Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted October 27, 2022 I was thinking about the impact of appearances of the conference, and I understand that Oregon will be perceived better if there are a few other very strong teams in the Pac-12. I also understand that the pundits respect the conference more if USC, UCLA and Washington are strong teams. But I loathe having those three being strong. So I began to think about, "if you MUST have three other teams besides Oregon that are strong, and top-15-in-the-nation-worthy,...who would I allow?" My three: Utah--respect the coach, like the fans and they are in a tougher recruiting spot than Seattle or LA as we are. Washington State--the classic underdog, and ditto as above about recruiting. Oregon State--yes, they are our rival, but if there was only two teams on top...I would like it to be Oregon and OSU. I respect what Coach Smith is building, and ditto for them in recruiting too. If I had to pick two others instead of three...it would be WSU and OSU. But this will never happen...or could it when LA teams leave? Who are your choices and why? 1 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noDucknewby No. 2 Share Posted October 27, 2022 LIttle brother--remember the Civil War (that's what is was then!) that was winner-take-all for the Rose Bowl? One of my best Autzen memories. WSU--I agree, keep it in the NW and we can root for them to trounce the Fuskies every year in the Apple Cup (well I guess we do that anyway). Furd--We've had some great games over the years, it's become one of our better rivalries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Rambis No. 3 Share Posted October 27, 2022 I definitely respect the Utah program and would like them to be a consistent rival. As someone who did not actually attend Oregon, I also hold no hatred for OSU and would love to see two teams representing the state where I grew up (and still consider home) represented at the top of the Pac. The third is tougher. I lived in Phoenix for 27 years so hold a bit of a soft spot for ASU, having been to numerous games. I agree with Charles on WSU - love the underdog program and the difficulty of recruiting up there. Then there's Stanford - I have to cheer for a team that can compete at the highest level and still be one of the top academic institutions in the nation, with all of the limitations that puts on recruiting. It would probably be Stanford for that reason, plus we had a great rivalry with them some years ago and those games were wild fun. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kamikaze Kid Moderator No. 4 Share Posted October 27, 2022 I see Utah as the new Stanford. Beavis looks like the new kid on the block. For #3, I'll go off the board and say SD St. Welcome to the Pac. Now hold down that SoCal fort. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuck No. 5 Share Posted October 27, 2022 Oregon State, Utah and Stanford. All three eschew excessive use of the transfer portal and NIL, they build their teams by developing players. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalBear95 No. 6 Share Posted October 27, 2022 Dawgs. Far more brand equity and so that carries a ton of weight with those who don’t pay a ton of attention to the conference but have a real impact on shaping the narrative of P5 pecking order. Utah has already broken through. Shaw is a total choker in games not against the Ducks and especially outside the conference so no Furd for me. That leaves OSU because it makes late season football a must watch for the country and props up playoff rankings for OBD when they win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCati855 Moderator No. 7 Share Posted October 27, 2022 Utah- I respect their work ethic and their coach. UW- I need a good team to hate. SDSU- My childhood team and the Pac-? needs a good SoCal representative. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 8 Share Posted October 27, 2022 On 10/27/2022 at 8:43 AM, noDucknewby said: LIttle brother--remember the Civil War (that's what is was then!) that was winner-take-all for the Rose Bowl? One of my best Autzen memories. It really only happened once... but the "War of the Roses" was everything that is great with inner-state rivalries. The winner gets the biggest prize, the Rose Bowl. That was a high stakes game and the reward felt just as epic. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Ducky No. 9 Share Posted October 27, 2022 WSU SDSU BYU OSU Gets us to 12 teams maybe we could pick off a couple Texas schools also and BSU. Gets us to 16. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven A Moderator No. 10 Share Posted October 27, 2022 OSU & WSU, don't want Utah interfering with our recruiting. And Cal . . . take that ucla to your BIG basement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckpop22 No. 11 Share Posted October 27, 2022 This is a hard one. I can't allow OSU anything except for a root against UW. So both of them are out. Utah, as many before me have said, because Whittingham seems to do it the right way. Stanford, because the entrance requirements are like Sisyphus and his rock. WSU, because the enemy of my enemy is my friend on at least one Saturday weekend in the fall. Besides, could you recruit to The Papoose, or whatever they call that place? It's like Corvallis and West Texas had a baby. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 12 Share Posted October 27, 2022 On 10/27/2022 at 1:50 PM, Duckpop22 said: Besides, could you recruit to The Papoose, or whatever they call that place? It's like Corvallis and West Texas had a baby. Omigosh! We MUST remember that line for when we return to Martin Stadium in the future... Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Funduck No. 13 Share Posted October 27, 2022 What's best for the conference? I'm beeping as I write. UW- they already have national recognition and would create the biggest of games with Oregon /UW being highly ranked when they came together. College Gameday anyone? UU- respected, tough, consistent beyond belief. They are just a game or two away from elite status. They are highly respected as a 2nd tier team in a Big 5 conference. Yes, I know they win and have won the PAC, but how many times? Keep on Keep'n on UU. You are desperately needed to be elite. Furd- National recognition for being the B1G team from the west coast. Tough, Smart, plays USC, a'Nother L'ame team each year. This gives noteriatey to the PAC as well. Those 4 teams being in the top 15 each year would make The PAC contenders for #2 conference. Possibly even for #1. Thats top 4 against top 4 that is. That brings me to a mild gripe. Georgia, Alabama, and who else is the cream of the SEC? Auburn? Thats a dumpster fire. Florida? Average with really good players. Ole Miss? I considered that team a middle of the PAC team if they played west coast. Tennessee looks incredible, but up until last year was a dumpster fire for 20 years possibly more. An embarrassment really. My gripe is that the SEC's motto is 'It Just Means More'. To the fans? Sure. But, take out the top 3 and you couldn't tell who was better among the remaining power 5 conferences top tier teams. It's Alabama, Georgia, and this year, Tennessee, and everyone else in the SEC. The B1G is Tosu, Ummm, with Illinois coming out of nowhere for a distant third. The ACC is floating down the river on fire with Clemson as the only respectable team. How bad is the ACC? Syracuse is dominating, yeah, Syracuse. The BIG 12 has who? Ugh, well, let me see.....Baylor or OK st? I just got skeered...nope. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
