This year I find myself missing the Pac-12 and all the chaos it brings. The B1G is just too top-heavy, and that’s the problem with super conferences; they generate a whole lot of mediocre games. The marquee match-ups have been great fun. Watching Oregon play Ohio State last year was one of the best games in Oregon’s history. The games ...

My BIG Struggle

Great article. I think you are experiencing what I felt when Florida had to travel to Missouri and Texas A&M for the first time a decade ago, as conference opponents. Except on a far larger scale. You jumped into a one hundred plus year old conference that was largely associated with midwestern universities. Yes getting to host Ohio State and Michigan are great.

You grew up knowing those are programs you'd love to see Oregon play. Rutgers and Maryland aren't even traditional B1G programs. They joined the league along with Nebraska in 2011 from the Big 12, ACC, and Big East (remember them?). Oregon at Rutgers is a game you would get if you and and buddy were playing on NCAA Football on whatever console you own, it would be one of those randomizer games you'd just let the CPU pick for you.

I think as the years go on, you will build up some feeling for going to Iowa or Minnesota, especially if they upset you. You already have a history with Wisconsin.

From experience, I can tell you that I'm starting to really dislike Missouri and Texas A&M in the same way I do South Carolina, and Ole Miss. It's taken a decade, but there's genuine feelings that weren't there before. Give it some time. It won't ever be like the old PAC Twelve, but that's because you grew up with that conference. Kids growing up today will grow up with new rivalries.

I am enjoying the escape from the confines of the Pacific Time Zone.

Great article. I feel the same way.

I realize that the PAC-12 was a “dead man walkin’” and that Oregon had to make a change to survive as a perennial national title contender. However, I don’t understand why the Pac (the only major conference West of the Rockies) could not survive. I miss playing at Stanford and at the Arizona schools (hopefully we can start scheduling these teams OOC). I still find myself rooting for our old PAC-12 conference foes (except for Oregon State or Colorado).

The ironic thing is, if the LA schools invested in and had more success on the football field, I believe that the TV money would have been there (perhaps not quite at the B1G or SEC levels but enough). Instead they took their underperforming program and the LA media market to the B1G for the payday. Now they are just part of the mediocre group that you mentioned in your article.

David, thank you for your thoughts and feelings on OBD's move to the BIG.

The PAC was truly unpredictable and at times crazy. However, this old Duck fan does not miss after dark in the desert! That trip was more than a speed bump for the Ducks.

With one loss in most seasons the Ducks would not be ranked #6. Pollsters are showing the Ducks respect because they earned it on the field in the BIG. They beat Michigan in the BIG house, split with tOSU, beat PSU twice and are in a conference with the $1 and #2 teams in the nation. RESPECT!

Last year tOSU and OBD's were #1 and #2 for most of the season. And the conference has won the last 2 Natty's and may get a threepeat this season. When was the last PAC team to win a Natty? Just usuck......

I will take that narrative over the fun and crazy of the PAC anytime. As you do, I find myself checking scores and flipping channels to watch parts of the many SEC games of the century every week. Very few BIG game match ups are compelling.

I think GAT is correct, it will take some time and we will develope rivalries. Can't wait for a rematch with IU or tOSU.

My biggest complaint is the travel miles. It is disproportionate for West Coast teams. First of all, the west teams should play each other every season to cut out 1 Saturday of time zone change. And rotate one season with 2 trips east then the next season with 3 east trips or add one or 2 teams out west. More BIG teams need to travel west.

Looking closely to see how well OBD's play down the stretch and into the CFP. This Ducks do multiple trips Back east during football season and, at least for me, jet lag recovery is real.

Go Ducks! Lets make some new rivalries with Iowa and Minnesota...

If the PAC had survived it would have turned into the ACC and played second fiddle to the B1G and SEC. One, or at the most two, teams would have made the CFP each year. One loss would perenially put OBD on the edge of elimination.

Now they at least get consideration for the playoffs even with two losses in the B1G. It certainly happens for the SEC and the ESPN/Finebaum honks that carry their water.

Maybe the evolution of NIL and player reimbursement would level the field amongst the 'haves', of which Oregon is a card carrying member. But witness that a two loss Miami is on CFP life support, and this year it looks like only the ACC champ is guaranteed a spot. Is there any reason to believe a reincarnated PAC would be any different?

Great article and I agree. I have no interest in watching Maryland vs Rutgers or Illinois vs Iowa. However, I would have absolutely sat down and watched two Pac-12 teams play each other, especially on Saturday night.

I really miss those Pac-12 after dark games. 7:30pm start after dinner and two teams that could impact the conference standings kicking it off and playing late into the night. Crack a beer and relax until bedtime.

Stanford at San Jose State at 7:30pm. No offense to SJSU, but gross. I’m not watching that.

54 minutes ago, EastBayDuckDad said:

If the PAC had survived it would have turned into the ACC and played second fiddle to the B1G and SEC. One, or at the most two, teams would have made the CFP each year. One loss would perenially put OBD on the edge of elimination.

Why couldn’t the PAC-12 have had a top heavy conference with national title contenders just like the B1G?

Oregon has more than held its own over the past 10+ years. Where has USC been since Pete Carroll left for the NFL? Why hasn’t Washington been consistently good ala Penn State?

There were more than enough quality brands in the PAC-12 but for whatever reason they continuously under performed which affected the national perception and ultimately the TV value.

22 minutes ago, GeotechDuck said:

...

I really miss those Pac-12 after dark games. 7:30pm start after dinner and two teams that could impact the conference standings kicking it off and playing late into the night. Crack a beer and relax until bedtime.

..

Oh, wow, just goes to show how different people can feel about it. I never watch any games that started after 7:00 pm, except for Duck away games (I usually, but not always attend the late home games), and then I was in my jammies and ready for the 20-seconds walk to bed after. :)

My hope is the football super conference arrives sooner than later and Oregon gets to go back to facing mostly teams in the west.

4 hours ago, GatOrlando said:

From experience, I can tell you that I'm starting to really dislike Missouri and Texas A&M in the same way I do South Carolina, and Ole Miss. It's taken a decade, but there's genuine feelings that weren't there before. Give it some time. It won't ever be like the old PAC Twelve, but that's because you grew up with that conference. Kids growing up today will grow up with new rivalries.

When Utah and Colorado joined the Pac-12 most fans felt the same way on the west coast. It took about 10 years of rather frequent games to build up a relationship between Oregon and Utah to make that game feel exciting.

Oregon and Colorado got a supercharged relationship and rivalry with the Lanning v Sanders narrative but that only lasted a year.

I know it will take years to get more excited about the games against B1G opponents. It will happen but it will take even longer for me to get interested enough to watch non-Oregon B1G games. With the Pac-12 I would watch a bad Washington State team and a bad Cal team throw the ball at each other for like 700 yards combined passing. I cared about those teams, not as much as Oregon but I cared enough to tune in.

I know it will all take time and rivalries aren't built in a day, week, month or even a year. They take a good decade to form and longer if those games are every other year.

2 hours ago, HappyToBeADuck said:

Last year tOSU and OBD's were #1 and #2 for most of the season. And the conference has won the last 2 Natty's and may get a threepeat this season. When was the last PAC team to win a Natty? Just usuck......

I will take that narrative over the fun and crazy of the PAC anytime. As you do, I find myself checking scores and flipping channels to watch parts of the many SEC games of the century every week. Very few BIG game match ups are compelling.

I wouldn't change our situation in this college football environment for anything. We are in the right conference for the health of our program.

Looking at little brother is depressing enough to make me be grateful for where we are.

I suspect the preference of which games to watch is largely based on where you spent your younger adult life.

If you grew up in the Midwest, and moved to the West Coast, I imagine you would rather watch Minnesota vs Wisconsin than Cal vs UCLA.

The unsolvable problem for the Pac: the national population east of the Rockies was more attuned to the former than the latter. The Pac, regardless of USC's periodic success, was always going to have short shrift of network and viewer interest.

USC clearly saw that when evaluating their financial future. Fortunately both UW and UO did as well.

I'm not sure which West games I might wish for? Cal? Utah? It's a very short list. And, because of that, it is still possible for non-conference. I would rather have some rotation schedule of a couple old Pac12 teams than play Oregon State very season. But, that is more about OSU than about nostalgia for the old Pac.

“Familiarity breeds contempt.”

Familiarity can also make teams careless, and upsets occur (ie. tOSU vs Mich last year). That is the basis of rivalries, and fanbases get fired up when that happens.

I don’t really miss the PAC 12.

We have started a new chapter, and we really haven’t built up any new contempt yet. Thrashing Rutgers, or Northwestern doesn’t really move the needle for any of our fans.

However, a beatdown of our old PAC 12 foes Usuc, and anything purple is always fun. The perennial elite of the BIG needs another contemptible opponent, and it might as well be Oregon.

Our team and fans are up to the challenge.

Most people don't like change.

But change is inevitable.

Because the B1G has so many teams, we don't get to play each team each year. It will take quite a while to develop new rivalries.

However, I already sense a growing dislike from most teams due to our immediate success. I think Oregon is fast becoming that team out west to hate!

I do miss being able to drive to away games, but I'm loving the new teams and new stadiums. I love the new teams. It's like every week is a Rosebowl game.

Because of all the money now in college sports, we can expect more change to come. Expanded playoffs? Super conference? NFL lite?

Whatever comes, as long as our Ducks are included, I'm all in.

19 minutes ago, David Marsh said:

I wouldn't change our situation in this college football environment for anything. We are in the right conference for the health of our program.

Looking at little brother is depressing enough to make me be grateful for where we are.

Thank you, David, for the article and the above, spot-on comment.

Tonight at 5:45 PM Pacific, after ESPN milks a CBB game before and after for a larger audience, the B1G should have seven of its 18 teams ranked by the Playoff Committee: Ohio State, Indiana, OBD, Michigan, USC, Iowa, and UW.

The Massey computer has these seven teams in its top 25. ESPN's Bill Connolly's SP+, with the addition of No. 22 Penn State (!), and No. 25, 6-3 Illinois, has half of the conference ranked.

On the other hand, the AP Poll has every SEC team with two losses ranked, plus three-loss Tennessee. If there are so many great teams in the SEC, how can eight teams have two or fewer losses, and why don't losses in Knoxville count? I expect the SEC will dominate the rankings.

Georgia struggled to put away an unranked Florida. Texas won games in overtime versus bottom-tier SEC teams Kentucky and Mississippi State. No. 3 A&M defeated Arkansas 45 to 42. On Saturday, No. 21 Michigan struggled to defeat Purdue in the B1G House. We witnessed Oregon's battle against Wisconsin in 2024 and this season. In 2024, a Nebraska team that Indiana had schooled the week prior came into Columbus and came this close to being the loss that kept the Buckeyes out of the playoff.

Lower-level Power 2 teams are capable of giving the top teams a battle. I don't think games against lower-level conference opponents are that much of a problem. If only the top SEC and B1G teams were in the same conference with no easy games, B1G and SEC fans, like NFL fans, would have to handle losing many more games.

But as you so perfectly point out, the schedules in these mega-conferences are the problem. From a budding rivalry and entertainment point of view, OBD and not UCLA should be playing Ohio State a week from Saturday. The first meeting of Ohio State and USC as conference rivals will not be played before the Trojans' third season in the conference.

Like the SEC, I think the B1G should give each team three permanent opponents. Not only for rivalry purposes, but it would help with travel if OBD, UCLA, USC, and UW played one another every season. If you don't love traveling to New Brunswick, New Jersey, one more season to play every B1G team is no B1G deal.

Again, your above comment nails it for me.

I'm reasonably certain that Molly Brown enjoyed the champagne on board the Titanic. I am absolutely certain that Molly was happy to board the lifeboat.😁

Thanks again.

To me, the nostalgia for the Old Pac is akin to Friday night football.

Well, we're going to stay loyal and attend most of our Friday night high school games, before we spend Saturday watching the SEC, B1G and Big12.

The viewership for Pac12 After Dark across the country reflected that. It was only going to become more of an afterthought in the public consciousness. And, Friday night high school games are showing dwindling interest too.

Was UCLA in Pullman - 67-63 and 44-41 entertaining? How many people saw those as televised games? Did they get voluminous post-game coverage? Were they worthy of keeping a conference together because those games tickled our fickle bone?

Perhaps it's akin to watching some entertaining 4A Oregon high school games, while the real powers are playing 6A?

Listen, I'm a nostalgia guy and post here periodically about games and stats from across the history of college football. I'm sympathetic to nostalgia. But, I also like 60's and 70's popular music while understanding the world have moved on and commercialized a much different genre of music while my age group's interests are waning as we die off.

USC recognizing the changing landscape was assisted suicide to a conference that was dying. The "doctors" at ESPN, Fox, etc. had told Kliavkoff in the waiting room, that even with USC/UCLA the chances for survival were slim. You can entertain removing life support, or "enjoy" a slow death.

Joining the B1G was making oneself eligible for the Mayo Clinic.

Sharing your feelings from your heart connects with a ton more people than you would think, and David...you hit something here. So many times I say to myself...."I gotta watch that B1G game," and record it, but never get to it. Meanwhile I make sure I watch the USC or Washington games recorded. Just habit I guess, and intense feelings built over many, many years.

You are right; we don't have intense feelings about most of the Big-10 teams, but we will--especially when one beats us like the Hoosiers did. I agree with GatOrlando, in that in a decade--we will be familiar with the B1G teams, and will have more interest in the other conference games.

With that said, I have watched quite a few "other" B1G games, but usually containing future opponents. The Iowa-Minnesota game is a great example...

I miss the Pac-12 a little, but I love so much more the attention Our Beloved Ducks get by being in big games, and being in one of the two Super-Conferences. We have so much more respect in this conference...