Jon Joseph

Scoreboard, Chipper, scoreboard. And Charles, great take on that lousy Stem call.

Ducks 41-17, 2, 2, 250. Love these contests.

Great points Charles. With all due respect, we have seen AB make a number of very bad passes this season. Why put him in a position to screw up and keep UCLA in the game? With the score what it was and the time left in the game I don't see the risk of these 2 play calls justifying the potential reward? But that's just me. If the calls had worked, it further cements JM's great play calling in this game. Really looking forward to tomorrow's article. The end game is so critical in this sport and has been critical in seemingly every Ducks game this season.

I'm not sure that the B12 will end up with a TV contract less than that of the Ducks? BYU has a nationwide following. Houston is a huge media market. Cincinnati is a decent sized market as is Orlando and UCF and Cincinnati will be bringing in additional eye balls from the eastern time zone. I agree the Pac-12 will come nowhere close to the B1G and the SEC in the new media deal. But I believe expansion could have closed the gap more than will the Pac-12 negotiating as-is? I also believe that with expansion the Network could have been brought to solvency and made a decent target for a buy out with the conference splitting the proceeds. You are fine with standing pat? I get it. I hope it works out in the long run but I don't see it? Recruiting #s for Oregon are fine. For the rest of the conference? They stink. Mario is the best recruiter in CFB. In the long run, what happens to recruiting once Mario departs? I reiterate, I think the conference made the easy decision to stand pat which looks good in a number of ways today. But IMO this decision will not help the conference and the Ducks in the long run.

PUDDLES - "They call me Mellow Yellow, quite rightly!'

Interesting take. Thank you. I note that 1 of AB's 200 yard passing games came against UCLA's awful pass D. I think this is more the product of what UCLA had on the field vs Joe's play calling. I think JM made two crummy play calls late in the game that led to picks. I don't think we have enough data in 2021 to compare Joe-In-The-Box to Joe-On-The-Field? I am certain that if JM is on the field an assistant is watching from above and communicating with the sideline. Joe was on the field when Penn St played SC in a classic Rose Bowl game; the PSU O put up close to 50 points on the Trojans D. I do not understand why CFB has yet to emulate the NFL and put headsets in the QB's helmet? I guess they like the sideline card shows?

Thanks jrw. Far more guys than there are openings. Today, portal management is not as important as recruiting but it is coming closer all the time. Turn arounds at Michigan State and Baylor have been fueled by savvy portal moves (and Baylor hiring a new OC from BYU.)

Thanks for the heads up.

Only in my dreams but there are some top drawer guys in the portal.

Great take. But 1 of the only certain things in life is change. Going to 8 games but playing 2 P5 teams OOC is playing with Playoff as currently structured, fire.

Lose Divisions? Not just 'yes' but 'heck yes!' I know this to a certainty. And I am neither the Egg Man; nor, The Walrus. But when on Abbey Road in London I do know not to go barefoot.

Thank you Mr. FD. Not to expand 'at this time,' IMO, was tragic mistake for Oregon. When will there be a better time to expand than now? After the SEC did 'the dirty work' for you? Go after B12 teams now and you are a skunk; just like SEC Commissioner Sankey. Strike before Bob Bowlsby strikes and you are a 'hero' for saving a bunch of B12 leftovers. THIS was the logical move if you have any intention of saving and growing the Pac-12 Network. Compare the eyeballs watching TX TECH and OK ST for example, to those watching OR ST and WAZZU? It's not just the media market per se. It is the size of the number of folks watching your product. And the Dallas market and Houston market, if you added Houston and money bags supporter Fertitta, are huge and full of rabid CFB fans.? Lots of TX and AM fans live in Houston. But Houston, not Rice, is the 'it' Houston market team. And Houston is a tier 1 research school with many the graduate including a Heisman Trophy winner, Jim Nance and Freddy Couples. It was a chance to move into the Central time zone, grow the network and get better kick off times. And get directly into the rich Texas recruiting area. The Alliance may be a savior for GK's job but for the Pac-12 conference?

1. CJ Stroud - QB - Ohio State 2. Bijan Robinson - RB - Ohio State 3. TreVeyon Henderson - RB - Ohio State

Steven, great point on the 'outside' income. I believe there is a better association for Oregon and for football 'out west?' A line up that would unfortunately take away many the old rivalry but a line up that could save the 6, Pac-12 'bolters?' The below operation could entice FOX to acquire the functionally insolvent Pac-12 Network and to consequently manage and operate a B18 Network? The B1G Network with FOX in charge is a big time operation. Combine the below 18 team media rights and you have an association that could stay within financial reach of the B1G and the SEC. WEST - ASU, BYU, KS, K ST, OREGON, STANFORD, USC, UTAH and UW. [Stanford and USC do not need CA legislature approval to bolt. If BYU is redundant with Utah, swap the Utes for CU and the Denver market? BYU brings in SLC and has a nationwide following. Same for CU instead of ASU if the Arizona legislature balks.] EAST - BAYLOR, CINCINNATI, HOUSTON, IOWA ST, OKLAHOMA ST, TCU, TEXAS TECH, UCF, WEST VIRGINIA. The Pac-12 powers that be decided not to expand 'at this time,' thus failing to eliminate the B12 as a competitor. Bob Bowlsby, no surprise, acted with alacrity to save the B12 as a P5 conference. The B12 still has its eye on SMU and San Diego State. The suggested conference would bring a strong, collective group of media rights to the table. Standing still after the OK/TX move to the SEC and the B12 expansion is moving backwards. 1 OOC game a year vs a B1G/ACC team is not going to entice folks to subscribe to the Pac-12 network; or, significantly improve the conference's bottom line. You have to look at the long term situation and not reject new candidates because they do not immediately drop $ to the bottom line. IMO, this would bottom line be a better group of partners than Oregon has today.

I like the idea of 16. But you have to lose a regular season game or 2 to manage a 16 team field. Otherwise, you are playing into February. I'd have 16 at 1, etc., in round 1. You have 10 conferences. Are you going to give 6 AL teams that do not qualify for a conference champ a 1st round bye? If the champ game = round 1, #1 in the country could play #2 in a conference champ gam? The possibility of top teams being knocked off in round 1 will not bring in the top media deals.

Great reply Utah and I think you are spot on regarding Utah fans including The MUSS. What I want, short of the Ducks finding better partners to play ball with and against, is an 8 conference game Pac-12 regular season schedule. No divisions. No CA scheduling agreement. Rivalry games protected. Week 9 = Championship Week. Team ranked #2 plays a Champ Game at the home field of #1. 12 plays, at 3, 11 at 4, etc. 8 team PO. 4 highest ranked conference champs and 4 AL. Conference capped at 3 participants. Notre Dame joins the ACC as a full time member or plays a 13 game schedule as an independent.(G5 gets a share of the P5 PO money but holds its own PO.) 1st round game played at teams seeded 1-4. 2nd round in bowls TBD. Champ Game 1/1 in the Rose Bowl. Move the start of the season for all teams to week zero, 1 bye week only and the timing works out. PO media rights put out to bid to all interested media outlets. What you expect could happen? But there is no reason for divisions; especially, once the PO field expands which it will. The 3rd best team in the conference should never play for a title over teams 1 and 2. Allowing for this possibility makes no strategic sense.

Stevan A and jrw, stop it! I'm rolling on the floor in laughter. But the laughter, like the truth, hurts!

I should have noted that in addition to the OH ST game bumping up OR's #s the LSU game did the same for UCLA. Query: You are the managing partner in a 12 person law firm. Should Oregon receive the same piece of the pie as partners who are bringing no where close to what Oregon is bringing to the bottom line? Do partners that budget and spend far less money than Oregon in an attempt to deliver a successful product deserve the same cut as Oregon? If your answer is 'Yes,' to these questions, why would Oregon want to remain in this partnership? Many of Oregon's 'partners' want to be the Ivy league of the West. Somehow, they expect to compete with the B1G and the SEC teams in football with the same budgets as many G5 programs. Or, they simply do not care at all about being competitive? Or they care but they do not, even when receiving the same share as Oregon, have the money necessary to compete. The Alliance will not 'fix this.'

The game in Columbus helped the cause with over 7M viewers. Good luck scoring a huge new media deal with these sorry numbers and deciding not to expand 'at this time.'

I'm shocked! About time these guys started to pay for those ugly blazers. Agree, no byes. I prefer 8 instead of 12.

Better? Not certain. But I posted above a list of guys who I believe could be MC's equal?

At Utah in late November? Weather could be a factor in SLC. UCLA wins in SLC Saturday and the Beavs beat ASU in Resar? Most happy to be playing the Beavers in Autzen. Both OR ST Ls have come on the road. Smith is likeable and at $2.4M a season he is the lowest paid HC in the conference. OR ST best get ready to open the wallet. If the Ducks go 11-1, this year could be a perfect example of why the conference has to drop divisions and make sure teams ranked 1 and 2 play for the championship. A 1L highly ranked Oregon team could be playing a champ game vs a 3 or even a 4L team? Makes zero sense for the good of the conference. BTW, when Oregon plays its 9th conference game and 4th cross over game at Utah, Bama will be playing NM State at home.

My bad in the post but good at the book; I have Ole Miss +3 and not -3. The line has come down to Auburn -2.5.

He has to be high on the WAZZU list? But will he wait for a better offer?

Hope you are spot on? Don't think Ducks will cover -24. Not the nature of this coaching staff.