TexasDuck

UGA 38, Ducks 27. We keep it close in the first half, but UGA depth and a mostly home field advantage will be too much to overcome.

For the PAC to survive, it seems that they will have to embrace the Friday night and Saturday night 7:00 pm Pacific game times. The obvious downside is that no one east of Denver be watching. This will provide inventory for the television carriers. I1t will also come at a much reduced price compared to the Big 10 and the SEC. We have all read and commented on the various missteps of the Pac-12 the past few years. Lots of blame to go around. However, the biggest obstacle, and perhaps the ultimate downfall of the conference, is being primarily located in the Pacific Time Zone. Television now drives everything. With all that in mind I still believe the best choice moving forward is a merger with the Big 12. I know many and perhaps most will disagree. Being born and raised in Oregon, and now living in Texas, I have a perspective that may be different from most on this board.

1. AnOhio State University 2. Fuskies 3. Domers

We need to wear uniforms, not costumes. Enough already.

He didn't work out at either SC or Nebraska. Two very different situations. I would be concerned about a player with this resume.

I just don't see UW as any kind of ally. They would leave us behind in a heartbeat if they could. Historically, they've done it before. Never forget the hubris when the purple motor homes filled Franklin Blvd. and the utter condescension of their fans. That's what made Kenny Wheaton's moment so sweet. If we get a better deal and they get left behind, that's a win-win. We have the upper hand right now and we need to keep it. USC tends to get the most animosity in these parts, but in my mind the Fuskies deserve much more.

Strategically that's a good move on Harbaugh's part, whether he fully believes it or not. Players and recruits will eat it up. I've been observing him for years, and he has always thrown out these kinds of comments. He likes to stir it up and if he makes others uncomfortable, more the better. In other words, take it with a grain of salt. As an aside, one of my favorite stories is from when he and his brother John faced each other in the Super Bowl, Ravens vs. 49ers. During Superbowl week, John was expansive, the Harbaugh parents and family were all there, and for John it was all feel-good. Jim wouldn't join in, was grumpy, avoided the family group pictures, etc. At the pre-game handshake, word has it that John (the older brother) looked Jim in the eye and said something along the lines of "You behave yourself today." This reportedly unneverved Jim. And John won the game.

"Must have been something mighty rich to make a fellow like you so gawd-awful sick." Name that Oregon literary reference.

That's what you say when you're still trying to woo Notre Dame.

The USC folks I talk with have the following feelings about the Pac-12, and in no particular order: 1. Scheduling issues. Thursday and Friday night games, when no one east of the Rockies is watching, is a detriment, especially with their desire to be a top-tier program once again. Worse yet when these games are in Corvallis or Pullman. 2. Pac-12 officiating is sub-standard, and not getting any better. 3. The conference did not have their back during the sanctions. The Big 10 did for Ohio St., the ACC did for Miami, and the SEC does for Alabama. The Pac-12 made no such efforts on their behalf. This remains a bitter taste in their mouths. These are their strong feelings. We can do with that what we wish. What I never, ever hear from them is they are trying to get away from playing us. They recognize that we are very strong, and have out-recruited them often in their own back yard. They are looking forward to Lincoln Riley changing that. But they're not afraid of us. I'm going to miss the Oregon-USC games. I grew up with them when John McKay and then John Robinson, both Oregon guys, would return to Eugene every other year. It's a part of our history that will be lost, unless we can somehow get into the Big 10. As for UCLA, I have no idea what the upside is for them, other than the money. I don't have any UCLA buddies to ask, to be honest.

This is what I have believed throughout this discussion. Yes, there are a lot of televisions in the Bay Area - and next to none of them are watching Cal and Stanford. They are all waiting for the 49ers and Raiders to come on the next day. I'd even be willing to say that there are more Duck viewers in the Bay Area than either Cal or Stanford. I lived in the Sacramento region for a lot of years and there were many, many more Duck stickers and plate frames on cars than Cal. The only place you saw a Stanford logo was at the doctors' parking lot at the hospital. The Ducks are a brand that far outdistances the number of TV's in the State of Oregon. As for the Fuskies, I would much prefer that we do not consider them a future league "partner." Let them paddle their own boat.

Actually, my uncle's brother-in-law is a dentist, and one of his patients is a very knowledgeable and well-connected Notre Dame alum. He asked him straight out, "Is Notre Dame going to the Big 10?" The patient said, "tthuuthbettha makethatha zzztheathum." In my mind, that settles it. Where that leaves Ducks, I just can't be certain.

This is about UCLA only. USC is a private institution. This is why I have been saying that if the UC Board of Regents, (the governor is on that board) decides that UCLA is tethered to Cal, then Stanford, private like USC, would likely then be invited to the Big 10. This may ultimately be the question with Oregon/Oregon State, and Washington/Washington State.

It's a fun narrative bu t I honestly don't think that's true. If competition were the primary consideration, I think USC would rather play the Ducks than Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. It's about the dollars and the future of college football.

It's difficult when a coach leaves. It feels like a bad break-up. If MC had gone to Michigan, for instance, it would have felt different to me than his leaving for Miami. Going back home to be the head coach is very understandable. He has always struck me as a man of integrity, and I wish him the best.

Dennis Dodd has always struck me as a hack sports writer. His columns are often nothing more than surface observations. He doesn’t seem to have credible sources, much less keen insight. It’s as if he surfs the sports pages and summarizes/reorganizes/regurgitates that content. Take him with a grain of salt.

The epic game at the horseshoe was one of the most satisfying wins of all time. It is to be savored over and again, and told to our children and grandchildren. USC and UCLA running from the Ducks? Not so much. Moving to a conference that features Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan St., Penn St. just to get away from Oregon? That's a bridge too far, friends. That's pure fandom talking. We need to be a little more grounded than that. Now, if we recognize that the LA schools are happy to damage Oregon's recruiting footprint in Southern California, we are right about that. The LA schools could recruit against Oregon, pointing out that the Ducks are in a "lesser conference." We'll see if this aspect actually plays out.

The problem with Bay Area media market is that they don't really care about college football.

It may be worth considering that USC and UCLA joined the Big 10 with the understanding, perhaps even stipulation, that Oregon would NOT be invited. When all of this shakes out I wouldn't be surprised if we learn that this was the case all along. Too much Oregon success in recruiting big names in SoCal; this cuts the Ducks off at the knees.

Too bad for Cal. Memorial Stadium in Berkeley is one of the best places to watch college football. Get off BART, walk up the hill to Pappy's for a beer, then on to the stadium. I've visited there many times. The problem is that the Bay Area is fixated on the NFL and doesn't support college football in a significant way. It looks as though Cal, OSU and WSU will be relegated to Mountain West status soon. It must be rough to be fans or alums from those schools and watch all this transpire.

I'm not too worried about Oregon landing in a good conference. UW will be okay as well. I'd be sick to my stomach if I were a Beaver or Wazzu fan/alum. They're going to be relegated to a Mountain West or AAC situation. The only thing that will save either school is if the state boards at Oregon and Washington tether their institutions together. If Notre Dame joins the Big 10, they will bring along Stanford. Cal may also find themselves in the same boat as OSU and WSU.

While the SEC and Big 10 built their brand, television deals and their networks, the PAC 12, led by Larry Scott, did next to nothing. Additionally, USC felt betrayed by their own conference when the draconian sanctions were levied. The other conferences would never allow Ohio State, Alabama et. al. to receive similar outcomes (for infractions that were likely much bigger); that resentment has been seething for a number of years. A lot of USC folks I know have wanted them to leave for a long time, although they never saw the Big 10 as a possibility. Interestingly, this keeps USC and UCLA in the Rose Bowl agreement. We are living in fascinating times.

We could go with the old "Hippies vs. Aggies" as a few called it in the 60's-70's.

I will be more intrigued by Phil Steele’s analysis.