I guess the rest of the Pac-12 shouldn’t even bother to dress out against the Trojans this Fall. Even if they do win the conference and go to the playoff, their first round opponent will be licking their chops.
 

Hayes: While you weren’t looking, USC became a power again

WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM

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In barely half a year since hiring Lincoln Riley, the Trojans have gone from a virtual nonentity to a favorite to reach the CFP. Here's how.

 

They’re heading off the poachers. Good move by UGA. He’s earned it.

They were $300/ticket for upper level a few months ago on Stub Hub, Vivid, etc. That’s over $1K before hotel, food and gas. I’m 5 hours from ATL, but that’s a little rich for an away game.

On 7/12/2022 at 9:59 PM, Desert Duck said:

I assume beet farming is in there somewhere

 

"Bears eat beets. Bears beat Battlestar Galactica."

 

I'm just sayin'.

Dwight? Is that you?

I went to a game in Chapel Hill the year before Mack took over. They were playing Louisville with the Heisman winning QB (Lamar Jackson) and the MBB team was getting their rings at halftime. Hardly anybody showed up and you could clearly hear Jackson’s audibles. Now, the Dean Dome? That’s a whole different ballgame.

On 7/12/2022 at 2:16 PM, Pac10again said:

The Pac was already becoming irrelevant in football.   USC and UCLA going to the BIG is a dagger.  Utah will always win the South.  Oregon will always win the North.  Due to superior coaching in Utah and superior athletes in Oregon. I do not see any way that the new Pac 10 without USC is better off.     I'm wondering if the new ceiling for us Duck fans is winning a pac-10 title now?

Oregon went to the playoff in 2014 without ever having played USC. The only good teams they played that season were Michigan State and Arizona (twice) and they had a loss to Arizona. Everything will depend on preseason rankings, talent acquisition, and non-conference performance. That’s how Clemson made the playoff so many times in a weak ACC.

Corvallis made the Top 25 Best College Towns. I don’t know what criteria was used, but I assume beet farming is in there somewhere. 
 

 

Personally, I think he’s ranked too high. He’s the only unproven HC of the group. As we all know, great recruiting doesn’t always translate to great coaching.

 

Oregon Football: Where Dan Lanning ranks among Pac-12 head coaches

DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM

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Dan Lanning is yet to get a game under his belt as a head coach. That’s reflective in his ranking...

 

USC is the Paris Hilton of college football. They’re just famous for being famous and haven’t really accomplished anything since 2004.

On 7/11/2022 at 6:41 PM, CalBear95 said:

The problem with the lens of looking at the problem being one of revenue maximization is that outside of perhaps ND, adding anything other team will be dilutive.  
 

Therefore, if you take Sankey at his word that 16 is probably the right number going forward (and either it or 18 probably is given the principle of revenue maximization), the only path forward is a combination of culling and substituting bigger markets and/or brands). 
 

IOW, these leagues are somewhat forced to focus on the short term

 

For example, the SEC has the USC Gamecocks.  Adding Clemson is geographically dilutive.  If geographic market is the only measure, adding Clemson makes no sense.  
 

If you do you would need to drop USC (obvs the SEC would perhaps take a longer view here but that would mean dilution in the short run). 
 

Part of the problem these networks have is truly valuing markets.  They don’t have the instrumentation technology to really value brand vs geographic footprint 

 

Oregon and UW are tweeners because of their geographic markets.  That is effectively saying ‘all else failing in terms of quality, we can rely on these teams drawing eyeballs from their local market.’

 

But they don’t really know how to truly attribute value for brand.  This is why Oregon was tied to a potential bonus for certain crossover games in a hypothetical alliance with the ACC. It is an imperfect nod to the fact Oregon is a valuable brand.  

 

As streaming becomes more prevalent, look for this to change.  Streaming services know who exactly is watching whom, from where, how long, etc.  They can truly measure brand value.  
 

This is effectively what happened to the online advertising space.  It started as the traditional CPM model or promotional/sponsorship fee model.  That changed to CPC and CPP/A because the technology allows advertisers to really target users and tie payments to desired outcomes.  That in turn made the advertising market explode in value.  
 

Essentially, at least as it relates to CFB, any non regional league (e.g., ACC + PAC combination of some type) should focus on top brands and markets (which will still matter a lot but won’t be the single coin of the realm)

 

All non-FB sports should stay in a regional format for both logistical and rivalry reasons (think UW and Cal for rowing).  
 

This is a very long way of saying Oregon is undervalued in the current model.  Everyone knows this but because the goal of realignment is short term revenue maximization and the current tools for determining value are somewhat rudimentary, any additions to a league like the SEC or B1G will be dilutive absent chucking some current members overboard.  

That’s what I took from the article. Unless you can bring a substantial amount of revenue with you to the SEC, you are just making everybody’s piece of the pie smaller. Texas and OU made sense because the SEC now has the lion’s share of the Texas CFB TV market. They also get OKC but OU has more of a fan base in DFW than they do in their own state.

What does this mean for the the other conferences? I think everything stays stable for now or at least until Notre Dame decides.

 

SDS sources: SEC wants to end expansion race, stay at 16 teams

WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM

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On 7/9/2022 at 3:22 PM, Charles Fischer said:

OK...I am not wild about the eggshell uniform, but the players like it.  Then I noticed this Instagram of Richard Young....and I have to admit that the Gold in the shoulders and numbers is kinda cool.

 

That uniform is blue and black just like this dress.

On 7/9/2022 at 6:17 PM, David Marsh said:

We did bees! 

 

Well we did what I call the bumblebee look in 2014... I personally like these uniforms as far as black uniforms go for Oregon.

 

I was at this game in Pullman. Probably the worst game of Ifo’s career. He got worked all game.

I’ve been to Lubbock several times. I was even at the Texas game in 2000. They had a nice little indoor tailgate building. In fact, the Raider Wrap (bratwurst wrapped in a tortilla w/cheese) has been a camping staple for me since that day. Lubbock a fun place if you’re young, but it smells when the wind blows in a certain direction. I have the Red Raiders in an upset if the smell is too pungent. Unless, of course, if Shough is still their QB

On 7/8/2022 at 12:04 PM, Tandaian said:

 They have played in the Fiesta bowl 2000, crushed by the Beavers

 

This should render all tradition null and void.

It would be a stretch. Eugene isn’t even anywhere near SE Oregon.

Cota had a good Spring game, but it was against a bunch of guys in a new defense who were 2nd and 3rd string last season. He still ran good routes and caught the ball well. Let’s see if it translates to the regular season. The jury is still out.
 

As far as Winston goes, I’ll say the same thing I said about Cota when he hit the portal. He should be offered the opportunity to walk on. He hasn’t done anything at his past school to deserve a scholarship at Oregon.

Maybe. But, it will always end like this.

On 7/1/2022 at 5:44 PM, DUCati855 said:

USC has only made the Pac12 championship game thrice. Not sure I would assume they will be playing for the B1G championship anytime soon.

That’s because they had Helton and he couldn’t recruit. Riley will have them in a much better position. 

On 7/1/2022 at 5:11 PM, fred flintstone said:

Sorry......but if ND agrees it will probably not be Oregon. 

 

Cal, Stanford or Washington all fit better if my guess is correct. 

 

They all have more powerful academics. larger schools, very large markets and don't present a situation in the NIL era in which a rich person who is extremely supportive can outbid the rest of the league for talent. 

 

Even USC or UCLA, now members of the Big 10 might veto Oregon membership. They want the southern Cal recruiting for themselves. Weakening Oregon only helps them. Having Oregon in an expanded Big 12 does that. Playing Stanford and Cal is an easier and closer road game for the LA teams. Neither recruits well in CA. 

 

As a USC fan I don't see what USC did positively in the long term. The travel is going to kill them.......but.........they sure screwed the rest of the conference......particularly, Washington, Oregon, Cal and Stanford. The other pac 12 members really never belonged in a power 5 or can make a good fit with the Big 12 easily. 

 

IMO Oregon is going to have to make lemonade out of lemons and join the Big 12......if they can......and since most of the markets in an expanded BIG 12 are growing much faster than the midwest.....might end up just fine.  

 

 

 

I will say this. As a football fan I look forward to the USC/Ohio State conference championship games. I have bothered to watch a Ohio St/Sacrificial Lamb Big 10 championship game in years.

By staying in the Pac 12 (if there is anything left of it) Oregon can be the Oklahoma of the past 5-7 years. Win an easy conference and slide into the playoff. The only problem is Oklahoma got beat down every time because they weren’t battle tested. But, at least they had a chance. It would depend on how they’re ranked in the pre-season.
 

I know I stated earlier that Norte Dame needs to join the ACC to survive, but after looking at their situation critically, they’re the only team that has made the playoff without the burden of playing a conference championship game. If they join the Big 10 they’re likely to have long waits between playoff appearances. 

At the end of the day, the college football Gods/Goddesses will final a way to get the “big money” teams pooled to maximize TV revenue. Just like the NFL. Where does Oregon football fall in this scenario? Probably somewhere North of the Cleveland Browns.

On 6/30/2022 at 9:46 PM, CalBear95 said:

Seattle is a top 15 market and Oregon has a bigger fan base than SC.  IOW, UO and UW have real media value and probably travel as a pair.  By kicking the stool out from under the conference they leave no choice for those schools to leave

 

If you are the B1G are you really only having two west coast teams?  

As I have state before. Why not take the whole West Coast TV market? It’s not about records or skill. Rutgers and Maryland proved that. 

Hopefully a Duck alum lands him.

On 6/30/2022 at 9:19 PM, CalBear95 said:

Das is das end

Riley and Wilcox are probably like this dude.