Nevada Dawg

I'd say the B1G provides more a lifetime of losing playoff football and mediocre basketball, the latter of which may seem attractive to an historically good program like the Bruins.

I thought it really interesting that three of the final four entrants, FAU, SDSU, and Miami, are newbies having never been there before. In my humble opinion, this is great for college BB. I knew Texas had been once and then learned that this was in the inaugural 1939 tournament which consisted of only 8 teams, Oregon being the winner over Texas I believe. At any rate, a lot of new tams were making noise this year. Great! I don't honestly remember but has Oregon won other Nattys in MBB other that the first one in 39?

Well for some reason, my drag function is not allowing me to select quotes. I have I point of agreement and one informational agreement with Jon Joseph. Point of agreement: I do think Texas could well win this sucker and will be rooting for them today to support a good Longhorn friend. However if I had to bet $1000 on this game, my money would be on UConn. Point of information: Gonzaga is a private university and, as such, privates are usually not compared academically to public universities. But I will say that Georgia is a "Public Ivy," and has been since the late 80s. This is a loose designation for the top 20 public institutions in the country. In the SEC, Florida is also a member of that club, and the league picks up another with the admission of University of Texas.. Vanderbilt would also be in the club were it a public institution.

I have to concur about the SEC and B1G being badly overrated in terms in terms of number of entrants in the Dance this year. I will say that since 2001, the SEC has produced three national champs as compared to 0 for the B1G and Pac-12. And by far, using championships as a measuring stick, the ACC and Big-12 have it all over the other three Power-5 Conferences. Calipari at Kentucky has probably done less with more than any coach of the modern era. I actually think that he is not a bad floor coach. His over entitled 5-stars need to recognize that they are not yet ready for prime time and need to develop beyond their freshman year before jumping to the NBA, where many of them do not stick. I often wonder what Mark Few of Gonzaga could do with these Kentucky classes if he could get a few of them to stick around for three years. Yet I suspect that the delights of Spokane, WA would not be much of an enticement.

Now add the SEC to the major conferences (e.g., B1G, Pac-12) with no teams in a regional final. I also experienced a first over the past 50 years as not one of my bracket's Final Four teams is left standing. My guess now is that the winner of the UConn-Gonzaga game or the Texas Longhorns will be the one's cutting down the nets at the end. I'd like to pick SDSU and I think they are a solid basketball team, particularly after watching them dismantle the Bama express this afternoon. I actually think the Aztecs would have been a real threat to win the Pac-12 this year were they in it. But I don't think that they would match up well against either the Horns or UConn.

I used to be a big UCLA BB fan in the Wooden glory days and even went to LA to see them play several times at the invite of my parents' next door neighbor. My fandom for the BB Bruins has faded. I am actually a bit of a Gonzaga fan and probably will be until the Zags break through and win a Natty. I have been very impressed with Mark Few as a coach and am amazed with what the man has accomplished with the recruits he has been able to attract to Spokane WA. Their comeback rally and win in tonight's game was quite exciting in my opinion.

Well I am a scientist and certainly believe in data, so who am I to quarrel with you? So I won't and project my ignorance on a topic I am not up on. I will still stand on my statement, however, about the relevance of football in the South. Heck, my dearly departed wife, a Texan, argued vehemently with me and was stunned when I pointed out to her that baseball was considered the national pass time among sports. Down South games in which the ball doesn't bounce funny are sports that athletes pursue off-season to stay in shape for football season.

I used the B1g's last title in 2000 as one of my major arguments for the habitual overrepresentation of Big Ten teams in the big dance. While the PAC-12 is not routinely overrepresented there, y'all might not crow too loudly about terrible underrepresentation either. Check the data for the last NCAA Men's basketball champ from the conference. Hint: Unless I am forgetting somebody, it was last century!

A little off topic I suppose and my comment is not meant to be critical, but I can assure you that football will remain relevant in the South for as long as the game is played. I only saw it grow in popularity over the 42 years I lived in Georgia. It is like a second religion. down there. I think that college football gets a real boost in 2024 with the expansion of the playoffs to 12 teams. Given the expected prowess of the Duck football program and likely appearances on a fairly regular basis, it would seem to be an advantage staying "at home" in the PC-12 (or whatever) as opposed to traipsing off to the B1G or elsewhere. Take care of business on the field and the future will be bright I suspect. And with more eyes seeing the Ducks in consequential games, recruiting, particularly nationally, will become easier, even if it takes some years to win the big one: e.g, see Georgia over Kirby Smart's first six years.

IMHO opinion, you have every right Jon to be angry with the defections--I feel the same emotions. If you've followed my infrequent posts, you've seen me say that I consider the B1G the most overrated conference in both football and basketball, and the addition of the SoCal schools will only make it more so I am afraid. In fact, the only BB coach for whom I have a lot of respect is Tom Izzo at Michigan State, and it is his team that is coming closest to showing out in this year's Big Dance. I've seen so many posters on this forum who want to bolt to the B1G--undoubtedly for the money. I hope that the Ducks and that school up North will stand firm in the PAC-10 (hopefully soon to be 12). The media money may not be as good, but if it is even close, I think the advantages of staying home outweigh is disadvantages in the long run.

I've become not at all reluctant to pick against higher seeded B1G teams over decent basketball programs from other conferences. While I did not pick Purdue over FDU, I've begun to shrug over the past 15 years at the large number of upsets of B1G teams. I once had an opportunity to chat with B1G "homer" Clark Kellogg about the overrepresentation of B1G teams in the Men's NCAA BB tournament. He claimed it was warranted because of the competitive balance of the Big Ten. My reply was that with all those teams, wouldn't you expect to see more Final Four entrants and championships (the B!G has not had a men's champion since 2000) My comeback, only slightly overstated, was that what the B1G has in BB is competitive mediocracy. And the many upsets of such teams that I see in my brackets over the years seem to bear this out. While I win few bracket contests that I enter, it is hardly because I underestimated the prowess of B1G teams.

I remember the old days when rooting for Steve Prefontaine was quite the thing, even for those of us who were not Oregonians. I don't follow college track and,so, assumed that the Ducks were still track powerhouses. My how the lofty have slumped it seems, or am I making bad assumptions? Although I knew that my Dawgs (both genders) had come a long way in college track and field, I was flabbergasted to learn that Arkansas had taken the top spot in both mens' and womens' track. That shows my ignorance about the sport I guess, as it is logical to assume that the Hawgs have been building to this point over a period of years. Still can't think of the track meets in Eugene and not think of the Ducks as a powerhouse in this sport. ,What happened?

B1G basketball seems to crap out in the Big Dance just about every year these days. And do you know how long it has been since the B1G actually won an NCAA tournament in men's basketball? Look it up, you'll be shocked.

Thoughtful article in my humble opinion. Other than whoring for dollars, the attraction of the SoCal schools heading to the B1G has always mystified me., Travel issues and its impacts on athletes was the very first thing I thought of. There was also the revulsion of conference betrayal felt by this fan who grew up in California and was a dyed in the wool PAC 8,10,12 guy who unfailingly backed the conference in its intersectional contests. Even after living in the South for 42 years and becoming a Bulldawg guy over the years, I still have a deep fondness for the Westernmost conference. I am going to sound a bit petty here, but I believe marketing concerns was the reason invitations were extended to the SoCal schools, and as the above article suggests, there was no well-articulated plans for the conference's newest members beyond that. The pettiness comes from my hope that the SoCal schools fall on their face. But then again, I have long been a proponent of the view that the B1G is the most overrated conference in America. Thus, the Socal schools may end up faring well there.

When the elders take pride on mentoring the Ducklings you have the beginnings of a winning culture. This does take time and can become self-perpetuating as it has become in Athens. Lanning has seen it there and IMO will be successful at instilling it in Eugene. But as Charles noted, the process takes some time and a little patience on the fans' part.

Yeah SC vs.the Ducks is one game I'd travel for next year.

I have hesitated to respond to this thread for various reasons. I like most of Jon's posts and might like this one except for the inclusion of two teams, UNLV and UTSA that, from a competitive football standpoint, seem to weaken rather than strengthen the proposed conference (although they do add growing media markets). Calling it a super conference seems a real stretch in my humble opinion. Having said that, I admit that I know little about the schools I have called out (other than UNLV has trouble beating University of Nevada Reno) so my opinion is more of a "gut feeling" than a truly informed stance. Just my two cents worth.

I hope you are right Jon about Lanning achieving the kind of success Dabo achieved at Clemson. I think it quite possible if the Ducks make it into the 12-team playoff sooner rather than later, especially if they can win a game or two in their appearances.

As someone who has lived in the Midwest and coped with its harsh winters, I see the attraction of LA for many of these Midwestern kids--and saw it when I lived here. In my opinion, having to travel back to play football 3-4 times a year is no big deal, especially in that most of football season is played before Thanksgiving when the weather is still benign back there. I'd bet in the years ahead that you'll see more starters at UCLA and USC who hail from the Midwest than Western studs playing at the traditional B1G schools. Whether this infusion from the middle would really be enough to move the competitive needle for the SoCal schools remains an empirical (and interesting) question.

I thought about this a bit more and can see how the SoCal schools could benefit competitively from the move. Sorry if already posted, but I think it very likely that SC and UCLA will become very attractive destinations for stud recruits from the B1G footprint. Heck, if I am a Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, or Pennsylvania kid, I may undoubtedly see the advantage of swapping Midwestern winters for the weather, beaches, and scantily clad chicks of Los Angeles. Am I missing something here?

You are talking my language about the B1G, particularly the final statement about B1G basketball. My prediction about Fickell is similar to what I said about Lanning. Though his roster at Wisconsin is not as favorable as Oregon's was for Lanning, within three years, Fickell's teams will be playing pretty much even with whomever else is good in that division. I feel the same about the coach at Nebraska. These were two great hires.

Not trying to be argumentative necessarily, but three teams of officials, the crew chief refereeing the game, the game replay officials in the booth, and the NCAA referees who responded to Day's protests all concluded that this was neither targeting nor a cheap shot on Harrison, but rather a strong hit to the shoulder. I have seen many replays of this play from five different angles and it seems rather clear that this was not targeting, but rather, a terrific defensive play. Finally, a play that occurred fairly early in the 4th quarter is hardly the reason OSU lost this football game. The biggest factor was that the 2022 Dawgs, in competitive games, proved to be one of the most focused 4th Quarter teams I have ever seen at any level. True, OSU played a whale of a game and made it most difficult, but when the chips were down in that fateful quarter, Georgia prevailed 18-3!

By canceling, OSU will have eight games at home in 2024 and remove a quality OOC opponent in favor of a cupcake. Youngstown State anyone? OSU ought to be upgrading OOC schedule not making it simpler. And eight home games... who else has that?

Yep, I think there will be lots of regrets for the SoCal schools for the move they have made. Travel issues were the first thing to come to mind when I heard about the move to the B1G, and it is going to be a heck of a lot worse for the basketball than for the football teams.

I understand the skepticism Charles but this kid is talented.