Oregon is the Pac-12’s Standard Bearer, Not the LA Schools

[FishDuck Article]

This year there has been plenty of fanfare around the LA schools, especially with their imminent departure from the Pac-12 in 2024. This season it indeed feels like the LA schools are playing at a much higher level than they have in years. Lincoln Riley has given new life to USC by his use of the transfer portal, which brought...

 

Oregon is the Pac-12's Standard Bearer, Not the LA Schools

FISHDUCK.COM

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This year there has been plenty of fanfare around the LA schools, especially with their imminent departure from the Pac-12 in 2024. This season...

 

[Steven A]

Speechless to omnipresent in 48 hours.

 

Well played Mr. Marsh

[PittDuck]

…And have been since the turn of the century!  To the point that the cowardly LA schools jumped from the PAC to avoid playing (and being beaten by) OBD!

 

Of course they claim it was for the $$ but that will end up a wash when they add in the travel costs for all the lowers revenue sports.  

 

Thank you David!  Well played indeed!

[Log Haulin]

Good article Marsh. Oregon is circled on every opponents schedule every year. Been this way for years. It's why Cougs looked like world beaters v. Ducks, pedestrian in every other game they played 

[Charles Fischer]

Damn right David.  Kirk Herbstreit did not pick us on Saturday, but he made a very astute comment in the past... 

 

College Football is better when Oregon is Elite  (And everyone loves the Duck!)

[Duck Fan 76]

One point that I've been pondering is what USC and UCLA look like in the BIG five years from now.  Ohio State is a power house and nothing is going to knock them out of the top spot in that conference anytime soon.  When you throw in the rotation of top end BIG schools even a good USC is going to struggle to place 3rd in the BIG.  They aren't likely to get back to Pete Caroll USC without dominating recruiting and that hasn't materialized.  UCLA?  Might not even crack the top half most years.

 

Those LA schools need to win to keep their fan base and boosters happy.  The LA market isn't famous for fan loyalty with sports teams.  Maybe the extra revenue is invested into the programs and they get better but UCLA has revenue problems and I think the school will struggle to invest in football.  The potential downside to the move is significant and that is exactly the point the PAC12 has been making with the remaining 10 schools.  The grass isn't always greener.

 

I've maintained since the announcement that Oregon is fundamentally better off staying in the PAC possibly pursuing a non-conference home and away deal with the ACC for extra national ratings.  With the CFB expansion Oregon is likely to be a perennial playoff participant.  Playing Oregon will keep the remaining PAC schools relevant until they can build up or rebuild their programs.  This of course assumes the PAC negotiates a workable media deal.

 

In five years if the move is then viewed as a disaster, do the LA schools try to come back?  This isn't the first time the California schools have broken the conference.  The PCC was dissolved when the California schools (Cal and UCLA at that time) split off but they eventually all came back together and the PAC-8 was born.  Money and jealousy was the motivation for the original split but regional ties eventually forced everyone back together.  

 

[David Marsh]

On 10/26/2022 at 9:10 AM, Duck Fan 76 said:

One point that I've been pondering is what USC and UCLA look like in the BIG five years from now.  Ohio State is a power house and nothing is going to knock them out of the top spot in that conference anytime soon.  When you throw in the rotation of top end BIG schools even a good USC is going to struggle to place 3rd in the BIG.  They aren't likely to get back to Pete Caroll USC without dominating recruiting and that hasn't materialized.  UCLA?  Might not even crack the top half most years.

The top recruits in the country tend to want access to the playoff. Now the playoff is going to expand which will give more teams access but that is still only access for the best teams in the country. 

 

Simply put a dominant team from the Pac-10/12 is going to have more access to the playoff than a team that comes in at 3rd or 4th in the B1G or SEC. If you have been following my power rankings on the FishDuck Forum you will see a trend in the Pac-12 right now. The bottom of the conference is very bad while the middle to top of the conference is pretty respectable with Oregon sitting at the top looking like the most dominant team. 

 

Getting to the playoff is going to be easier for the Ducks and it may get even easier in the short run when the LA schools leave the conference... granted because of the stupid Pac-12 scheduling requiring all California schools playing each other every year that means Oregon is left only playing and embarrassing one LA school a year. I actually feel this part of the expansion has played a major role in hurting the Pac-12's reputation over time because the games that bring in the most National attention are always the Ducks v LA Schools... or some other blue blood. So only having one of those games a year has hurt all three programs in reality. 

[Jon Sousa]

On 10/26/2022 at 9:50 AM, David Marsh said:

...because of the stupid Pac-12 scheduling requiring all California schools playing each other every year that means Oregon is left only playing and embarrassing one LA school a year. I actually feel this part of the expansion has played a major role in hurting the Pac-12's reputation over time because the games that bring in the most National attention are always the Ducks v LA Schools... or some other blue blood. So only having one of those games a year has hurt all three programs in reality. 

Excellent, excellent point!! Well done!