Goutes18

I agree that tv market size is one important factor in negotiating a better contract, but geography is still the big obstacle. Arguably Oregon and the Ducks brand bring more to the table in negotiating than a team like Utah or Arizona which both have larger media markets. People east of the Rockies know Oregon and usc and they need to be good. No one outside of Utah cares one bit about watching them - unless it is against a name team like the osu. Having really good teams (and top heavy as Charles stated) makes a huge difference. I think SDSU or UNLV could add some things to the conference, but not enough geographically. I think we missed the boat when the big-12 was desperate and there was a chance to pick up a couple of Texas teams like Baylor or TCU that would have stretched the footprint farther east. In the near term pac-12 teams need to win or be competitive in the big non-conference games where east coasters watch.

Axel is THE funniest! Yes, Utah fans know MC and would be practically suicidal to see him on our sidelines - even scarier than Carnival of Souls. It took Whit 15 years to actually believe you can throw the ball on first down - going back to the 2 yds and a cloud of frustration with MC would make us all give up!

Interesting to look at it that way. I agree that usc looks to have a scary good group at WR and the Ducks have a lot of talent and are right up there - even though they don’t have as much experience. If the o-line holds up they will be as good as any group. Utah has had a weak group at WR and it seems fair that they are near the bottom with Covey gone. It is all about the TE’s for them, but at some point better defenses will be able to adjust to that if the receivers don’t get better.

I think Stormrider has an interesting perspective. When Urban Meyer left Utah there were some fans that were bitter, but a lot that were thankful for how he had lifted the program and continued to follow him and wished him well. Totally understood taking a better opportunity and that he was not going to stay in Utah long term. Looking from the outside it seems like the difference with MC is based on the belief that he did not do what those Miami coaches did - deliver at the highest level. It feels like Duck fans were frustrated by him not delivering to the level of talent he had and not being willing to adjust when things weren’t working. Not fun to watch and dropping games they should win gnawed at fans. I was pretty neutral on MC until the pac-12 championship. Thought he barely even mailed it in and had a terrible game plan against a team he just faced a few weeks earlier that had flaws that could be exploited. If I were a Duck fan, I would never forgive him for that

This is spot on. The crazy thing was that Oregon (MC) didn’t make any meaningful adjustments in the 2nd game. AB was a total liability in both games and Utah exploited it. Not going to happen with Bo. Also the emotion flips to the Ducks in the revenge game. No way Oregon goes 9-3, especially if they beat Utah - which I think is probable playing in Eugene. Loss to Georgia, and one stumble - maybe.

Not surprising that Oregon and Utah have highly rated o-lines and are predicted to compete for the title. I still believe that it will come down to who wins in the trenches when they play each other this year - assuming turnovers are similar.. Oregon has upgraded significantly at QB IMHO and if you look back at the games in 2021 and 2019, the teams that won in the trenches, won convincingly. I think it will be a dogfight in Autzen this year.

I think Lanning looks like he can do both - has proven he could get some quality kids in a short time, and seemed to do a good job in development at GA. Oregon is in an enviable position with the facilities and reputation and now coaches that should match that level. I will be honest - I wouldn’t come to Utah if I didn’t live here. Counting the days to getting out for at least part of the time each year!

I think Utah has been strong at development for years under Whit. I give him and his coaches a lot of credit for getting the most out of the kids he recruits. They may be in the top spot if you took a different/longer timeframe. It is a nice compliment (sort of) that others see that as a strength. That being said, it would be nice if they recruited more 4 and 5 star kids! How about doing more with more. I know Utah is not a destination kids (or adults) dream about, but I have been to a lot of worse places to live and you would think we could steal at least a few more 4 stars from some of those places - although we were only 50/50 with our kids! Development only gets you so far and Utah will not be able to keep pace with a well coached Oregon or usc over time without better recruiting.

Axel is one of the funniest posters anywhere! Carnival of Souls is such a classic - made my day!

Stupid article - did it say anything? Definitely not from a Utes perspective. The Deseret News isn’t considered a real paper by many Ute fans since their owner also happens to own byu - the Mormon church - and they think it has an overly strong bias towards byu and the church. Just as many byu fans dislike the SL Tribune because it is the “liberal Utes paper” and often takes shots at the church. Neither have very good sports analysis most of the time IMHO and have slanted perspectives.. I would much rather read pac-12 sports on Mercury News - or here!

I actually think Utah’s defense can be better - not saying they will, but not my main worry next year. The secondary was crippled with injuries at the end of the year - started a backup running back at corner in the rose bowl because he was the best option available - and they left him on an island to get shredded. The d-line should be solid and can be better. Secondary will be better if healthy and linebackers will be a drop from Lloyd but shouldn’t be a glaring hole if the d-line can do their job. Keep your eyes on a freshman LB named Lander Barton. Third brother to play at Utah - other two are in the NFL. Reminds me of the Sewell brothers, only we didn’t lose the best ones to Oregon. IMHO the key for Utah to not be 7-5 or 8-4 is can the O-line perform at a high level on both run and pass blocking. Utah will need to score a lot of points to beat the better teams - Oregon, usc, UCLA. If the line performs and the run gets going and he doesn’t get killed, Rising is capable of getting the team in the end zone.

I don’t have green and gold tinted glasses - Not even close - and Oregon easily has the best helmets and uniforms. I get “tradition” when it comes to sports, but a bunch of the helmets ranked high are just boring and ugly (Alabama, Penn St.). They get put high on the list because the programs have winning traditions, but the helmets and uniforms are just old, stodgy and boring.

I would love to hear what the coolest/most unique Oregon thing people have. All the games since 2010 is certainly one that would be enjoyed a lot.

Still finding a way to break the rules. Once a cheater…..

As a Utah fan I have grown accustomed to looking for all the bad things that can happen to us - and often do. As I was mulling over some worst case scenarios with the new format, I did come up with a worst case for the Ducks - other than just losing a bunch of winnable games!. It is possible for Oregon to beat GA, go 11-1, finish with the best overall record in the conf, be ranked in the top 4 prior to playing Utah and then miss the PAC-12 Championship game and end up in the Holiday bowl. Here is how that would work. Oregon only loses to Utah - finishes 11-1 and 8-1 in conf USC loses to ND but runs the table in conf - finishes 11-1 and 9-0 in conf - goes to Vegas Utah loses to FL and USC - finishes 10-2 and 8-1 in conf, but owns the head to head tie breaker with the Ducks and goes to Vegas Utah wins the championship giving USC a 2nd loss, and Oregon is the only one loss team. A one loss pac-12 champ MIGHT get into the playoff, but a one loss non-champion is an easy out to leave the pac-12 out again. Even worse for me would be USC wins in Vegas and makes the playoffs - I would rather go 8-4 and have Oregon get there than lose to the trojans and have to watch them in the playoffs.

I agree that you are going to have an issue based on strength of schedule at some point - maybe this year. In another topic a while back there was an article about back the strength of schedule for each team and it broke out conf and non-conf. There is quite a difference based on the crossover games. For example the fuskies miss Utah and USC and have the easiest conf schedule. I think it is fine to go with the two “best” teams, but you really need to look at how you do the conf schedule. It doesn’t really matter for teams that have playoff aspirations since you do have to run the table anyway.

Interesting that he talks about the first Oregon game as a bit of a payback game (for the seniors) after the Ducks humiliated the higher ranked - over rated - Utes in the 2019 PAC-12 championship game. Shows how Whit loves to leverage emotion even two years removed. I imagine it will be a similar payback scenario for the Ducks on Nov 19th in front of a wild home crowd at Autzen. Not ideal for Utah - staying home for that one!

In Utah it was always the Broncos and 49ers on tv so lots of fans of those teams here - especially when Steve Young was in SF. I grew up a Cowboys fan (so painful now - I am trying to quit) Loved Roger Staubach and those cheerleaders! Also Ravens fans - somehow that became my son’s team and honestly a lot more interesting to follow than the Jerry Jones underachievers. Still more passionate about CFB and the Utes.

Well said Charles. Whittingham has been a master of rallying the Utes around the underdog role. Us against the world, no one respects us, the trojans didn’t even recruit you - all year every year. This will be a big test being the favorite and getting everyone’s A game. Not sure how the team will respond. I think the talent is there, but it is tough to repeat. Perfect position for Lanning in his first year - especially with Riley and the trojans getting all the love. This is going to be an exciting fall.

Shows just how bad of coaches Helton and Lake were. All that talent to get 8 wins between them. How was Stanford so bad? Hats off to WSU for winning some games with basically no talent compared to the rest of the conference.

Too many to list. Have checked off some and the best have been enjoying the event with one or both of my kids and building those memories. My son still talks about beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Rose Bowl with Utah playing was a big one and worth it even though the end sucked. See a game in Eugene is right up there - can’t make it this year but soon. See Utah in a playoff game. Really want to see games in certain stadiums - SoFi, Death Valley (both), AT&T and Bryant-Denny. Would love to experience one of the big college football rivalries like the Iron Bowl, MI/tOSU, FL/GA. US woman’s soccer team in the World Cup final, NBA finals game with the Jazz (right after I get a unicorn). Super Bowl with one of our teams playing. Would love to play St. Andrews with my son - and a few other courses that are on his bucket list.

My top 4 Riley (that really hurts) Whit Kelly Shaw Riley was a winner at Oklahoma. If he doesn’t win the conf this year, then he drops on my list, but give him credit for his last job! Appreciate the respect Whittingham gets here. I do think he gets the most out of his players and is great at development, but you also have to be a great recruiter - which he is except for QB and WR historically and those seem to be important. Easy to forget that Utah had the MC offense for many years and he churned through OC’s like Charles Barkley goes through golf balls.

Love some of the classics but most important now is getting Red and White!

The top uniform, top helmet lists are so stupid. The list should just be one team and it is Oregon. Very jealous of many of the combinations - and I don’t like green. Don’t know how you can argue with the Ducks at the top. The rest is just based on who you like and how old you are (old school tradition vs. new and flashy). Great lists to put out if you want to get people to look and react. Everyone has an opinion. And yes I am pouting because Utah isn’t high on the list ant the ugly ucla uni is 3rd.

Sewell is a beast and I think the favorite for PAC-12 DPOY. Still bitter that Utah only got one of the brothers - I love the way they all play! If the d-line can hold their own, the LB’s should be really impactful on an improved defense.