Haywarduck

It takes many talents to become an elite head coach. Those talents have been discussed here many times. The talent to become a university president are many too. The one talent they don't have is knowing how to manage an athletic department and their conference affiliation. Sadly the job of managing the athletic department and this whole mess was probably one of their biggest decisions, and they blew it. The whole power structure which made decisions was over matched by the heads of the media companies. These guys negotiate this type of stuff all the time. The presidents seemed to think they knew better, buffoons!

That the Pac-12, Conference of Champions, is for all intents and purposes gone. Much like a historic building no one thought at the time was worth saving, I think in hindsight this is a sad day. When you have something that historic, and worth saving, extraordinary steps should have been taken. I put this on Larry, then the presidents, and then George. I might even put the presidents at number 1. You l always have to watch out for the smartest guys in the room, because they are morons! Sorry, but I have seen this scenario too many times.

Under rated coming into 2023 season Cameron Rising- Utah. If he can come up with a couple big wins early, Florida, Baylor, and then make a run in the Pac-12, he is a legitimate Heisman Candidate few are talking about. Everyone is watching the other big stat guys but this guy just wins, and can lead a team. I wouldn't bet against Cameron in any game if the old coach puts together another scrappy team. I am not surprised the pundits are talking about the above candidates, but a lot of times the winner comes from somewhere off the list.

Sounds like the Pac-12, Pac-10 and now the Pac-4 need someone who can sell a bunch of ignorant presidents on what a decent deal is too. Instead of going with a few deals which were thrown out to the presidents in the past, the presidents have all made poor decisions, and reacted rashly, recently destroying the conference. I doubt another 'consultant' is going to change the one variable which isn't really a variable. The presidents who make the decisions will still make bonehead decisions. They hired the wrong guy, stayed with him for the better part of a decade. They approved a multitude of poor decisions, and didn't listen to the one idea which could have strengthened the conference, adding Texas and Oklahoma. They then hired George and didn't think the ESPN deal was good enough. They then panicked when the saw the apple deal. I doubt these academics are going to do much better with Oliver.

With the addition of usc and ucla to the BIG it was like adding the cute kid with layered blond hair. There was a wow factor, those cali kids are pretty, and cool to look at. With the addition of Oregon to the BIG it is like the kid moving to town who has a skateboard, and can do tricks. You don't just want to look like him, you want to do what he does and be like him. The addition of a husky to the BIG is like we already have a husker, a cat, gopher, badger and a wolverine who can destroy a dawg, oh well. The addition of Oregon to the BIG is going to change the conference, for the better. You can try and regulate against us, like many do with skateboarders, but, in the end, you will just learn to like it, try it, and probably be like it.

I think we have all had kids and know what to do, lets just move on and not pay attention.

The Tulane game, what happens when the turnover luck they had last season ends. This season we will again see their turnover numbers go back to the mean, or below. Some teams rely, and revel in the luck they have, others work hard, and execute.

Love Chip throwing out his ideas. It ain't over, and the future is already here, we just don't recognize it yet.

Not sure you are just talking and writing about these topics before the pundits, or are they copying Fishduck and the Fishduck contributors? There isn't a lot of thinking, or creativity with most pundits. I would guess they are copying ideas from Fishduck! There is the first one, and then........

Another guy on the list of who may step up and make the difference on defense. Popo can also make a difference longterm. The large question is who is going to set the standard at every position on defense going forward. The young guys need to know last year wasn't the Oregon defense we will see under Dan Lanning. It will take Popo and others to man their positions in a way unlike last year. This is something which will impact this years defense and we all want that. The other, maybe more important, item is the older guys showing the young guys how everything is done. From the weight room, to the sideline, to the way a defense works together. Popo needs to be one of those guys who leads on and off the field. If not Popo, who, and probably more importantly who else. It will take a bunch of guys lifting this defense and the defenses for years to come. I look forward to seeing the foundational defensive players on defense this year. These guys have a chance to make the Lanning defense, and a defense we will see for years to come, I hope so!

Expand the stadium, but build for noise. The stadiums acoustics need to add up to the loudest stadium in the nation. We can't be the biggest, but we can be the loudest, if we plan for it. Build it nice, upgrade the food, maybe make more shade, rain cover, but focus on the sound. Autzen where 11 on the noise volume lives. Most blokes go to 10, we go to 11!

Track guy, speed again coming back to the Oregon Football Program! His hometown is next door to sc, that has to hurt. He isn't just a cal kid, socal kid, he could walk to sc, if he wanted to keep putting his life on the line.

I would say they made another bad decision, like sticking with Larry for over 10 years. We are stuck with this decision for only 6 years, so it can't be Larry bad, can it? If history teaches us anything, the presidents didn't make the best choice, but we can live with it, and will thrive either way.

Could be an all out brawl this year. I wonder how many games between the the beavs, cougs, and the teams leaving are going to be a bit chippy? We were all ready to go at it with the spoiled children because of their betrayal. That game was starred on the schedule because they were leaving the conference. Now we just hate them. Some interesting dynamics this season and in the future. As traditions end, even worse blood between programs begins. Do this years games mean more, as the conference of champions ends?

Follow the money, well done once again Mr. Marsh. Greed ran the NCAA, and now capitalism is running college sports. Unfortunately blind greed ran the Pac-12, and then George was given a 'dead man's hand' in the poker game of college football. At least George comes away from the table with plenty of the houses money. I suppose the Pac should have hired Justin Bonomo, the greatest poker player of all-time. Maybe the Pac would have had a chance then, probably not. The best negotiator may have been Bill Walton. TV execs might have given in, if Bill would just shut up.

My take is conferences are uncompetitive way to schedule games. Pretty soon there will be divisions based on where you finish last year, or an average over a set amount of years. Your schedule will be set to create matchups the fans want to see on tv, who cares about tradition. Actually I hope there are some traditional games, fans want to see these games, but at the top it will come down to what will people pay to see. This is why the product, longterm, Oregon puts on the field will be very valuable. Oregon has a wow factor, and Lanning is reviving this. With capitalism ruling, if fans will pay to see Oregon play usc, the dawgs, or some other unique matchup that is what will happen. I could see a couple inter league lollipops thrown in, but the age of tradition is over. The conference of champions is dead. I think we are still looking at college football in an old lens that will soon be gone. The conferences we see now will be just like the Pac-12, a thing of the past. The Pac-12 just led the way.

Anything which would bump dawg fans down from thinking they are an elite academic school in the BIG is good with me. I do wonder if the BIG knows the dawgs have never won a men's NCAA title? The dawgs mens athletics is an illusion! Washington is a decent academic school with women's athletics, and some decent men's club sports. The travel plus would be good too!

While the BIG fans will be like, why are they running so fast, throwing so far, and causing so much havoc on defense....... The recruits will be saying, give me some of that, that looks like fun!

This is just the latest step in tradition being taken over by capitalism. Unfortunately the capitalist don't care about travel and the impact on the 'student' athlete. On the other hand the students wanted money too, so they will have to live with the changes. I don't like it, but Oregon will be fine, and fun to watch play on Saturday, Friday, and whenever, whereever those who control the conference wants them to. I know........ I'm starting to sound like a.......

Thanks, I just hope we negotiated to get the BIG refs. If there was a more impactful weakness in the Pac I don't know what it was, well ok our commissioner and his shadow. The players will do just fine against the BIG opponents.

I am pretty sure Larry's 11 year lease is still active and empty on that SF office space so the Pac could go there! Oh, you mean the rest of the programs, got it. Truly a sad situation, the conference of champions, is now full of pigeons looking for a place to land, something to eat.

Should make the get together an annual thing. It should also make it that much easier for a cal recruit to come to Oregon. You can still play in Compton, you just don't have to live there!

Darn, news the spoiled children will have nightmares about for years! I just wished we could have lost that dawg off our back before we left.

It ain't over and who knows what the next move will be. Maybe what CK says here, or division like soccer leagues in Europe. One thing is for sure capitalism has taken over and traditions are gone! Tired of nonstop realignment? UCLA's Chip Kelly may have the common-sense solution WWW.YAHOO.COM UCLA football coach Chip Kelly suggested completely reorganizing college football into a system that more closely mirrors professional leagues.

And speculation about football. Actually guess, theorize, conjecture, hypothesize, talk, surmise, express opinions, guesstimate, communicate stabs in the dark, reflect, deliberate, and just pontificate about the great game of football. All is good in the world again, bring it!