon, Apple, or another high-tech company involved. This would make more sense for any hi-tech company compared to doing a deal with the Pac-10. ESPN has ESPN+, but FOX, to my knowledge does not have a streaming channel. FOX does have other linear sports channels. NBC does have a streaming entity with Peacock. CBS has a downstream linear sports channel. Fascinating and there has to be a lot of back-channel 'stuff' going on. But to speculate or ruminate on this without a trusted source is just bad journalism. Shocking, right?

Rob, or Uncle Phil? If an offer comes from the B1G it would be interesting to be a fly on the wall during the discussions of whether to leave or not.

And it is somewhat ironic that the former Oregon president is in the B1G. In today's marketplace, I just do not see ESPN/FOX paying more money for B12 inventory. Who knows what the final number for the Pac-10 teams will be but I do not see Pac-12 schools unless there is no choice based on the new media deal numbers, agreeing to be junior members of the B12. Especially, with BYU, Cincy, UCF, and Houston receiving a full share. SDSU and SMU joining the Pac-10 for a lesser share will still most likely be a big financial step up compared to the Mountain West and the AAC.

So much noise, so little substance. But PR-wise I don't think that GK's sphinx-like silence has helped the cause. How can Oregon tell what might be adequate to join the B1G as a 'junior member' when there is no number to compare with? College football. Once again proving that the off-season is too darn long. Will the conference have a new media deal before the season kicks off?

So, don't dally against Dilly? (Sorry.) Spot on about losing games being a favorite in Tempe. Dilly is competing with Prime Time to see who can have the bigger roster turnover. The conference is so deep this season. Wish we had a 12-team playoff field in 2023.

All of these 5 teams are on the Ducks 2023 schedule. Just spring games but (Gulp!) UW in particular looked darn good. DeBoer appears to have been an excellent hire. Gold: News, views, notes and quotes from 5 Pac-12 spring games Saturday SATURDAYOUTWEST.COM Another half-dozen Pac-12 teams settled in for their spring games on Saturday, while only two more remain. Here are some key takeaways from a busy Saturday. Nothing you can do about it but I wish one of UW and Utah were being played in Autzen. USC gets UW and Utah in LA and had the chutzpah to complain about having to play the Utes the week after Troy plays Notre Dame. I wonder how USC is going to feel come 2024 about no longer sitting at the head of the table?

Ralphie running through the son, Prime in a cowboy hat and his son balling out. What's not to like? And Prime's 1st conference game will be played in Autzen. Gold: If this Shedeur Sanders shows up in September, throw out all notions of what’s possible for Colorado SATURDAYOUTWEST.COM While all of Colorado was on display on Saturday at Folsom Field, new QB Shedeur Sanders made it clear the Buffaloes will look very different on offense. Tough to have to play in Seattle and Salt Lake (something the conference does not have Chip Kelly or Lincoln Riley doing in 2023; SIGH and WHY? Merton Hanks, No Thanks.) but Prime and Troy at home? Gotta love it.

But will (SIGH) draw 100,000 or so fans?