GeotechDuck

Here is my bold prediction for the year. Nix is going to explode and have a huge senior season, making the amount of "leash" a non-issue. This offense is perfect for him and he is going to have protection to throw the ball. Last year he cleaned up the mistakes, as he only threw 3 picks in 9 games. Just a small note to consider - After Nix went down to injury, Auburn didn't win another game last year.

This could be good or bad depending on how you look at it, but Oregon probably just got one more vote to join the BIG.

Agree. They need to add SDSU and UNLV right now. Both those schools get $4M/year from the MWC. If the Pac-12 offered them $8M/year under this new media rights contract that is open right now and full shares under the next future media rights deal, there is a 99.9% chance they jump and it wouldn't require existing schools to give up money to get them. San Diego TV market is ranked No. 8 and Vegas is ranked No. 26 and Vegas is growing fast. It is more of a long-term play, but a smart one. As long as the Pac-12 has a path to the playoff, I don't care what they say about the conference. That direct path to the playoff for the conference winner is everything going forward.

Sounds like Mookie is going to make a decision on Friday. Fingers crossed.

Wow. CBS paying more for tier 3 BIG rights than ESPN offered for Tier 1 PAC rights? yikes.

Agree. The expectations right now for this team seem to be completely out of touch with reality. Maybe this article will help bring some of those expectations back down to earth a little. I know I have said this before, but Oregon lost their leading passer, leading receiver, and leading rusher on offense. They also lost the leader in sacks and interceptions on defense. Combine that with a completely new coaching staff and this team is probably going to take some lumps this year. Even with the talent we have on the roster right now, that is a HUGE amount of production to replace in a completely new system. Bo may not be "the guy" like this article claims, but where does that leave Ty and Butters after the spring game? IIRC, Lanning's top priority in evaluating QBs is points per possession and Nix was WAY out in front of the other QBs in the spring game.

That would be awesome! Take the 18 best teams and make west, central, and eastern pods. Play the other 5 pod teams in your region every year and 2 each from the other two regions on a rotating schedule.

I would say 9-3, but win the north and the conference. Here is why Completely new coaching staff, with new offensive and defensive schemes. Replacing leading passer, receiver, and rusher on offense. Replacing the leader in sacks and interceptions on defense. Difficult schedule to start the year with Georgia and BYU. There is a tremendous amount of talent on this team, but it just feels like we are going to take a few lumps when you look at the situation objectively. Hopefully I am wrong and talent will bridge those gaps, but that is asking a lot.

Wow...if you watch the video, Dennis Dodd is saying the offer for the 4 schools will be around $250M, so each school would get north of $60M. A reduced share, but almost double where the Pac is right now. It will be interesting to see what happens. It is difficult to tell how much of this is real and how much is just positioning. Either way, I think it helps us. This report is surely making ESPN a little uneasy as they are at risk of losing the west coast market.

Agree. This is just some ridiculous narrative that was started by keyboard warrior on social media. USC is afraid of Oregon and their solution to that problem is to let tOSU, Michigan, and Penn State into their backyard? They left a conference with one team (Oregon) that had a better blue chip ratio to join a conference with 4 teams that have better blue chip ratios. And they just gave those teams direct access to their recruiting grounds. That just screams "I'm scared". I hate this move by USC, but understand why they did it. It is not because they are scared of anything, except maybe getting ripped off by a conference that is not up with the times.

Is Oregon an outlier of conventional wisdom? I think we are about to find out. I am of the opinion that Oregon will continue to be competitive no matter where they land. They are a national brand, a Top-15 football program, with huge alumni support, and are one of the few athletic programs in the country that actually turns a decent profit. In other words, I think Oregon is closer to Notre Dame than UCF.

50% of a Pac-12 share (roughly $15M) is a lot more money than a full MWC share ($4M), so I am guessing that any school in the MWC would jump on that immediately, especially considering the increased exposure and promise of full shares when the next contract rolls around.

The Mountain West TV revenue payout is $4M a school. You just tell SDSU, UNLV, and anyone else you want that they have 50% (or whatever makes the numbers work) shares for the first contract, then they are full share members for the second contract. They would jump on that deal in a second and be competitive by the time the next agreement rolls around.

Why not UNLV with SDSU instead of Fresno? The Vegas media market is better (No. 40 vs. 54). They are an R1 research school with a medical school. Plus, Vegas has some decent HS football talent. And it is VEGAS, right? A little extra bang for your buck. Side note....the distance between SDSU and Frenso / UNLV is almost identical (roughly 350 miles). That being said, whatever it takes to save the PAC I am good with.

I understand that Oregon has to join the BIG if the opportunity comes, but I have no desire for Oregon to be in that conference. It is a terrible match. I hope we find a way to keep the PAC together.

I feel like 1 of 2 things will happen: 1) UO and UW will negotiate a reduced market share to join the BIG. 2) UO and UW sign a GOR and keep the PAC conference together. This flips the power from the BIG-12 back to the PAC, as UO and UW are the two most valuable remaining brands on the table. I don’t see how it makes any sense for UO or UW to join the Big-12.

If I remember correctly, ESPN has the media rights currently for the PAC and ACC. Fox has the Big-12, so I think people are just assuming the ACC/PAC partnership would be easier / more likely.

Thoughts? Is this kid a Duck? Seeing some things that say he is the real deal.

This move could absolutely blow up in the LA school’s faces (and I hope it does). USC is worried about keeping Oregon out, but they okay to let in Michigan, tOSU, Iowa, Penn State, and Wisconsin? Make no mistake, the other BIG members are going to have better access to the LA recruiting bed and are licking their chops. We are not the only ones that are going to suffer a little. UCLA is going to end up in the basement of that league. I guarantee it. However, their main goal was just to keep sports I guess. USC may be okay, if they finally decide to recruit some linemen. Even so, conference championships will be hard to come by with increased travel, weather, early games, increased competition, etc. We have a young and aggressive coaching staff. Keeping that in place is the most important thing we can do right now. If we can keep pulling Top-25 classes, we will be just fine no matter which conference we land in.

Not me. I would rather be in the Big-12 than stay in the PAC now. That being said, I am a basketball first guy and the hoops in that league would be insane…Arizona, Oregon, Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech, OSU, Houston, etc….

Wow....that is crazy. Washington is No.1 and Oregon is No.2 and both are ahead of USC and UCLA?

Since ESPN is the network for both conferences (ACC and PAC), is there an option to merge the conferences without the buyout? As part of that, you would need a unanimous vote from the existing ACC schools to dissolve the GOR, which is probably a long shot. Then ESPN, who needs to counter the BIG right now and desperately needs the content, may be forced to come to the table with a better media deal for what would be a the third power conference. Especially if the ACC and PAC were committed to that plan. For the record, I think I have a better chance of winning the lotto, but it is one possibility.

I would be bummed if Oregon was not in that same conference as UW. I love watching us whip those guys every year.

Happy Birthday!!

I am going to think positive today and believe that Oregon is getting into one of the super conferences or find a creating way to keep pace. I have a hard time believing that PK would invest $1B in the University of Oregon, then say “oh well, I guess it didn’t work out”. Common sense says otherwise. We will find a way to stay with the top teams.