noDucknewby

Cal really has no options, their ceiling is probably $10 million. A B1G invite at a drastically reduced rate may allow them to survive until the next round, but aside from that what are their options? No chance as an independent and maybe $10 million in the MWC/AAC/Pac. I hope this doesn't happen, but if they can't figure out how to survive on that amount then they probably won't.

OK something tells me the B1G is just not going to let Furd go to the ACC (which could potentially seal ND's eventual football conference should they forego being independent) at a bargain basement price. I'm with you on this one FD, just offer Furd/Cal $10 million or quarter share or eighth share for that matter it's still better than what they would get in the MWC. Then let the rodents and wazoo own the name and merge/expand with the MWC/AAC.

In a sense it's better for Pac survival if Furd/Cal leave IMHO. Stanford as of now is calling the shots and they're still adamant about only expanding with AAU members. It's that kind of elitism that caused the implosion of the Pac-12 in the first place. At that point the rodents and wazoo inherit the Pac-12 name and whatever assets are left. They are then free to either merge or cherry-pick with the MWC/AAC under the Pac-12 name without regard to the now irrelevant AAU standard. Sure it's kind of like a drummer with a famous rock band winding up with the legal rights to the name, but nonetheless it still has some value and marketability. Probably not likely, but the new conference could possibly even retain Power 5 status.

If ain't down in writing, it ain't down. Nobody really thought the Alliance had much validity other than a rallying cry against the SEC. As for Oregon in the B1G, I agree with Log Haulin this just seemed inevitable. Lament all you want for the good old days of the Pac-12 (and beleive me I do), but college football is going through a paradigm shift and I'm just glad we're seated at the big table going forward.

I pretty much agree with everyone you say, but I still feel the academics hold some sway. Fox could possibly be persuaded as an enticement to ND whom they would love to poach from NBC. Not saying any of this makes much sense, but what in the last week has?

Just speculating here, but at some point I can't help but think the B1G academics are going to throw Furd/Cal a lifeline (at a bargain basement price of course). Stanford doesn't need the money so they would be fine, but I guess Cal would just have to figure it out somehow (what real choice do they have?). I just don't think the ACC bid will pan out regardless of ND's advocacy.

I would love for this to happen, but something tells me the B1G is going to want the Oregon/Washington game to take precedent. That said a mid-season game ala the Red River Rivalry would preserve most of the tradition of the CW, although as a non-conference it just won't be the same. I'm reminiscing now, but my favorite CW of all time was the year it was all on the line, winner take all for the Rose Bowl. Watching Masoli truck the rodent safety for a fourth down conversion to allow us to run out the clock is probably my best Autzen memory.

I'm no lawyer so I don't know how (if at all) changing conferences affects our non-conference agreements. What I do know is that these games get rescheduled all the time. If I'm in charge of scheduling, the first thing I do is get rid of that 2-1 series with BSU and pencil in the rodents. If that requires a buyout, then so be it. That gives until 2027 to figure out a more permanent solution.

Nothing but cupcakes if the B1G goes to 10 conference games.

The engineering of the previous expansion was specifically designed to accomodate a second phase. They most likely already have those plans. Not saying the other logistical hurdles aren't significant, but in the past those have all been overcome and I suspect that would be the case here.

Yes that would certainly change the equation, but it seems to me that divisions are gone for good regardless of how the geography works.

Fuskies will almost certainly be our protected game in this format. I agree it's unlikely that we play USC/UCLA every year, I'm guessing every other year. So basically we have two west coast conference games, probably split home/away. That leaves seven conference games so we'll travel for 3-4 of those. Good background from the Rutgers poster about the B1G protecting UM/tOSU, we may have to wait a while before the big dogs come to Autzen. I'm hoping we get that make-up game against tOSU, but most likely we're going to see the likes of Purdue/Indiana/Illinois/Northwestern for a while. I'm betting that we have mostly one-offs from the top-tier of the B1G in their house. Ok none of this should be a big surprise (this is what we signed up for), but IMHO it's imperative that we play our non-conference games (other than every other year with the Beavs) at home. Screw playing Georgia in Atlanta or LSU in Jerry World, we no longer need that signature non-conference win.

Yes absolutely. For that matter I would be fine with the rodents and wazoo, as unlikely as that may be. UCLA would probably support Cal so they don't have to give them part of their TV payout, but I just don't see the Spoiled Children agreeing to any further B1G expansion because it might cut into their payout and their precious exclusivity. The odds of any of this happening go way down once USC gets a vote. Cal is in a really tough spot, Furd could possibly be used to entice ND and that would give the B1G the Bay Area.

From a northsider I'm all in, our half of the stadium is stuck in the 70s.

Strike while the iron is hot! Let's expand it and have 70,000 there when the first B1G power shows up. Disclaimer though my tickets are on the north side and it sure seems like we're in poor part of town.

In a sense he's right. If Oregon states outright that they're with Pac as long as there is a Pac AND they're willing to accept a paltry TV deal that puts them in dead last of the Power 5 AND they're willing to risk fading into obscurity in a dying conference, then the Pac would probably have survived in some (albeit barely recognizable) form. That or take the $ and stability of the B1G in a sport destined for a Power Two format. Come on, Oram what you have done?

Metaphor dude.

This is a bittersweet day for sure. The death of the Pac-12 brings me no joy, but knowing that Oregon will have a seat at the big table going forward makes me really optimistic about the future. Once the new CFP format is announced I'm guessing 8-9 teams from the B1G/SEC to be in it every year. Throw in ND whenever they have a 10-win season and that doesn't leave much room for the rest. The Pac-12 and college football as we once knew it is gone. Adapt or die is the law of the jungle.

Of course, but this is certainly not a given at this point.

Well little brother, in case you haven't figured this out it's now every man for himself. We didn't start this mess, we're just trying to make lemonade here. That said I would be really bummed if when the dust settles the Civil War goes the way of the Pac-12.

Spot on Jon, although IMHO if we could get B1G $ (with escalation to full share) comparable to B12 $ then that's still a huge win for us.

Just do it.

Spot on, Fox absolutely benefits from P12 dissolution. They have no interest in paying fair market value. ESPN to me is still a bit of head-scratcher though unless they're willing to completely abandon the west coast and go all-in with the SEC.

You may be right, but do we really want to wait 4-5 years for that to happen and risk irrelevancy in the meantime? The power brokers for the CFP are ESPN/Fox and the B1G/SEC. How is Apple going to help us there? Are we going to see Duck highlights from Apple TV on Sports Center?

One thing life has taught me (yeah I'm old) is that wanting something in itself, no matter badly, just doesn't make it so. I want the Pac? to survive, but even if it does it won't ever be the same again. This year will be the conference's swan song and ironically this is the best the conference has looked in a decade. I'll just enjoy it one last time and hope USC and Colorado get the send-off they deserve in Autzen. Granted we don't know the final details of what the new media offer will be, but all indications are that our ceiling (not floor!) is what the B12 already has. Polish this turd all you want, it appears that we will finish this round of media deals in solid last place. Can GK pull a rabbit out of the hat? Will a last-minute savior swoop in with a new offer? We can wish all we want, but at some point reality has to set in. Arizona/ASU/Utah would be fools not to bail to the B12. Geography and culture works better for them and from a B12 perspective they'd be at 16 teams approaching super conference status. This is a win/win for all parties involved and seems inevitable to me. So where does that leave OBD? We could probably limp through until the next media round with a Pac/MWC hybrid conference but we'd no longer be in a power conference, not even second-tier like the B12 or ACC. Our brand is strong, the conference not-so-much and really we need both to compete for playoff spots. Beg, borrow, steal, do whatever it takes to get into the B1G or risk dwindling into irrelevance. I don't like it but I just don't see how we get what we've been striving for all these years by staying in the Pac.